The noise you hear in the night
When you farm like I do ... there are two ways to increase your income.
The first ... of course, is to raise prices. That works ... to some extent. If I have 10 dozen eggs and raise the price 50 cents ... I'm going to make $5 more. If I raise it a $1 a dozen ... I'd make $10 more but will I sell the eggs I need to sell??? If John sells his eggs for $2 a dozen and I sell mine for $4 a dozen... with all things being equal, John most likely will sell his eggs while mine sit.
Or you can go the more common route. In this little parable, I would raise more chickens and sell more eggs.
Grow.
Grow bigger.
And that my friends, is today's dilemma.
I made my farm bigger. Well -- figuratively. I didn't add any acreage but more gardens. More flowers to grow. More chickens to raise. More weeds to pull. More work to do.
Too much work to do.
So in this down economy, with so many people out of work, the easy answer is ............. hire someone to help.
And I am discovering something.....
OK -- it hit me hard on my head.
People may be out of a job ..... but they don't want to work.
I am not a slave driver. I don't make people work in the pouring rain. I am grateful to be done working before the temperature and the percent of humidity reaches 100! But farming/gardening/livestock chores = sweat/dirt/sore muscles.
And I am a little farmer. (Well yea ... I am extremely short! But I meant the scale that I farm!)
The search for affordable, reliable help is hard. I have had fantastic results with college interns... where through grant programs, students received financial or college credit reimbursement for their time on the farm. But sometimes, I would like someone early in the season ... late in the season.
So begins the search.
And the search is hard because people want to be paid what they think they are worth.
So I decided that I will pay an employee EXACTLY what I got paid last year. After expenses, working a 40 hour work week (yea, like that ever happened!) .............. I made (drum roll, please.)
$19.84 a week.
I guess that would be a menial salary for a menial job. :)
That noise you hear in the night?????
Its me hitting my head against the wall. Again. And Again.
The first ... of course, is to raise prices. That works ... to some extent. If I have 10 dozen eggs and raise the price 50 cents ... I'm going to make $5 more. If I raise it a $1 a dozen ... I'd make $10 more but will I sell the eggs I need to sell??? If John sells his eggs for $2 a dozen and I sell mine for $4 a dozen... with all things being equal, John most likely will sell his eggs while mine sit.
Or you can go the more common route. In this little parable, I would raise more chickens and sell more eggs.
Grow.
Grow bigger.
And that my friends, is today's dilemma.
I made my farm bigger. Well -- figuratively. I didn't add any acreage but more gardens. More flowers to grow. More chickens to raise. More weeds to pull. More work to do.
Too much work to do.
So in this down economy, with so many people out of work, the easy answer is ............. hire someone to help.
And I am discovering something.....
OK -- it hit me hard on my head.
People may be out of a job ..... but they don't want to work.
I am not a slave driver. I don't make people work in the pouring rain. I am grateful to be done working before the temperature and the percent of humidity reaches 100! But farming/gardening/livestock chores = sweat/dirt/sore muscles.
And I am a little farmer. (Well yea ... I am extremely short! But I meant the scale that I farm!)
The search for affordable, reliable help is hard. I have had fantastic results with college interns... where through grant programs, students received financial or college credit reimbursement for their time on the farm. But sometimes, I would like someone early in the season ... late in the season.
So begins the search.
And the search is hard because people want to be paid what they think they are worth.
So I decided that I will pay an employee EXACTLY what I got paid last year. After expenses, working a 40 hour work week (yea, like that ever happened!) .............. I made (drum roll, please.)
$19.84 a week.
I guess that would be a menial salary for a menial job. :)
That noise you hear in the night?????
Its me hitting my head against the wall. Again. And Again.
Comments
Hang tough and good luck in your search.
Or you just have a couple of day long classes on daily farm life.
Ok--in the meantime, I like the B and B, too. Plus, that means Honey can build another cottage!
Here. Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxmbmcDrXRk