Homestead-sitting

Looking for tips on finding reasonable homestead-sitters. Reasonable meaning my animals will still be alive and my stuff will still be here and my neighbors will still speak to me when I get back. I have traded some with neighbors for pet-sitting before we expanded to a few goats. We just don't leave on days of our irrigation turns. But now we are going to a conference on cider-making. It was harder to find someone to stay here than I would have imagined for the six days we both need to be gone. This person may or may not work out. People around here just don't seem interested in earning extra. And don't ask if a teen can do it, they are all doing sports. I would have died at that age for the kind of cash I would have been willing to fork over to the neighbor's kid. Let's not go there; I need ideas, not a rant.

If you have to go somewhere for more than a night, how do you manage?

I wont trust anyone who isnt a farmer themselves with my animals and my farm. Problem is, most farmers are pretty occupied on their own farms. When I do leave, I have a few Mexican guys take care of my place. They are great guys, who grew up on ranches in Mexico, dont have their own farms to be responsible for, and are always looking for a little extra work. They are honest, reliable, professional, and dont speak much English at all. I am really grateful to the Mexican community for their skill on the farm, and eagerness to help out.

About a thousand times preferrable to a high school kid, IMHE.