Farm Hands

Oakshire_Farm · #1 02/14/12, 01:34 PM

I am just in the process of hiring a farm helper....

I am just wondering what kind of a wage is the going rate in "your" area. I am wanting someone to come in in the mornings, milk the cows, clean calf stalls, feed and calves (up to 10) and help me in the boarding kennel I run, will be a total of 4 hours give or take. a few mornings a week. I am pregnant with baby #4 and I have always had my husband home help with all the chores, but he is working full time right now. So I put out a ad. I had a pile of resumes come through and I have narrowed it down to 1 lady. She is just coming off maternity leave and has a 7 month old little boy. I told her she is more than welcome to bring her baby to work with her, we have a kids play area set up in the kennel.

I told her I was going to pay $12/hour. She was happy with that. But I just started wondering what kind of wages to others get for the same kind of a job in different areas.

Capt Quirk · #2 02/14/12, 01:38 PM

In "My neck of the woods", I offer an acre to build and live on, and meals. But then, I'm cheap

springvalley · #3 02/14/12, 02:11 PM

12.00 bucks an hour sounds pretty good to me, I`d come over if you lived closer for that. > Thanks Marc

Oakshire_Farm · #4 02/14/12, 02:18 PM

If I had more land I would love to be able to do that Capt. Quirk, but we only have 7 acres, so not enough to spare, all the rest of the land we lease.

pcdreams · #5 02/14/12, 02:37 PM

Wow!! Wish I was close by. That's a high dollar wage in these parts for just about any job

farmergirl · #6 02/14/12, 02:42 PM

I pay our farm helpers $10/ hour, but I've never asked them to do things like milk the cow or bottle feed calves. If I did, I'd offer them $12-$13/ hour because that type of work requires a lot more attention and care than digging posts holes or stretching fence does.

Capt Quirk · #7 02/14/12, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmergirl

I pay our farm helpers $10/ hour, but I've never asked them to do things like milk the cow or bottle feed calves. If I did, I'd offer them $12-$13/ hour because that type of work requires a lot more attention and care than digging posts holes or stretching fence does.

I would do that the other way. Digging posts and stretching fence is more labor intensive, and then you add in the elements... People working in some pet stores make minimum wage taking care of young critters. The owner of one such store, had me going dumpster diving behind the grocery store for produce to feed their reptiles.

madness · #8 02/14/12, 03:10 PM

One of our volunteer workers (we do WWOOF) is looking for a farm job right now. Regular vegetable farms area paying $8.50 an hour! We've paid $10 for regular labor and $15 for specialized stuff, but that's usually project based and not anything long term.

Judith · #9 02/14/12, 03:12 PM

Oakshire, i think you wage is pretty fair. We pay our milkers 20.00 per hour, calf feeders 17.00 ( keep in mind this is a commercial herd 200 head) and then our kennel help is paid 10 an hour. So if you are looking at inexperienced labor 12 bucks is pretty good!

idigbeets · #10 02/14/12, 03:29 PM

$10-15 is relatively fair for most farm labor.

Oakshire_Farm · #11 02/14/12, 03:59 PM

Thanks for everyone for their impute. My husband works on a larger commercial dairy, he does everything except milk. He is getting $24. That is the normal for commercial farms around here. We have 4 Jerseys that are all easy! They never kick, they are all very loving, all have been milked before so no fighting with first timers.

I have also told her she is more than welcome to take milk when she needs it, we also raise chickens and rabbits for meat. And she can take meat as well. She was THRILLED! So I think I have found the right match for us. I do not think that she is going to be long term, she mentioned having more children. But that works out fine for me! Once I have baby#4 (and final

) I will be fine doing it all my self.

ErinP · #12 02/14/12, 04:47 PM

For full time farm/ranch labor, no house or utilities, drive-your-own-vehicle, $12-15 is the going rate here... $24 is oil field wages!

Patrick · #13 02/14/12, 09:58 PM

Good luck. Just don't forget that this is a business relationship, not a friendship. You might start out being nice, treating as you would want to be, but appreciation often turns into entitlement. When being a parent you can sometimes be a friend, but there are times when you also have to stand up and be a parent. Same with being a boss. You are asking for trouble by allowing her to bring her child to work. At a minimum it will be a huge distraction from doing her work. At worst it could be a huge liability for you.

oregon woodsmok · #14 02/15/12, 12:24 PM

An acre to build on and meals? And then what do you do when they get their acre and slough off on their work, or start dealing drugs or making meth on their acre? There are enough problems with providing a no rent place to live without actually giving title to a piece of your property.

CountryWannabe · #15 02/15/12, 01:58 PM

That sounds pretty fair to me. I used to have help for about the same hours when I had a grooming/boarding kennel, and for when I was out at dog shows. When I was gone the helper had to feed the farm animals as well as care for the dogs (mine and client). That was about 5 years ago and I paid $10 per hour then.

Mary

Capt Quirk · #16 02/15/12, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oregon woodsmok

An acre to build on and meals? And then what do you do when they get their acre and slough off on their work, or start dealing drugs or making meth on their acre? There are enough problems with providing a no rent place to live without actually giving title to a piece of your property.

No title, and if they aren't willing to uphold their end, or bring the law, they can be removed. Step son is about to discover that first hand.

**highlands** · #17 02/15/12, 04:31 PM

First of all this is going to vary tremendously with the area, the tasks, the skills and the other amenities provided (e.g., housing).

Secondly, are you doing your farming for profit or for a hobby?

If you're doing it as a hobby then pay what ever it is worth to not have to do those chores yourself.

If you're doing it for profit then don't pay someone else more than half what you want to earn. It is far better to work twice as hard and keep the money in hand than to hire employees. For every dollar you spend hiring you must also spend 25 cents to 50 cents for taxes and such plus hired people just aren't as efficient 90% of the time as doing it yourself.

boundarybunnyco · #18 02/15/12, 08:49 PM

I pay my niece 8 dollars an hour to help me clean the bunny barn, plus I always throw in snacks/drinks, and a bit extra for gas money. She's a good little worker for a 17 year old.

CarolT · #19 02/16/12, 10:18 AM

They don't get title to the property or the home they build? Yep, you're cheap and remember, you get what you pay for...

lonelyfarmgirl · #20 02/16/12, 01:51 PM

we pay our hired help 10$ an hour, cash. I know there is a dog boarding kennel down the road, they pay 7.50.

I think letting her bring her baby is a bad idea. You want to pay her to play with or tend to her child? If you are paying hourly thats what's gonna happen.