posted 11 years ago
Hi folks, I'm new here, and this is my first attempt to access the collective wisdom of the permies hive. I'm writing an article about getting paid to work on farms, and have the following questions:
Does anyone here run a commercially-successful small farm with any year-round employees? If so, how does it work for you? What's the value? How has it changed your operation?
and
Does anyone here work as a paid employee for a small farm, or have you in the past? If so, how has it worked for you? What is/was the value? How does/did it effect your learning or commitment to farming?
I'm currently a year-round paid farm employee on a diversified small farm outside Seattle, and I know others that have found similar positions -- not as stipended interns, but as year-round paid hands. My thesis is that there is a growing niche for skilled, paid employees on small farms, based on my observations that (1) more farms "making it" are having a difficult time finding reliable, skilled labor, (2) skilled labor comes at a cost but creates more value for the farm, and (3) we underestimate the value for up-and-comers of spending more time with experienced farmers before trying to make it on their own.
I understand that many small farms do not have the resources to pay employees, and I plan to acknowledge the value of internships and apprenticeships in the article, as well, so please do not react defensively to this post. I'm looking for personal accounts of places where this works, and why.
Thank you!
Agricultural Lead for the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in Prior Lake, MN