Trucker/farm hand for hire

Hello forum. If anyone can offer me some helpful advice or suggestions I would very much appreciate it.

I'm a 48 year old man who currently resides in SC, but I may be heading to NY soon. Don't know yet.
I've been a trucker for many years but I suffer from depression and I can't endure the long hours, high stress and lack of sleep anymore.
Due to my health problems I went on disability a few years ago. Good for my health but bad for my wallet. The bottom line is I'm so broke I don't even own a car. Even worse, I've completely lost my direction in life and don't know what to do with my days, other than arts and crafts, which is fun but doesn't pay the bills.

I very much want (and need) to work part time but I don't seem to fit in anywhere except in trucks or outdoors, like on a farm or in the forest. I love nature, animals & plants. So I began looking for farm hand jobs recently, hoping that I'd find someone offering light work in exchange for shelter. No luck so far, but it did bring me to this forum, which is why I'm posting this.

I'd really like to work on a farm but I know absolutely nothing about farming or animals. All I know is I love the environment and learning new things. I've looked all over for a part time trucking job working for ranches & farms but no luck. Such jobs are few and far between, and without a car I'm helpless. Also not many farms in my area (Charleston).

So I guess my question is, if you were me... where would you look for work & shelter? I'm thinking it would be awesome if I could intern on a farm and maybe drive their trucks as well, in exchange for a room. But I have no idea where to begin looking for such an unusual opportunity. And considering my age, physical limitations (back & knee problems), no car, and no skills other than trucking & some forklift experience, I can't imagine anyone wanting to hire me. But if such an opportunity ever arose, I'd be willing to relocate almost anywhere in the US, provided of course I could get there.

Well I guess that's all I have to say. If anyone can point me in the right direction or by some miracle needs a part time trucker/farm hand... and has housing to offer, please reply. I should also mention I have tank endorsement on my CDL, so I can haul bulk milk for a dairy farm if needed. And I have some log hauling experience as well. Thank you and best wishes to all.

Russ

Just want to offer my empathy and wish you well. I wish I had knowledge of your area to give advice. Maybe try to get in touch with any local community gardening groups, permaculture groups, sustainable living, etc through Meetup or other social media.

Your specs may be a bit hard to find specifically, but here are some wonderful solid resources I've used:

http://wwoof.org/

http://www.workaway.info/

http://www.growfood.org/

Many opportunities out there and yes, even in SC. I live in Sunset/Six Mile, SC near Lake Keowee.
There are farms looking for hands. One of the best ways I've found is to investigate your locals (farming markets, trade shows)
and scout hot opportunities.

We're all battling through this economic situation the best we know how. One of the best ways we can do this is seperate ourselves
from the mainstream and work with nature and let her work for us. One of life's pure pursuits, which also ends up being the most
fulfilling.

Go after Nature's heart!
Peace with you -

Thanks everyone for your kind words and advice. So far no luck finding what I'm looking for, but I know it's a very long shot.
If anyone is interested in talking to me about work or shelter, please note I have relocated to Albany NY.
But I'm willing to move almost anywhere on the east coast for a good employment & housing opportunity. Getting there however, might be difficult.

Thanks again and best wishes to all.

Russ

Hi Russ. Hope things are improving for you!

We are looking for some help, in SC north of Aiken. Why don't you call us if you are still interested? view our profile then call Joe 912-271-8945 if you are interested. We need an able, hardworking person to live on site and help us start our farm.

kathryn mims wrote:Hi Russ. Hope things are improving for you!

We are looking for some help, in SC north of Aiken. Why don't you call us if you are still interested? view our profile then call Joe 912-271-8945 if you are interested. We need an able, hardworking person to live on site and help us start our farm.

Hi Kathryn and thanks for your reply. Unfortunately my situation has not improved. I'm interested in discussing your offer and I'm hoping we can help each other out. I will try to reach you today. Thank you.

Russ

Lost touch with you Russ... Hope your well. How's things working out? Still interested in working out here for a while? We'd love to hear from you.

kathryn mims wrote:Lost touch with you Russ... Hope your well. How's things working out? Still interested in working out here for a while? We'd love to hear from you.

Hey Kathy. I called y'all from NY, talked to your husband, but sounded like he had his hands full. I asked him to call me back when he had time... no call though. No big deal, I'm sure you are both very busy. Anyway, I couldn't find work or decent housing in NY, so I hitched a ride back to SC. I'm in Beaufort now. My situation has not improved, but thank you for asking. Truth be told, our water just got cut off this morning. The marine I'm renting a room from bounced the check. Now, I don't know where I will go. I checked out your FB page, many months ago... did not appear to be what I'm looking for. Really I don't know what I'm looking for, other than something that probably doesn't exist. I imagined a trailer out back behind a farm house... with AC, cable, internet, running water, and I would work part time for a break in rent, get to know farming, animals... drive the truck... haha I'm probably crazy. Well, thanks again for checking in on me. I hope your farming biz is flourishing

Russ