I don't think my comments were short-sighted.  Actually, I would call them "thought-provoking"...

First,  it's a bit like they say about a marriage: if both marriage partners are the same, one is not needed.  My thought process went along the same lines....  if the employee can do it all, what is the value of the owner?

Second, I kinda question what was stated in the original post....  to the point of checking on the farm at 2 am.  Yeah, there are going to be regional differences as to what that means, but I would say the farm owner cannot, should not expect the employee to go above what is reasonable, with regards to work hours.   (Like I said, there is going to be regional differences to interpretation here.)

Third, it goes back to the point - if the employee can do it all,  why WOULDN'T they want to start their own farm?  The farm owner needs to keep this thought in the back of their mind, and act accordingly if they want to keep said valued employee.

At the end of the day, I would think the farm owner needs to bring more value to the farm than does the employee. 
Don't you agree???