# Working as a farm hand?



## MeatyMax (May 22, 2009)

Hello all I was wondering if anybody has any experience or knowledge about working agriculturally. Currently here on c-span, they are talking about how all these farms are downsizing/ moving to mexico because they cant find workers who aren't illegal immigrants. Yeah the work might suck but i would love to be able to work outside and do something where im not obligated to "settle down" to further my career. I know there are seasonal harvests but whats the deal with any all-year kinda things, where i could work for a few months and move on. The way they make it sound on TV, they would LOVE more workers!
Thanks


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## bobNkamille (May 22, 2009)

i have worked as a ranch hand but not really working on a farm just horses. If they are that desperate then they would probably teach you what you need to do especially in the winter if you end up working some where, winters suck for farming. Sorry i'm not to much help with that.


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## hassysmacker (May 23, 2009)

wwoof.org


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## soymilkshakes (May 24, 2009)

hassysmacker said:


> wwoof.org



Isn't WWOOFing labor in exchange for knowledge/experience/room/board as opposed to paid labor?


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## hassysmacker (May 24, 2009)

soymilkshakes said:


> Isn't WWOOFing labor in exchange for knowledge/experience/room/board as opposed to paid labor?



Yeah. Well most of the time. Sometimes they throw you a stipend people have told me.


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## Angela (May 25, 2009)

MeatyMax said:


> Hello all I was wondering if anybody has any experience or knowledge about working agriculturally. Currently here on c-span, they are talking about how all these farms are downsizing/ moving to mexico because they cant find workers who aren't illegal immigrants. Yeah the work might suck but i would love to be able to work outside and do something where im not obligated to "settle down" to further my career. I know there are seasonal harvests but whats the deal with any all-year kinda things, where i could work for a few months and move on. The way they make it sound on TV, they would LOVE more workers!
> Thanks



If you are physically able to do this kind of work and willing to accept low wages you can definitely still find work in this country. Go to any agricultural community during harvest time and ask around, you can also easily find information on the internet about what's being harvested at what times and where. There was just recently a thread going about the sugar beat harvest. Agricultural extension offices can also be a great source of information for this kind of thing. The only thing I would recommend though is that you don't romanticize this type of work. Most people are not physically able to do it. I sure couldn't even when I was at my thinnest and best shape, I sure can't right now. 
If your simply looking for experience and to find out if you like this type of work then the Wwoof network would probably be a good place to start. I've worked on organic/community farms before and had mixed experiences with these although they weren't through Wwoof. They tend not to pay and some of them can be far too demanding of hours considering the fact that they don't pay but they'll definitely give you an introduction to farm work.


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## MeatyMax (May 27, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. Yeah as far as the wwoofing thing goes, ive heard alot of mixed reviews with that as well but im sure its very similar to a farm. (Working your ass off for very little). I just feel like i should be doing something productive. And working on a farm would be much better for my head space(physical strain aside of course) then settling for something that i hated just to get paid.


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## hassysmacker (May 27, 2009)

my 2 cents: if you're looking to do something productive and morally appealing, DEFINITELY shoot for a small organic farm somewhere. Nothing morally appealing about contributing your hours to helping the industrial chemical agribusiness megamachine going.

that being said: Sustainable Farming Internships and Apprenticeships - This Page

"This directory of on-the-job learning opportunities in sustainable and organic agriculture in the U.S. (and some in Canada) has been published since 1989 as a tool to help farmers and apprentices connect with each other. The listed farms are primarily seeking interns/apprentices from North America."

And oftentimes this places will give you a stipend, I've seen as low as people working for free upto 400 a week!


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## MeatyMax (May 28, 2009)

Thank you for the link hassymacker. I contacted a farm and we'll see what they say when they get back to me. Thanks again.


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## hassysmacker (May 28, 2009)

MeatyMax said:


> Thank you for the link hassymacker. I contacted a farm and we'll see what they say when they get back to me. Thanks again.



Obviously if you look like a dirty crusty kid they're not gonna wanna take you on. They're probably not as indiscriminate as the ocean spray cranberry harvest, etc.


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## Angela (May 28, 2009)

That internships and apprenticeships site that hassymacker posted is a great resource just make sure to read the descriptions well before contacting farms because there are quite a few of these that not only don't pay but actually expect interns/apprentices to pay for the _experience_ of being farm labor.


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## Linda/Ziggy (Jun 11, 2009)

Hey all,

Wanted to put my bit in here re WWOOFing / work exchange.

I've been doing work exchange & or WWOOFing around the US & UK for over 10 years.

My main advice I would give to anyone is to really ask LOTS & LOTS of questions
before you go !!

Be clear about what you want to do , are willing to do and what you want to learn,
also let the farm, community etc know what you have to offer.
Ask how hard/physical the work is and how many hours a day/week etc are
expected of you AND what you will get in return / food/shelter/stipend/knowledge.

Also DON'T go places that EXPECT or DEMAND that you pay them to allow you to work.

Like any thing in this world, you can have good experiences and bad experiences.
Just be prepared and have a goal of what you want to do.

I would stick to WWOOF, because
'Organic Volunteers' have alot of listings now
where you have to pay to work. It's rediculous.

Anyway if anyone has any WWOOFing / work exchange questions or advice
or can suggest any good places they have been - 
post something here or email me:

While I'm at it!
Me and my old man Mike are going to be WWOOFing up the west coast from late
July... So looking for STP peeps to connect with so hit us up.
We'll be hitching.

[email protected]

Linda


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