Farm Dreams

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The Food Lawyer

At midnight on December 31, 2011, a Washington State law expired which  exempted farm interns from the state's minimum wage requirements. It is now illegal for unpaid interns to work on farms in the state, depriving farmers an economical opportunity to provide young, aspiring farmers with on-the-job training. 

A farm owner is a business employer and must therefore understand how to properly employ people. To do that every farm owner needs to understand the interplay between federal and state labor laws.

The Fair Labor Standards Act is the federal law that guarantees a minimum wage for employees. The Act defines ‘employment’ as any activity conducted by a person who is “suffered or permitted to work”, and anyone who fits the definition is entitled to receive the federal minimum wage. “Suffer or permit to work” is a broad definition of labor, and it includes almost any imaginable activity that is not specifically exempt by another federal law or regulation.

There is just such an exemption for what we would call “interns” and apprentices. The term “suffer or permit to work” cannot be applied to a person whose work serves only his or her own interest as an employee of another who provides aid or instruction. This means interns, who work in exchange for training and education. Under federal labor law, the following criteria are used to determine whether an employee is or is not an intern exempt from minimum wage:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;

2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;

3. The intern does…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment, including pluckers, knives and more!

Second Prize: A 164' roll of electric poultry netting from Kencove valued at $140!

Third Prize: A large heirloom pack of assorted seeds from Baker Creek (northern or southern region) plus a copy of Jere and Emilee Gettle's recently published book The Heirloom Life Gardener.Valued at $125!

Fourth Prize: A $55 gift certificate good toward any purchase at Lehman's!

Round 1 ends began January 15 and ends March 15 so GET BUSY WRITING and email your entry to us today!

Accomplishments in Potatoes by Neysa

I wrote this essay in my 8th month of farm internships.  As a farm intern, it's easy to become bored, even disillusioned, with farm work.  Your life is often transient, you make little money, and you have very little ownership in the farm you're working on.  Your first full time job on a farm is a great achievement, and is often the first concrete step toward becoming a full time farmer and business owner.  These were my feelings shortly before becoming a manager at the largest CSA farm in Texas....

At points I’m adverse to talking about food.  That’s right.  There…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment, including pluckers, knives and more!

Second Prize: A 164' roll of electric poultry netting from Kencove valued at $140!

Third Prize: A large heirloom pack of assorted seeds from Baker Creek (northern or southern region) plus a copy of Jere and Emilee Gettle's recently published book The Heirloom Life Gardener.Valued at $125!

Fourth Prize: A $55 gift certificate good toward any purchase at Lehman's!

Round 1 ends began January 15 and ends March 15 so GET BUSY WRITING and email your entry to us today!

Stock Ponds by P. Barr

Almost by definition “stock pond” is for the stock (for them to get water from and our Highlands love to stand in the water on hot days too).  They not only reduce your own well water (or “city” water), but greatly reduce your work.  You don’t have to make sure there is water for your animals.  They also are a good source for watering your new plantings.  (The water is better for them than well water too, and don’t have the chemicals that are found in “city water”).  They also need to be cleaned every several years and the silt harvested for your garden or plantings.  The silt can also be sold as prime top soil.  It…

The Practical Prepper

Sponsored by: Nitro-Pak

In the weeks since starting The Practical Prepper, we've covered a lot of ground, from discussing planning our prepping and priorities, to the basics of storing food and water. However, one thing that I mentioned at the outset, but that still needs to be covered is developing peace of mind in the face of disaster.

For us, making a preparedness plan was just the start. Of course, acting to actually implement our plans was also important and gave us some sense of security. However, it wasn't until we added one other element that we've gotten a more real sense of peace. That key element in gaining a broader peace of mind was to rehearse our preparedness plans. Put this all together, and you get Plan, Act, Rehearse, which can be shortened to the…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment, including pluckers, knives and more!

Second Prize: A 164' roll of electric poultry netting from Kencove valued at $140!

Third Prize: A large heirloom pack of assorted seeds from Baker Creek (northern or southern region) plus a copy of Jere and Emilee Gettle's recently published book The Heirloom Life Gardener.Valued at $125!

Fourth Prize: A $55 gift certificate good toward any purchase at Lehman's!

Round 1 ends began January 15 and ends March 15 so GET BUSY WRITING and email your entry to us today!

7 Tips to Successful Chicken Raising by Richard D.

In our twenty-five years of raising chickens, we have done just about everything wrong at one point or another.  We have learned from our mistakes, and we want to help others to succeed.

Here is a list of tips you might find useful.

Tip #1:  Yes, you can raise chickens and turkeys in the same brooder.  We have never had problems with sickness mixing chickens and turkeys in the same brooder.  Just make sure that the birds have clean fresh water, fresh wood chips on their floor, and have a floor in the brooder box that allows their feet to get…

The Happy Homesteader Blog

Sponsored By: Gurneys! - Get $20 off any $40 Order!

When you farm or homestead you realize how important the weather is.  It often feels like Mother Nature is working against you and you can't figure out what her master plan is.  I don't know how many times I've asked where the balance is!  It's either too much sun and heat with very little rain or floods or periods of extreme cold, leaving me wondering why we are the only species that has learned to adapt our surroundings to deal with Mother Nature's mood swings.  At least we have adapted our houses, but our outdoor environment, which may as well be considered your home when you are a homesteader is completely dependent on the weather!  My heart breaks when I see a little lamb shiver in the snow or when I see the cows hanging their heads and turning their backs to the driving rain.  I guess I read my human emotions into them, but in reality they can handle it.  The little lamb knows to hunker down beside their mom or a fallen log, curl their head around to protect their delicate nose or ears, and just ride it out.  The cows seek the shelter of the woods or high ground to get their feet out of the mud and when the rain stops, they just shake the wet off.  You put me in either of those situations and I will break.  Heck, I almost break inside my house where I have a roof to keep me dry and heat to keep me warm!  

In the homestead way though, I have become so connected to the outdoors that the weather has a major effect on me.  I used to spend so much time doing indoor activities (working in an office, watching TV, etc.) that I barely even noticed if it was raining.  Now, I relish in the spring days of sunny 70 degrees, so long spells of rain in the winter take their toll.  I long for the outside!  I want to get…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment, including pluckers, knives and more!

Second Prize: A 164' roll of electric poultry netting from Kencove valued at $140!

Third Prize: A large heirloom pack of assorted seeds from Baker Creek (northern or southern region) plus a copy of Jere and Emilee Gettle's recently published book The Heirloom Life Gardener.Valued at $125!

Fourth Prize: A $55 gift certificate good toward any purchase at Lehman's!

Round 1 ends began January 15 and ends March 15 so GET BUSY WRITING and email your entry to us today!

What do YOU Want? by Kelly R.

It took me years (I am 50) to get to a farm that I own and to be able to live and work daily out of this farm. I was born and raised in town . My fondest memories are of visiting a farm that my parents would take us to as children. In my 20’s and 30’s I was so preoccupied with making a living and raising children that I thought I had to go into the system and work for the “man”. I hated being away from my kids and my home all day. I felt like I was owned. I knew what I did NOT want, but I did not know yet what I did want!

The first thing I did when I realized what it was that I wanted in life, and you have…