by Jordan Marr
A former apprentice and soon-to-be apprenticeship host suggests that farm apprentices, on average, aren’t compensated enough, and shares his ideas for improving their lot
This season, for the first time, my partner and I are going to join the ranks of dozens of small-scale farms across Canada that offer apprenticeships to eager, would-be farmers. We’re now really excited at this prospect, despite long feeling conflicted about it. For quite a while we were uncertain about whether we would be able to stay on the right side of a line separating a mutually beneficial trade of labour for education on one side, and exploitation on the other.
Because here’s the thing: Vanessa and I have each completed two farming apprenticeships. And since then we’ve volunteered in a couple of different contexts with SOIL, one of Canada’s foremost apprenticeship facilitators, and have come to know dozens of apprentices and apprenticeship-hosts. And it has been my general, anecdotally-based observation that farmers as a group currently overvalue their contribution to the exchange while undervaluing what they receive. Such valuations are generally measured by the terms of the apprenticeship; that is, the hours and responsibilities to which an apprentice commits in exchange for room and board, the opportunity to learn how to farm, and hopefully, a cash stipend and/or bonus. And those terms, on average, aren’t that great.
I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting there are a whole bunch of farmers who are consciously exploiting their apprentices for their labour; rather that what hosts consider as a norm for compensation in Canada—financial, educational, and otherwise—doesn’t sufficiently reward apprentices for their work.
And I think these norms are reinforced by a few self-serving axioms, subscribed-to by many hosts, that justify unfair arrangements. I’d like to list and address those axioms now. But first I had better suggest a typical arrangement between a farm-host and apprentice in Canada.
My sense is that a typical apprenticeship in Canada lasts six months. It expects six days and between 40 and 50 hours of work per week from an apprentice. In exchange, the apprentice is offered basic room and board, between $25 and $50 dollars a week, and some sort of education, though many of the apprenticeships described to me are limited to ‘learning by doing’. Often there is a bonus in the range of $100-$500 for sticking around for the season. Sometimes, access to a vehicle is provided.
Now then. Seven of the axioms commonly cited whenever the idea of better compensation for apprentices is proposed:
Axiom #1 (regarding stipend and bonues): I would like to offer more, but my margins can’t justify it.
I can personally relate to this conundrum. But it’s a pretty weak argument for under-compensating your apprentice. Actually, many eaters use a similar argument in explaining why they’re not willing to pay more for their food, and we all know what farmers think about that. I have a colleague, incidentally, who believes that if your business plan is absolutely dependent on having an apprentice, you probably shouldn’t have one, because it almost ensures an exploitive situation. I agree with her. If your margins can’t justify an apprentice, figure out why, fix the problem, then take one on. And by the way: if you can’t offer more to your apprentice, you can always demand less from them instead. More on that later.
#2 (regarding the expected work load): I work 6 days/80 hours a week. Why shouldn’t my apprentice?
Yes, you do work long, long hours. You also own your land and have a much bigger stake in working that hard. And at the end of the season, you’ve got a root cellar stuffed to the tits with food. And a season’s worth of improved soil, if you’re an organic farmer. And better farm infrastructure. And lifestyle expenses you can write-off. And other long-term benefits that stay on the farm when your apprentice leaves. But look, while we’re on the topic of keeping things equal, shouldn’t your apprentice get to live in a real house rather than in that old trailer out in the pasture?
#3 (regarding work load): They need to work a heavy schedule so they know what it’s like to be a farmer.
That’s just not true. Which is why most farmers’ kids know they don’t want to farm by the time they’re twelve. Apprentices spend a great deal of time working and living with their hosts; they don’t need to work full time to notice that your hair has grayed sufficiently in the six short months they’ve been there.
#4 (regarding the overall compensation package): If my terms were unfair I wouldn’t be able to get apprentices to work for me.
Replace the word ‘apprentices’ with ‘”Mexican Illegals’ and you’ve got the same argument being made by many large-scale veggie growers in Florida right now. The reality is that most apprentices are approaching their selection process with a very idealistic view of farming that precludes the possibility that a farmer, especially an organic one, would take advantage of them, knowingly or otherwise. Next they arrive with an enormous desire to please their hosts. And if the average compensation package is unfair, they’re not likely to see examples of a better deal before committing. So it’s kind of on us hosts to strive to offer the fairest possible arrangement.
#5: Learning by doing is the best way to learn.
Maybe, but you can learn by doing as a farm-labourer getting paid 12 bucks an hour at those farms that hire, which will net you 800 or 900 bucks at the end of the month after taxes and living expenses. Some sort of extra effort at educating your protégé, be it designated classroom time or offering regular workshops, can really improve the deal they’re getting.
#6: If they went to an agricultural college they would be paying thousands to learn how to farm.
Yep, and they would come out with an accredited degree that would allow them to get further degrees and then jobs in which they’re well-paid to ‘help’ us farmers. There would also be much more time devoted to pedagogy, and college students have more recourse when they’re dissatisfied with their education. The two options involve greatly different outcomes, and so are not really comparable.
#7: Apprentices take up a lot of my valuable time.
Maybe in the first month. But any half-bright apprentice with a decent work ethic is going to make up for that ten-fold over the ensuing five, and you can always structure your compensation arrangement to be weighted towards the end of the apprenticeship. If you’re a host, and you bring an apprentice to the point that you can leave the farm for an extended period without worrying that the crops will fail, you should know what I’m talking about.
To the extent that some of these axioms are actually…truthy, none of them change the fact that sending an apprentice out to learn-by-doing to the tune of 40 hours per week of bed-prep, planting, weeding, and harvesting in exchange for three squares, a bed, and fifty bucks is a bit exploitive, no matter how cheerfully said apprentice whistles each day on the way out to the fields. After a first month of learning the ropes, a good apprentice brings value to a farmer’s business and life much greater than what’s typically offered in exchange.
I think they deserve more, and I think it is in a host’s best interest to find a way to provide apprentices with more. A better-compensated apprentice decreases the likelihood that he will leave the apprenticeship early, which can be more damaging to a farm’s operation than not having an apprentice in the first place. I know many apprentices who started out pretty enthusiastic about their apprenticeship, but who grew resentful once the sheer delight of wearing work boots faded, and they settled in to a summer of hard work for not much pay. Another reason is the long-term instability of labour supply that can happen when a farm business plan relies on poorly-compensated labour.
Yet many farms, including mine, don’t see the profit margins to justify compensating an apprentice more than the average I noted above. At least, not out of pocket. What to do then…not host? My partner and I considered that for a while, but have since come up with plan for hosting that we believe we can afford, and would compensate our potential apprentices better than the average. Our goal is for our apprentice to make at least $2000 over and above the room and board we’ll be providing, with the potential for her to earn significantly more.
Our plan is much like the typical arrangement I described above, only we’ll require a less demanding work schedule: five days a week for six hours a day. Two more hours per day, called flex hours, are to be devoted to reading, projects of interest, and workshops given by us.
In addition, we‘ll offer our apprentice a chance to grow a small crop for her own profit, to be sold via a marketing channel we wouldn’t otherwise exploit. In our case, the nearest town has a farmers’ market that wasn’t netting us enough in sales last year to really justify being there. But sending an apprentice there to sell her own crop—say, beets and radishes, which were popular items there last year—would give the apprentice valuable marketing experience, an extra source of income, and an added marketing channel for a small amount of our own surplus crops like salad greens. A win-win situation that will likely add an extra $100 per week to the $25 or $50 we intend to offer as a stipend.
The other aspect of the plan is to create a realistic lower and upper revenue target for the season, and then commit to sharing a certain percentage of revenue above the minimum target—say, 30%–with the apprentice, in order to give her more incentive to work hard and to stay for the entire season. We intend for the window between minimum and maximum revenue goals to be about $4000, which will give our apprentice a $1200 bonus if we reach the upper target.
It remains to be seen whether this results in satisfaction for everyone involved. And I’m well aware that my tune may change after a couple of years of experiencing all of this as a host. But at this point I can’t imagine, assuming our apprentice has a good work ethic, feeling short-changed under this arrangement. Though I’ll publicly recant my position on this blog if I do. We shall see.
I would be curious to know what others think about this issue. Do you agree or disagree with me? And if you’re a host, I encourage you to sum up the terms you offer to your apprentices. You can leave comments below. Thanks for your attention folks.
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23 comments
Well written Jordan, I agree with much of what you have written. Apprentice’s do deserve more. We actually do an exit survey with them as they leave to be able to improve our program every year. Some have asked for courses that would be more “scientific” with soil and growing methods- so we now pay $500.00 for a course in Soil management and nutrient cycles by the Organic Farming Institute (www.ofibc.org). We also have a graduated stipend. When an apprentice starts in March they are working approx. 6 hours a week, 5 days a week, but with days off to do lectures with us on business planning, tractor training, crop planning, organic certification, etc. There are days where we actually go to a tractor dealership in a near by town to look at other kinds of tractors or implements. We also take a day to go with a realtor and look at farms that are for sales and different avenues for buying a farm, leasing, crop sharing, or coops. Because of this time spent in the early months we offer a graduated stipend plus an additional food allowance. We start at $300.00/month stipend with an additional $100.00 food allowance. The stip end is then increased every month they are on the farm and there hours are moved to 40 hours a week, again with occasional time off for lectures and/or time for the ofibc courses. September and October the stipend is $800.00/month with a bonus at the end. As we do take several apprentices in 1 year the bonus is distributed by how we feel there contribution was, Some may get $200.00, while other receive $1000.00. These amounts are of course after room and board. We do not want them to have to spend any money while they are on the farm- hence the extra food allowance money. We like it if they could leave the farm with a nice chunk of money at the end of the season. We do also offer a much larger salary to second year apprentices- $2500.00/month including room and board. We feel there expertise in how the farm is run and there help with the next years apprentices is invaluable.
As for living conditions, we feel that you should treat others as you want to be treated. We built a brand new building for our apprentices so they could live in comfort and have all the luxuries of telephone, internet, bathroom, washer/dryer, own kitchen, living room and so on. Before we were able to do this we had them in our house but felt that after working/learning/living with people it could become very stressful so we made the effort and built this new building. Of course we incorporated our way of doing things as well will solar for hot water and an air source heat pump for heating and air conditioning- yes, we spoil our apprentices.
We really feel that we need to teach more people how to farm and get them into farming! If they are going to work like dogs, sleep and live in a dive, and only learn by doing a lot of these apprentices are going to be discouraged and wonder if farming is really the life for them. Don’t get me wrong I feel that they should feel the reality of starting out and so tell them about our early years of scraping by and show them the first 3 years of our financials- usually scares a lot of people. However, if you work hard at it and continue to see the positives that you are doing and set realistic goals it all can be achieved and they see that on our farm as well.
Wishing everyone the best this coming season and just remember to think how you would want to be treated if you were an apprentice.
You make some excellent points here and this is a great discussion topic. Thanks for posting it.
We have also struggled to find a balance with interns and compensation. We do provide compensation more than most and only require 5 days a week with a 8.5 hour day and try to find extra educational opportunities and other perks for interns. We now provide $75 a week and a $25 a week bonus at the end of the season, but we will also provide the $100 during the season if there is a financial need. We have boats and bikes available for recreation and now have a vehicle for organised outings or errands.
Education is a central value in our mission statement and we have several years of teaching experience at an excellent undergraduate program, so we know how to teach. The challenge is finding time when there is so much to do running a farm…we are also trying to provide a viable business model that can be replicated by interns. If we are not successful as a business, the opportunity will not be here…Catch22. I think we are now at a level in our third production year where we will provide 1-2 paid positions to more experienced apprentices. (I consider an apprentice someone who has at least one season experience as an intern and has indicated that they want a future career in farming) To that end, if they are going to be paid, I think will ask them to reflect on and describe how they will add to the financial success of the farm. Too many farms do not engage interns and apprentices in the business, financial side of farming.
One of the challenges is accepting people who have no experience… which we want to do, or else they may never get it. They can be very unproductive for the first while and may never be that productive during the whole season. We have kept unproductive interns on because we made a commitment to providing the experience. Fortunately though, most do become productive and that frees up a bit more time for education and recreation opportunites (we have been known to quit early to go sailing or do something else fun:-)
I think for our farm we need to become more disciplined in providing regular and more structured educational opportunities both on and off the farm. We do have a good resource library, and are also developing an intern manual to use more or less as a curriculum. We will try to set up a regular class time this year instead of leaving it to ad hoc scheduling. I will also be helping interns develop their own learning goals and outcomes this year, so we can provide them with the appropriate opportunities. I have learned that interns also need regular check-ins and evaluation.
We did provide an opportunity to earn some extra income this year by allowing our interns to sell some surplus crops in a nearby village but there wasn’t much uptake. I have thought of a similar profit sharing agreement as you propose, but what happens if you don’t make your minimum revenues because of weather, pestilence, etc.
I have been both an intern and a farmer hosting interns, so I appreciate the arguments from both sides. It is definitely a delicate balance between financial viability and education, but we are striving to do our best and I hope other farmers do also. Growers to the south of us in New England are now encountering enforcement of labour laws that prevent them from providing unpaid internships and I suspect that may happen in other jurisdictions soon forcing farmers to provide paid positions only…but less educational opportunities. This will surely happen if farmers abuse interns or take advantage of them.
Hi Micheal,
Thanks for your comments. One that sticks out for me is your suggestion that it can take an inexperienced new apprentice quite a while to become productive. The plan I outlined in the essay assumes productivity being achieved fairly early on. I’m really keen to see how this year goes and whether I’ll need to adjust my expectations the following year. I like to think that I was fairly productive within a few weeks of starting my first apprenticeship as a complete newbie, but I suppose one would have to ask my host about that…
I appreciate Kevin and Michael notes above about their apprenticeship arrangements, which both sound fairly generous.
I can also attest that the wages and conditions that Jordan is talking about certainly do occur and I’ve seen people leave their apprenticeships because of it, which leaves both the farmer and the apprentice in a lurch for the rest of the season.
Point #2 does resonate especially strongly with me, if you’re not able to provide reasonable monetary compensation, you can’t feel entitled to the same effort that you put into a farm. You will have that land when the apprentice leaves, they will not.
As an apprentice I also recognize the total inability of some farms to pay apprentices. I’ve had friends who received very little in the way of compensation and were very happy with their experience. It’s about communication and treatment.
Communication: you must have open books. If you are not comfortable sharing the farms finances with your apprentices, you shouldn’t have them full stop. If you are sharing your finances, then the apprentices will be able themselves to decide whether or not they are getting a fair deal.
Treatment: Show appreciation, thank them early and often. Do what you can beyond finances to make them feel welcome. Cook them a meal once in a while, cook them a cake on their birthday, take them on field trips.
Perhaps most important is having the conversation, and having farmers like Michael and Kevin sharing the details of what they do for their apprentices, so that a certain standard can develop.
John: I couldn’t agree more about the need for a host to open the books to their apprentices. Didn’t happen during my first apprenticeship–less because my host was loathe to do so than because I didn’t think to ask. But it’s a valuable part of the learning experience and I think hosts need to be proactive about exposing their apprentices to that side of farming.
Great article and about time. We incorporated our farm business as a Cooperative in 2011 to provide for all of our interns to participate in the daily running of the farm, as well as complete access to our annual records. We discuss all financial aspects of our farm from annual start up to early season loss and late season break even, wages, government holdback, sales, marketing etc. I have argued frequently with farmers about their compensation plan and ‘apprenticeship’ program. Quite simply, if you can not afford to pay at least minimum wage you should not employ people. It would be inconceivable is any other industry to justify a lack of compensation with ‘training’. I have worked in two trades as an apprentice, Electrician and Rig Technician. In both I received fair compensation and hands on training under the DIRECT supervision of a journeyman, I also received a fair amount of outside training through seminars and safety courses as well as the 4-6 weeks each year in trade college. Furthermore, I would have paid for the education I received if necessary whereas I doubt any farmer offers anything close to an industry standard apprentice program that people would be willing to pay for, one that includes hands on as well as in class education.
On our farm we do expect 40 hours per week from our interns, our pay is calculated by the provincial minimum wage X 40hrs X 52weeks /12 months currently $1776.67 per month. If you are paying any less than this for your compensation you are breaking the LAW and can be sued by your interns for wages up to two years later. Employment standards has the power to review ALL of your wage information for up to five years and force payment for all your interns if you have failed to pay minimum wage. How would that effect your margins?
Room and board is vague under provincial law. My understanding is that you may charge room and board provided you have a payroll deduction agreement and that the terms of the Room and board situation may also fall under the tenants rights legislation if your interns reside in a self contained dwelling. There is no provincial labour law governing room and board in BC.
We charge $550.00 per month for room and board, again, we are a cooperative and food purchases are discussed at the beginning of the season, we propose an in stock, occasional item and do not buy list that is amended and approved by all of our members. I was recently told that we are and have always had the highest compensation within the SOIL program.
Just a few thoughts for the pot.
Daniel:
Your financial compensation is as high as I’ve seen. That’s great. Once you get into minimum wage territory there is much less need to be considering whether outside-of-work educational opportunities need to be provided.
You fall further down the spectrum than I do, I think. I don’t think minimum wage is necessary for an apprentice (though you’re right about the risks of courting a lawsuit); but anyone who is simply committing an ‘apprentice’ to a 40 or 50 or 60 hour work week and calling that an ‘education’ that justifies paying well below minimum wage even with room and board factored in should reconsider whether this is fair and right. A farming apprenticeship done properly (and I’m talking about an ideal; I’m still not sure how closely our farm’s plan comes to the ideal) falls into a grey area between a work environment and a learning environment that, in my mind, justifies compensation below minimum wage. What does ‘properly’ mean exactly? I’m not sure, but I think it requires more giving and less taking by the farmer compared to the average terms I suggest in the essay. But this point kind of becomes moot once a farmer is paying minimum wage, like you’re doing.
Thanks for the comment.
Thank you everyone for creating this conversation. I don’t know whether a “good” or “right” monetary compensation exists; though I do see the really concerns about the legality of paying under minimal wage.
I finished my first apprenticeship in the fall and left feeling fairly remunerated. I was also fortunate to learn from a new farmer, very open to discussing our relationship and some of the axioms you’ve mentioned. What struck me after our conversations, and again from reading this entry, is how destructive they can be if they aren’t communicated. For example, try to imagine what it’s like for an apprentice whose mentor is operating out of the notion that “my apprentice takes up a lot of my valuable time” and think about the ways this would show up in reality on the farm. What occurs to the mentor as a legitimate worry or fact, usually doesn’t translate. As an apprentice, I might be feeling a number of things, not exclusively misunderstood, overworked, and underutilized. Let’s face that all of these axioms are an attempt to justify a lack of integrity in the area of compensation. If you’re interested in creating a dynamic relationship full of mutual contribution you first have to create the circumstances where you, as a farmer and human, are able to remunerate your apprentice to the extent that both sides are left satisfied.
Great comments and wonderful conversation. Thanks so much to everyone for all your insight.
Glad to see this essay Jordan.
I think it is important to note that a farming apprenticeship differs significantly from other apprenticeships such as plumbing, electrician, etc. In those cases, after the apprenticeship, the apprentice has a reasonable expectation to make a good living in their field. To start your own farm, you need capital, not just knowledge, and a farm apprenticeship does not leave you with much more money in your pocket afterwards. I think a farm apprenticeship does not bring you much closer to being a farmer.
If an aspiring farmer asked me how to become a farmer, I’d recommend they get as good a job as they could and save, save, save. Read everything you can on farming, volunteer at local farms on your days off, and save money to start your farm. But without capital, ten years of apprenticeships doesn’t do you much good.
I guess there are some well paying farm manager jobs at some of the larger organic/CSA farms, but not nearly enough to accommodate all the apprentices “graduating” from all the small farms across Canada.
Many good points have been made in this thread, and while David’s points are all valid I am not sure how much they move the analysis forward: capital without experience is no way to start farming either. (My perspective is a former corporate vice-president who just finished my first internship.)
In working with others, the single most important thing is shared expectations. This means the farmer is straightforward about the responsibilities and benefits AND the intern has a realistic appreciation of these. This takes two-way communication but up front and during the season. I’ve seen starry-eyed interns grow cynical over a season through no fault of the farmer: the intern may have lacked self-knowledge or did not appreciate what was involved.
Second, the dominant motivation for farm apprenticeships is to learn. When interviewing potential apprentices, discuss what (and how) they want to learn; you can probably offer them learning opportunities THEY value more than $1000 of compensation for much less than $1000.
Personally, when I’m working more than 50 hours a week I don’t have the time to reflect and internalize what I’m learning on the job. Sometimes you can create value for your apprentices by taking a couple of hours a week to discuss WHY the team did what they did the way they did it.
Many good points have been made in this thread and farm apprentice compensation has plenty of room to improve, but remember that the goal is that the season is mutually beneficial IN THE EYES OF BOTH FARMER AND APPRENTICE. Great discussion, all.
Thanks Jordan for initiating this discussion and helping us understand and define our relationships. Openness is vital to a healthy working relationship on the farm and to developing fair exchanges of energy.
Great post! This is a vital discussion in the small farm movement.
At Tourne-Sol farm we pay our apprentices $10/hr for 40hrs/week (basically Quebec minimum wage). We don’t provide room or board, though we do provide a wack of vegetables.
We make a point of having our apprentices participate in everything to ensure a rounded learning experience and we include a formal education part to our apprenticeship – once a month, one of the farmers sits down with the apprentices to talk about a farming topic (soil, crop planning, farm finances). We also go on at least 4 farm trips over the season.
This offer is a result of all 5 of us having worked at a number of apprenticeships for a range of conditions, and having dozens of friends who’ve done the same. Some of these apprenticeships left people burnt – those apprenticeships weren’t necessarily those that paid the least.
I think reasonable work hours, clear direction and financial transparency are a minimum for a successful apprenticeship.
I also think farmers should be honest with themselves about the work apprentices do and how much that contributes to the farm overhead. If a farm’s current scale (and profit levels) can’t be maintained without apprentices, I think efforts should be made to pay apprentices something.
All this being said, the best apprenticeship I received involved about 50-60 hours/wk, with $1000 stipend for the season plus room and board. This apprenticeship changed the way I approached planning, mechanization, and work flow and is probably a direct cause of much of my success as a farmer today. I also greatly improved my bread-making and made amazing friends.
Thanks for tackling this discussion.
Dan
Dan: thanks for the comment. One of my intentions for publishing the essay was the possibility that farmers would share information about their compensation schemes, as you and others in this comment section have done.
I have to disagree with some of the point made in the article. As a new farmer(5th years now) what we offer to our apprentiship versus what we get back is a good value for both. As people send their application and we speak with them, we let them know the term of the arrangment: 35 hrs/ weeks of work for room, board and stipend. ($50/ week). Week-end off. When they accept the arrangment, they know what it is in advance. If apprentiship was that bad, people will not keep doing them over and over again. People will stop at the first time and not refer it to their friend. As for the room and board deal, Do some research and see how much it goes for. Around Halifax and Windsor NS were we are located, room and board goes for 500 to 700/ month. We do offer a place in our home or a cabin with all the amenities needed.
Before writting an article based on your experience being an apprentice and turning it into a generalization, please speak with farmer and people involved into it. Like everithing else, there is good placement and bad placement. That is the human nature. But if it was that bad, SOIL and WOOFING will have disapear by now. Nothing wrong about offering more to the apprentice if you can afford it. But nothing wrong sticking to a contract that both partie agree beforehand either. I would love to be able to offer more money, but we cannot at this point. And I don’t feel bad about having apprentice on the farm because of it.
Domenic: Thanks for your comment. I think you misunderstand me on a few points. I’m not arguing that there are reams of unhappy apprentices out there; I’m suggesting that regardless of the apprentice satisfaction rate, what is considered a norm for apprentice compensation in Canada does not sufficiently reward good apprentices for what they contribute to a farm’s success. As I say in the essay, conditions could be improved by increased financial compensation, a more comprehensive educational focus, a decreased work schedule, or a combination of all three.
What I didn’t mention in the article is that my partner and I left two apprenticeships very satisfied with the experience. But I believe we either should have been paid more or should have had less expected of us. And I think the axioms I mention are a major contributor to the status quo.
You suggest that if it were so bad, SOIl and Wwoofing would no longer exist. I disagree. Return on investment is bad for many farmers, yet they persist in what they are doing because they enjoy it. That doesn’t eliminate their right to make a case for better compensation for their work, as I’ve just done on behalf of apprentices.
Our little Mikey is all grow’ds up.
My biggest gripe as an intern is when the drudgery (i.e. hand-weeding) is delegated to the interns and only the interns. Then when you get tired of weeding for about 40 of your 50 hours of work per week and the pace slows, the response from the farmer is axioms 3 and 5. Meanwhile, the farmer has been off doing the “important” things that the interns have no chance to learn about, fixing machinery, succession planting.
Thanks for this great article. It’s a conversation that requires careful consideration. Many interns are willing to take an ‘good-deed-discount,’ meaning the pay cut is okay if they believe in the organisation. But when the organisation proves to be lacking in integrity and single-mindedly profit driven resentment builds. I know the margins are tight in farming. But I’ve heard multiple times that if it’s money you’re after, you shouldn’t be farming.
As an intern, I’ve had good and bad experiences of course. My biggest gripe is when the drudgery (i.e. hand-weeding) is delegated to the interns and only the interns. Then when you get tired of weeding for about 40 of your 50 hours of work per week and the pace slows, the response from the farmer is axioms 3 and 5. Meanwhile, the farmer has been off doing the “important” things that the interns have no chance to learn about, fixing machinery, succession planting.
I worked on 3 different ranches in Montana. We were not “apprentices” – we were ranch hands. We got between $375 – $515 (in the mid to late 1980s)and room and board, and we worked 12 – 15 hours/day with Sunday off. On one place it was Sunday off after I did the irrigation (from 5 am – 8 am). I would not trade those experiences for anything. I had my space and my fun, and when I got back to school I had saved all my summer income because there was no where to spend any money.
We have had interns here as well in MN. We pay $700 – 800/month,plus room, and a small stipend for groceries/toiletries, and all the vegetables you care to eat.
I think it is important to be upfront with the worker about what you expect and what you will give, and then make it fun, easy going, and monitor your workers’ moods and modes and make adjustments over the season.
One time, a rancher bought me a beer when we went into town for gas and we talked for an hour. That was invaluable to me as a 19 year old. One time a rancher told me to take the motorcycle, and extra gas, and go into the mountains to check the headwaters of the irrigation canal, and bring a lunch. I was gone for 10 hours, it was a blast and he knew it. One time another rancher gave me 2 days off work in July so I could go see my girlfriend. Sounds small, but my expectations were grounded, and it made a world of difference.
Great conversation! I thought I might throw another issue into this complex pot, one which my own farm is dealing with– I have a newish farm in Montana, and recently hired a professional accountant to help me get my business taxes caught up. According to my accountant, farm laborers not receiving college credits (you can call them any name you want: interns, apprentices, etc.)must be paid minimum wage. It is state law, and food compensation may not be included in calculating an employee’s minimum wage. Rent may be included, but only an amount in line with regional standards based on the type of housing provided. Farms are not required to pay time and a half for overtime, but must compensate their employees at the minimum wage rate for any overtime hours. When I described to my accountant the common practice and process of farming internships and the sort of $100-$200 per 50 hour week compensation ($2-$4/hr.) given (often far less) commonly on farms all over the state, she said that “sure, people can do this, but it doesn’t make it legal. If the state or IRS discovers this practice, they can legally force a farm/business to retroactively compensate all current and past employees so that they are paid minimum wage for the hours and time they actually worked, for the total amount of time the farm/business has been engaged in this practice.” Wow. As a farmer not wanting to lose my farm over such a scenario, I plan to start hiring farm employees by budgeting based on paying minimum wage, and following the local labor laws. In her words, all it takes is one disgruntled worker savvy to labor laws to alert the state labor board, and the farm would be audited. The prospect of having to go back and pay for years worth of back pay to underpaid workers all in one fell swoop scared me out of the magical thinking that somehow farms are exempt from labor laws, and that the learning=compensation. I’m budgeting to hire our interns according to the advice of my accountant, and luckily, am just starting to need to hire help, so I can just get used to the expense each worker represents and build my business from there. Just wanted to share–be aware of labor laws in your neck of the woods! Minimum wage here I believe is $7.65/hr. Best regards to all!
Hi Jordan,
Great discussion.
I think the apprentice and the worker need to be looked at differently. A businessperson hires a worker for market rates and uses them as efficiently as possible to generate as large a profit as possible.
An apprentice enters into a relationship with a farm family where he or she is given and opportunity to learn in exchange for labour. The boundaries and values are not clear so some relationships will be satisfactory some disappointing, but I think there is ample opportunity for both parties to benefit far in excess of their inputs.
That is a rare thing.
As an older farmer, who has been the University route, I wish I had taken the opportunity to apprentice, if the opportunity was even there, then. I believe a good apprenticeship on an established farm can save a young person years of costly experimentation. You just need to find one that matches your interests, and where the farmer is willing to show you the ins and outs of the whole operation. The value in the end won’t be whether the monetary compensation was 400 versus 200 per week.
I was that happy boot-wearing intern at the beginning of the season. After two months of nine to ten hour days five days a week and a six hour day on saturday; the only motorized equipment on the seven acre farm being a walking rototiller with only half the discs spinning I was bone tired even on Sunday and built like the hulk. I protested conditions, offered suggestions, and just begged to be let in on planning the new crops. Eventually, I left early, very, very unsatisfied. It was so hard to do because I believed in the farm and in the girls I worked with.