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| I wish you were asking that same question 20 years ago. I grew up in west central Indiana and would have been willing to talk. What I can tell you from past experiences as a hired guy is that wages may not be the most important thing to someone but they are important. Find out what's important to the person who is working for you. Treat them like people, I worked for some good people over the years, and some worked me like a dog and treated me even worse. Do not always give the hired help the job nobody wants! Personally, I hated running the grain cart but always seemed to get stuck doing it, nor did I relish trucking every day of harvest. I know everyone likes to run the combine, but give them some time in the seat too. Make them feel valued and part of the operation. Be understanding that people have families they want to see and spend time with, I know spring and fall are tough, but unless you are just overrun with livestock or have a dairy, there's no good reason not to let them, especially during winter, take some time off and enjoy some shorter days. If it's going to rain all day during harvest or planting, don't dream up "busy" work for them while you catch up on the coffee shop gossip, take them along or give them the rest of the day off. Include them in decisions. Be understanding, all farms are different and not everyone who has potential knows everything! Be willing to teach. Mistakes and accidents happen. I've never intentionally damaged a piece of equipment or made a goof doing something but it happens. Be understanding when it happens. I have seen employers back combines into mulberry trees, rip sliding doors off tracks with a loader and crush me between a wall and a skid steer loader. I could go on but you get the point, you will both screw up at some point.
If you really want someone good consider contacting some of the community colleges that have ag programs (I'm a Black Hawk grad myself) but Lake Land or any of the others are out there as well. Maybe see if you can get someone on an internship with the possibility of full time employment if you both feel it's a match. If it's not, no hard feelings and you can both move on. Not sure what your situation is but if you can find someone that is going through an ag program that would like to farm but maybe has limited opportunities (as I did) offer to help them get started. Even in today's harder world of farming, it would give a younger employee a lot of pride to be able to not just be a "hired man".
Sorry for the long post, just looking back after 25 years of what was good and bad and could have kept me with someone or caused me to leave.
Edited by Hereford Guy 5/1/2016 22:23
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how to find good farm help
