New farm hand

Dan T in MO · Apr 28, 2014

Well, I got more to do around here than I can do myself. So I decided to hire a farm hand to help take up some slack. My niece's 10 year old son is gonna work over the summer for me. I told him by the time he goes back to school he'll have muscles enough to impress the girls and he can brag about being able to drive a tractor.

So far, he's done pretty good with watering and leading the sows back when they busted down the fence.

Adirondack case guy · Apr 28, 2014

Sounds like you need to teach him how to fix fence so the piggies don't break it down. HeHe.
Loren, the Acg.

JML755 · Apr 28, 2014

Dan T ,
Good to hear! Sounds like a great opportunity, a reall win-win situation.

I was thinking about getting some help from my nephews over the next couple of summers to help on prepping some property I own for a retirement home. I mentioned it to my wife and she said "no way their parents will let them do it". She thought it was dangerous as well. Dangerous? Well, I said I'd teach them how to use a chainsaw, drive a tractor, run a backhoe, pull stumps. She thought of ALL of those activities as "dangerous". Well sure, if you're not taught how to do it, but my whole point was to get them out of the house, away from the video games and actually teach them something. Plus, I'm 64 and they should be able to out-lift, out-work me at their age (teens). My wife doesn't think it's "dangerous" for me to do things, even stuff I've never done before. Her response is always "you're handy and smart with that kind of stuff". Well, if the kids are never given the opportunity to learn, they'll never get "smart with that kind of stuff" either.

jeffcat · Apr 28, 2014

The only thing is I do NOT want to rain on your parade. We know your heart is in the right place and all but ...check and update your insurance. Very cheap to cover your buttt.
I was driving a "H" when I was seven. Could just get to the pedals and just towing around the fence repair wagon. Jeffcat

jennifer408 · Apr 28, 2014

good for you, i hope it works out well. probably wouldn't hurt to check yer home owners insurance plan. the kids could walk away with new knowledge and positive experiences. after all living in the country builds character and you don't have to look very far on ytc to see quite a few characters. hehe

Hay hay hay · Apr 28, 2014

Hope he enjoys it. For better or worse, he will remember his first jobs all his life. We all do.

oldtanker · Apr 28, 2014

Some time back my BIL and sister started hosting foreign ag exchange students. That went well the first couple of years and gave them what amounted free help. The last year the had one it was a young woman from Norway. Now she saw nothing wrong with waking around the house and sunbathing a la natural! My sister put a stop to exchange students!

Good for a kid that age to learn how to work!

Rick

Mike M · Apr 28, 2014

I'm glad you can help out a relative and hopefully yourself too.

Now in today's CRAZY law's and regulations society can you even do this anymore above board ? Just wondering ?

I'm all for under the table because that's the only way to make it anymore. I worked for my uncle for free helping out when that age on the weekend just for something to do. I'm sure I did learn lots of things that I can't remember how or where I learned them.

farmerwithmutt · Apr 28, 2014

A friend taught his grandson to drive a bobcat and truck 1 summer now hes working for a landscaping crew all the other kids get the hand tools and he gets to drive .last winter they kept him on to push snow and his paychecks hes got muscles and cash great lures for catchin females

Goose · Apr 28, 2014

Doesn't it have to be immediate family to be exempt from all of the labor laws? Or is all farm work exempt?

You might want to cover your butt and look into it. I had a great 15 year old work for me once, but I couldn't let him climb a ladder 'cause he wasn't 16.

redforlife · Apr 28, 2014

I hope it works out. I know it will be good for the kid. I thought I was going to have my sister in laws older boy help me do some stuff. Burning and throwing bales and drive the tractor some. He was about 12 or 13 at the time. Worked great for awhile. Kid enjoyed it and it put some money in his pocket. His mother got involved. Thought her poor little boy didn't need to work and what he was doing was jobs for adults. The deal all went south. She has 2 younger boys. Now I won't ask any of them to help me do nothing. Will do it by myself or not at all. All 3 of her boys sit in front of the T.V. playing video games and not learning how to do a d**n thing. Hope it works out for em. But they are going to be in for a big supprize when they have to figure it out for themselves.

randallinMo · Apr 29, 2014

I can relate to that. I needed help hauling in small square bales one summer. 'Called a couple kids.......they were already hauling for others. I called another two boys (brothers) and their mother answered the phone. I asked her if her sons were busy, she replied "no". I asked her if they would be willing to haul in bales for me....told her I would pay them the going rate. She asked me repeatedly "how much do the bales weigh"? I told her "probably 50-60 pounds. She said "oh gosh, that's WAY too heavy". These were high school boys.....they never showed.

New farm hand

Dan T in MO

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Adirondack case guy

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JML755

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jeffcat

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jennifer408

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Hay hay hay

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oldtanker

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Mike M

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farmerwithmutt

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Goose

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randallinMo

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