This summer we have more young men working on the farm than ever before. There are local boys, and there are boys from out of town who applied to work here. We are always more enthusiastic to hear from young people directly - kids who want to work. There are many emails and calls from parents who would like their child to have a job on the farm, but we favor personal motivation. Farm work can be dull and repetitive. It’s all-weather. It’s all-weekend. You can’t take three days off to go to the Oregon festival and expect us to want to employ you in your free time only. There are opportunities here, though, that will take you further in life. Jake, below, wants to be a police officer. I would write him a reference for his strength and humor, his patience and his understanding that no matter how tedious the task, getting jobs done pays bills. It’s a joy to have people around who like a laugh, like Jake and John, provided they get the work done.
Work on the farm varies, from moving goats to hauling, digging, fixing, and grass trimming - heavy work for energetic people - or milking goats, which suits patient yet firm characters, or shop and kitchen work, which suits confident kids with good time-keeping. We look for suitable teenage staff locally (always an advantage to know their personalities beforehand!) but encourage out-of-town applications just as much. Since young people generally move on to college or training, there’ll always be a turnover - goodbyes and beginnings. And hopefully there’ll be a cop or two in training who’ll always remember their farm work.