What's your advice on finding ranch and farm hands?

[Cal]

A young man that's been working here this Summer is fixin' to head off to college in a few weeks and we need to find a replacement...funny thing is he'd never even been on a farm or ranch before and has turned into a real good hand and good at haying as well.....and I was just wondering if anybody had any suggestions as to where they've had good luck finding people who'd like to work on a ranch/farm. All we need is someone with just some common sense and ambition that's able to get out of bed in the morning and stay sober most of the time, can teach them everything else. Thanks for any advice.

 

[jodywy]

a Border collie, but not much help haying .
lot of rancheshave gone and use H2S workers, because the gas and oil patch got everybody hired, but how is your spanish?

 

[Nigel]

I would have jumped at the chance, problem is I'm not a US resident and secondly I can't persuade my wife to move across the big pond two small hurdles to cross. I have the livestock experience, I worked on farms over here for the last ten years.

Best of luck in your search though.

 

[Clarencen]

Cal:
I think there are a lot of young fellows out there who are looking for a first or a startup job. I would try to find someone who is inquisitive, and wants to learn the management and business side of ranching. This would be valuable to them where ever they want to go next. A person who is just interested in the cowboy side of ranching may not fit in today.

I have hired several young people that are just waiting for better things to show up. Have mostly been satisfied with them. I do not become angry when they decide to leave as some do, but am happy for them that they see a chance to move up.

There are older guys out there too, some with a lot of ranch experience, but some of them have other problems or they wouldn't be looking for work.

 

[Mrs.Greg]

Not sure about the US but theres a program here in Alta that brings young people from ranching-farming communties across the pond to work.A young cousin of gregs is heading to New Zealand for a year work,so I believe its prob a world wide program.Here alot of Aussies and NZ'ers work on the farms-ranches. The thing with them is they have to work hard under the program and are all kids from farm-ranch backgrounds.Kinda cool both the worker and the employer learn differnt things from each other...

 

[andybob]

I would have jumped at the chance, problem is I'm not a US resident and secondly I can't persuade my wife to move across the big pond two small hurdles to cross. I have the livestock experience, I worked on farms over here for the last ten years.

Best of luck in your search though.

Nigel, if you have a guaranteed job, a work permit is easy to organise, if your qualifications are in the required parameters, you can apply for your green card. In my case, my employers "forgot" to send off my application so I left before my second work permit expired. Doesn't the wife want to escape the rain and miserable weather? not to mention the friendly people especially in the south!

 

[alabama]

Just a thought as I have not tried it but consider writing some high school principles in your area or it might even be better to try some big city high schools. Take some time and describe the job and living conditions in detail. Describe exactly what is expected.
Ask that they match you up with a student with a good work ethic but may not be headed to college. Some one that has shown some responsibility that may be looking to learn ranching. This person may even come form one of his special education classes or just a young man that may stand a much better chance in life on a ranch that thrown back into the city streets after high school.

 

[jigs]

I would talk to the are FFA advisers.... seems a kid is usually looking for an SAE project.

hell I may be interested in moving up there....what are the job requirements, and how much cash? can I run my cows and buy you out?

need a new truck, house, cable tv, sexy maid for the house, and a hired man for me, so i can relax.


and $45,000 a year.

 

[gcreekrch]

I would talk to the are FFA advisers.... seems a kid is usually looking for an SAE project.

hell I may be interested in moving up there....what are the job requirements, and how much cash? can I run my cows and buy you out?

need a new truck, house, cable tv, sexy maid for the house, and a hired man for me, so i can relax.


and $45,000 a year.

As long as you promise to buy me out you're hired! :lol:

 

[jigs]

I would talk to the are FFA advisers.... seems a kid is usually looking for an SAE project.

hell I may be interested in moving up there....what are the job requirements, and how much cash? can I run my cows and buy you out?

need a new truck, house, cable tv, sexy maid for the house, and a hired man for me, so i can relax.


and $45,000 a year.

As long as you promise to buy me out you're hired! :lol:

for you Canadian boys...... Gotta be bear free.

 

[gcreekrch]

I would talk to the are FFA advisers.... seems a kid is usually looking for an SAE project.

hell I may be interested in moving up there....what are the job requirements, and how much cash? can I run my cows and buy you out?

need a new truck, house, cable tv, sexy maid for the house, and a hired man for me, so i can relax.


and $45,000 a year.

As long as you promise to buy me out you're hired! :lol:

for you Canadian boys...... Gotta be bear free.

That's still a workin' progress.

 

[duke20]

I'd come work for you - but it's tough to get from Colorado up there when you're broke.

 

[COIN]

Another option might be to contact the College of Ag at SDSU and UN offering your place for paid internships, calving classes, etc. Or advertising within the department for a job opening.

 

[CattleArmy]

Talk to your local FFA chapter if it's high school help you are looking for.

Ask around and stay away from ads in papers. Just my opinion.

The biggest thing that I've noticed is when you get good help they've left someone else for you. With the shortage of agricultural help in this area anyway if they are good help they aren't looking for work.

 

[Larrry]

I know a lady that worked in the registrars office at the college. She found the help for her husband. She could sort out the duds when she met them. They always had good help.

 

[Cal]

I appreciate all the replies, will think on it a little more and decide which way to jump.

CattleArmy, I tend to agree with you about staying away from the newspapers. Have done that before and had weirdos calling in the middle of the night.

Got busy trying to get the last of the ddg hauled in and had a little tire trouble to boot. The price, of course, dropped $20/T from what we had contracted but luckily the last two loads weren't under contract. Likely headed back up again, though.

 

[Cal]

I would talk to the are FFA advisers.... seems a kid is usually looking for an SAE project.

hell I may be interested in moving up there....what are the job requirements, and how much cash? can I run my cows and buy you out?

need a new truck, house, cable tv, sexy maid for the house, and a hired man for me, so i can relax.


and $45,000 a year.

If you can just stay sober it might be worth it. :lol: :lol:

 

[Cal]

I'd come work for you - but it's tough to get from Colorado up there when you're broke.

What are you doing in Colorado? I may need a hired man for Jigs, could you double as his sexy maid? Do you have a new pickup he could use? :lol:

 

[gcreekrch]

I figured that anything newer than Jig's old crewcab would be new to him and that I could get 1 of the old Rez gals to keep house, that way he'd be out working and wouldn't need a hired man. :wink: