getting free farm labor

Paul Wheaton · #1 03/07/10, 10:53 AM

The bullock brothers farm has folks paying to work on their farm. And folks are lining up. And I've met these folks: hard workers that love the experience at the farm. Usually they have saved up for the first summer, and sometimes they get other jobs to continue living/working there.

I just now pushed this 30 second video up to youtube showing the outdoor classroom at the bullock brothers farm. Simple, quick, attractive and enough space for about a hundred students.

Mighty smart I think ...

http://www.youtube.com/paulwheaton12#p/u/0/tK0cSfH7Xw0

Of course, there is a lot of reasons why folks would pay to work there, but I think the beauty of the place is good place to start.

paintlady · #2 03/07/10, 03:48 PM

Is this a vegetable type farm? This must be some sort of "farm" vacation because if they really did work there he would have to pay into all of the lovely goverment tax programs such as workmans' comp, SSI etc.

Paul Wheaton · #3 03/07/10, 03:52 PM

If you don't pay them, then you have to pay that stuff. They are volunteer labor.

paintlady · #4 03/07/10, 03:56 PM

If the people are paying HIM then he only has to worry about liability insurance. It would also be considered a business if he has paying customers.

||Downhome|| · #5 03/07/10, 05:01 PM

I have to say most places that you would go to work at want you to have some experiance, it costs money to train people, and someone who does not know what they are doing could really cost you a good amount. so I can see them charging for this experiance Im sure the inexperienced cut into the profit margin some plus thiers always upkeep on people and tools.

paintlady that only applies to longterm paid employees Im Sure. and I dont think they would be coined volunteers either,paying students maybe?

Paul Wheaton · #6 03/17/10, 09:37 AM

Most farms that have interns give the interns a stipend of something like $35 per week.

I think the key is that if you make a space that is awesome enough, you can get interns that actually pay you rather than you paying them.

Consider eight interns spread out over three months. My math says that works out to about $3500.

BTW: in the video ... someone was saying that that might be an old parachute ...

MaineFarmMom · #7 03/17/10, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Wheaton

Consider eight interns spread out over three months. My math says that works out to about $3500.

That's a lot of inexperienced people in a short amount of time.

blooba · #8 03/17/10, 08:14 PM

So who would like to pay me to work in my garden? I'm taking bids.... Do I hear $500?

lol

Wayne02 · #9 03/17/10, 08:29 PM

Any idea how much the liability insurance costs for an operation like this?

nc_mtn · #10 03/17/10, 08:32 PM

This place isn't far from me... I've bought goats and some other things from him. Even helped him run his sawmill in exchange for horse help...

He always seems to have interns

http://www.turtleislandpreserve.com/index.php

luvrulz · #11 03/17/10, 08:38 PM

We have interns on our farm - inexperienced college students that are looking for sustainable farm work. In exchange for room and board, they get to learn about how things work on our farm. A win/win!

Big Dave · #12 03/17/10, 09:07 PM

And Yall thought a dollar a hole was bad

TnAndy · #13 03/18/10, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luvrulz

We have interns on our farm - inexperienced college students that are looking for sustainable farm work. In exchange for room and board, they get to learn about how things work on our farm. A win/win!

Watch your tax liability.....that room and board IS income to the intern.....nothing may ever come of it, but don't be surprised if it does.

fatrat · #14 03/18/10, 09:32 AM

Having an intern is not as you say in the title of this post "free farm labor". Interns have little or no experience or knowledge and require supervision which costs time and time is money. They also require liability insurance as many have already stated. Farm work can be dangerous with all the equipment and animals. A lot of people are hurt on working farms each year. If you take interns without liability insurance you are playing with fire especially in our law suit crazy society. If you think interns or farm vacationers are free your fooling yourself not them. They may be cheap labor but once you find yourself in a law suit you will see there was nothing free about it.

Cheap labor is not always good labor. I am a business owner and I had a friend one day call to let me know he was coming from far away to visit for a week in order to help me. He had no skills or experience. It was "free labor" and one of the most costly weeks in all the years I've been in business. It was like having a child with me constantly all day every day at work. I had to find things they could do and include them in everything I did. I had to put off jobs that needed to be done "now" until after they left. What I could have gotten done in one day took all week. FREE LABOR CAN BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE LABOR YOU WILL EVER FIND. It would have been better to hire, at a high price, part time but experienced and skilled labor, someone I wouldn't have to baby sit.

If that isn't enough then keep in mind it is written in a wise proverb, "The workman is worthy of his wages". When you are willing pay what it takes to get "GOOD EXPERIENCED LABOR" rather than "FREE LABOR", it pays more in the long term. I would be embarrassed and ashamed to look for free labor. Only cheapskates and fools look for free labor and they usually don't stay in business very long.

Paul Wheaton · #15 03/18/10, 10:07 AM

As this thread shows: some folks can get it to work out well, some ... not so much.

The bullock brothers (in the link in the first post) get it to work out very well.

fatrat · #16 03/18/10, 11:23 AM

Yeah and it worked out well for the southern slave owners whos investement produced generations of free labor. It worked out well for Nazi Germany who found a lot of free labor in the Jews. It works out well for the Communist Chinese and the Communist North Koreans whos prisones are filled with free labor. Like I say they are cheapskates and fools. It is written "The workman is worthy of his wages". There is a price to pay in the long run for thinking you can get people to work free. It will fall apart eventually when people no longer want to work free. Volunteer work, work study, intern work or people paying for education is one thing but looking for free labor is foolish and it will eventually fail if that is what they are actually looking for. Anyone who thinks looking for free labor can work out well is a fool and should be ashamed of themselves.

Curtis B · #17 03/18/10, 12:08 PM

It probably didn't start out as them looking for free labor. There seems to be a bit of a movement with some "groups" of people wanting to learn. I am in no way looking to do what they are, but I have a person coming over to help butcher a few extra turkeys, and the person doesn't even want one of the birds. I'm not trying to argue, I know about "free" labor, and agree. But it seems like the people going there are trying to learn.

fatrat · #18 03/18/10, 12:11 PM

Well there's nothing wrong with that. That's called education and it can cost some money or time to the person being educated. That's not some worthless cheapskate looking for "free farm labor".

I actually had one man come into my business and want me to do his work for $3.00 an hour when I didn't have any other work at the time. He wanted me to set his work aside until business was slow and then do his at $3.00 an hour, sort of like looking for "free farm labor". It would cost me more than that in expenses if I was to do it. I refuse all business from him now. I will not work for the man at any price he is a fool looking for people to work free.

Curtis B · #19 03/18/10, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatrat

I actually had one man come into my business and want me to do his work for $3.00 an hour when I didn't have any other work at the time. He wanted me to set his work aside until business was slow and then do his at $3.00 an hour, sort of like looking for "free farm labor". It would cost me more than that in expenses if I was to do it. I refuse all business from now. I will not work for the man at any price he is a fool looking for people to work free.

I agree, and have to deal with it on almost a daily basis (the company I work for trys to do the "$3 an hour" thing), and I get in trouble on a regular basis for opposing it. I do have agreements with some people that do work for me that they do in there down time, but not anywhere near that rate you are talking about. Some companys are seasonal, and need to keep there good people working during the off season, so I schedule certain work during those times. Would it have made you feel better if he had the thread title in quotes? Free labor can be a relative term. Technicaly on my place my labor is "Free". To some people it is not. I will stop now, I believe we kinda got off topic from the thread.

fatrat · #20 03/18/10, 01:27 PM

Yes the title "free labor can be a relative term" would be a fine title. I have seen people taken advantage of to many times by people looking for free labor. It made me mad to see that someone on this forum would think it was a good idea. I wonder if they have ever worked hard and then not been paid because someone thought they could get the labor free if they tried to get away with it. I have worked hard and not been paid and it makes me real, real mad. I won't say anymore about the subject here other than the Bible says, "The workman is worthy of his wages".