Hello,
My name is Bob Sirois. I know this is the wrong time of year to be looking for farm work; however, that is what I am doing. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.
I grew up on my grandparent’s potato farm in northern Maine. We did have about 30 head of dairy cows, chickens, and a few pigs. When my grandfather past away I moved to Connecticut to live with my parents. The family farm was sold because neither my dad nor his brother wanted the responsibility of taking over the farm, and I was fifteen at the time; I was not given the opportunity.
For the past three years, I have worked for Holyoke Memorial and Providence Behavioral Health center as a substance abuse counselor. Unfortunately, I lost two clients in November to drug overdose and I decided it was time to leave. I value life too much to watch people throw theirs away, and in the last few years the drug problems in this country have gotten worse. It’s time for a new beginning. It’s time to go back to nature.
For the past month I have tried to decide what to do. I do have an MBA from Florida State University but at forty-eight I do not want to go back to working in the corporate jungle. After careful consideration, I have decided to go back to farming. That is what I was happy doing so many years ago. I enjoyed the hard work, the animals, and the land. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty and I’m happy as long as I can stay busy.
This is not a casual decision that has been made. I plan to find a farm where I can spend the next twenty years working the land, nurturing the animals and doing what needs to be done to enjoy watching the farm and its family grow.
As with most farms, money is tight, and I am willing to work with the right family. As I said I know this is the wrong time of year to be looking for farm work, there is not all that much money coming in, but the farm still needs to be run and work still needs to be done. As I said, I’m willing to work with the right family. I’m not looking to get rich. If that’s what I wanted, I would go back to the hospital making 68k yearly.
To prove my point, I’ll work this winter season for room and board and a couple of dollars. That will give you time to see what I can and cannot do and for me to see if you have the right farm for me. At the beginning of the season, I would expect to be paid your regular farm hand wages starting at the beginning of the season. We’ll call the winter season as a getting to know each other period and a gift to you, as for next winter, I would also be willing to do the same. As I said, I know how tough the farming business can be in the off season, or even in season for that matter.
If you are interested, and if you have gotten this far in reading this then I think you are, this is what I propose:
Call me for an on phone interview. If things are what we both expect we can schedule a meeting when I can come and meet you personally, take a short tour of your farm, meet the family, and the farm hands I’ll be working with.
I know this is an unorthodox way of applying for a position, but that is the price that I’m willing to pay for looking for farm work this time of year.
As for my qualifications:
I hate to use the term jack-of-all-trades, but that is the best term that fits. I can usually figure out how to complete a project and when I can’t figure it out I know when to ask for help.
Minor welding; I own a small mig welder that I use when the need arises. It may not be pretty, but the weld will hold.
Construction; I have built 14 houses over the last twenty-five years along with home renovations and repairs.
Mechanics; an old friend of mine had an auto repair shop in Florida. He ran into financial problems and I decided to loan him what he needed. I took over the office functions of the business and worked in the garage in the evenings when we were backed up in work, and over a three year period I learned a great deal about auto mechanics. I completed such functions such as a simple oil change to replacing entire engines. Doing a valve job to replacing the heads. I have also done some hydraulic repairs as well. At the end of the three years, I was paid back the money that was loaned, and we still remain friends.
My philosophy has always been why pay someone to do something when I can do it myself and learn from the project at hand.
I do have an interest in learning cheese making.
For more information, please give me a call. We can discuss your needs as well as mine.
Or visit my web site at
www.thesnackman.com for more information. Click on farm information on the left hand panel. Or email me through the contact me link of the web site.
Thank you for the time that you have spent in reading this
Bob Sirois
