Apprenticeship
March 23rd, 2007 by Jim VMy oldest son, Nathan, who is 18, is now in his second year at Polyface. Initially he went there when he was 17 years old with the idea that he would only be there for the normal one year apprenticeship program that Polyface offers. This first year has turned into a second year and , as Joel Salatin has described it, Nathan is now a journeyman. It is amazing where little decisions eventually lead over the years. We first moved to the country when Nathan was 4 years old (he is our oldest child). I did not grow up on a farm, but as far as I can remember always wanted to be on a farm. When Nathan was 5 years old, we started raising a few chickens and bought two dairy goats. It was a learning experience for the whole family. At 8 years old, Nathan started doing morning milking during the week and I think at around 12 years old he started helping neighboring farmers. When he was 13, almost 14 years old, he started working at a neighboring sheep dairy and cheese plant. At 14 years of age he was familiar with most of the work on the sheep farm. He worked shifts where they milked 400 sheep, drove tractor, drove skid loader, fed sheep, took care of lambs, and assisted ewes when they lambed. He worked at this sheep farm until he left for Polyface at age 17. He worked for months without getting paid. The last year or two at the sheep farm he often worked 40 or more hours a week, plus did his normal schoolwork. During the last year at the sheep farm, they put him in charge of the milking parlor - meaning that he was the one they called when other employees had trouble with the milking system or encountered other problems during milking.
When Nathan was under 10 years old, we came into contact with Acres USA and started reading materials offered by Acres, including a couple of Joel Salatin’s books. Around 10 years of age, Nathan read the book “You Can Farmâ€, by Joel Salatin. When Nathan was around 14 or 15 years of age, we started talking about the possibility of him becoming an apprentice at Polyface. When he was 16 years old I talked with Joel on the telephone, asking for advice on how to direct Nathan. After a couple more phone calls, I arranged for Nathan to spend a week at Polyface to explore the possibility of an apprenticeship at Polyface. Joel told me that he had apprentices booked two years in advance, so we expected the apprenticeship to start when Nathan was 18. Due to some unexpected circumstances at Polyface, Nathan’s apprenticeship started a year earlier than expected, when he was 17. As far as I can see, the time at Polyface has been a very good experience for Nathan. Joel has a very good library that the apprentices can wade through and Polyface does a good job of teaching the apprentices. Polyface is a magnet for all sorts of people who are interested in alternative agriculture and there is always plenty of discussion about any range of topics.
It is not completely clear where this journey will eventually lead to. I would be thrilled to get rid of my off-farm job. This may never happen, but I hope that Nathan is able to establish his own farm. I may only be a stepping stone for the next generation, but that is okay. So for those of you who are just starting on this agrarian journey, just keep working away and in due time you should see fruit. This past week I talked with a veterinarian who is involved in alternative agriculture. He is excited to see new blood getting involved in agriculture. He said that in the next few years 2000-5000 new grassfed producers will be needed. He said that 1/3 of the people he deals with are young farmers between the ages of 21 and 28, 1/3 are people who have moved to the country from the city, and 1/3 are older farmers that are moving away from conventional agriculture. He is thrilled to see younger, competent people move into agriculture.
Jim V
March 23rd, 2007 at 10:03 pm
Jim,
I have always wondered about the Polyface apprenticeships… Obviously Nathan is mature beyond his years and you are a humble parent willing to let this very productive young man out of your house!! I tell you, if he were around here, I wouldn’t let Salatin borrow him !!
Thanks for this explanation. And I certainly agree, there is plenty of room in the market for more producers…
GFJ
March 24th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Jim,
Thank you for sharing with us about Nathan’s apprenticeship. It is neat to hear of Nathan reading Joel’s books starting at age 10. I know you look forward to having Nathan back on the family farm. I think, as hard as it is to let our sons go for so long a time, that apprenticeships like this can be a real God-send for those of us fathers who have more desire than practical experience and knowledge. I thank God for men like Joel who have the vision of sharing their knowledge with others.
Terry
March 24th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
GFJ,
My wife has complained that we gave Nathan away too early. We do miss him, but I wanted him to be well equipped and I wanted him to not get sucked into Big Ag. Today we were trying to do a neighbor’s chores, using a skid loader with a bucket and a chain to get a round bale into a bale feeder. We were having trouble getting the bale picked up, when one of the kids said “We’d be done by now if Nathan was here”. He was right.
Apparently most of Polyface’s apprentices never get their own farms started. The reason that I have been given is that typically the parents, who have the financial resources, do not give their sons the freedom to strike out with their own enterprise. So we are trying to be careful to fully equip Nathan (hence the second year at Polyface) and not micromanage. Any ideas on how to ensure that Nathan can get his own farm started?
Terry,
You bet we look forward to having Nathan back. I remember talking with a good friend about the possibility of Nathan leaving for Polyface. He commented that during the late teens life-long habits and views are often formed. I felt that Salatins could set a direction that is beyond me at this point. Plus the owner of the sheep farm is not an honorable man. Nobody in the area will even rent him a tractor because he is known for not paying his bills.
Jim V
March 25th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Thanks for sharing about your son. I too have been curious in hearing about the apprenticeships at Polyface. I’m sure your very proud of Nathan, hard working and competent young men are a rarity in this day and age.
March 25th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Russ,
I am proud of Nathan. If Nathan gets time, he may also do a post that describes the apprenticeship from his perspective. At Polyface they are very busy, so he does not have a lot of free time.
Unfortunately a lot of young men don’t know how to work hard. One time I pulled some young kid’s car out of a snow bank. I was appalled at his laziness. He expected me to do all of the work and seemed to take no responsibility for the situation.
Jim V
March 25th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Thanks for the blog Jim. Very interesting. I have read one of Mr Saletin’s books. His outlook and direction on raising a family and life in general was as interesting as his farming knowledge. Thanks again for the gret post.
Guy
March 26th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Guy,
Mr. Salatin practices what he preaches with his family. My son says that they are a fun family. There is a lot of hard work, but they also make sure that there are breaks and time for family. Their discussion around the dinner table is a lot of fun.
Jim V
March 26th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Jim
This is a bit late, but here’s my input on this. I’ve actually helped folks think through this in the past in other occupations, so these ideas are not “pie in the sky” but may actually have real possibilities.
1. Find a farm that will allow Nathan to earn some equity. Livestock is great in this area. If possible, if Nathan could trade his labor for offspring, for example, if he worked a dairy farm, see if the farmer would give him the steers, or half the steers, or every third heifer, etc… in exchange for his time. Over time, he could build up some livestock which could have some real value.
2. Find a farm that will allow him to have the “cast off” livestock. Goat whethers, third and fourth lambs, the occaisional extra pig. Again, making something out of nothing.
3. Custom work. I’m not sure of everywhere, but around here, someone with some decent hay equipment could earn a living. Reliable tractor, haybine, and big round baler. Bale the hay, take every third bale, and soon, there’s some value there.
4. If he’s good with dairy cows, or any species, for that matter, there’s work to be had handling animals. Dairy farmers are constantly in need of time off, and in the right area, he might be able to offer some relief to farmers, and potentially in exchange for cattle.
5. Most farmsteads today have some room for a couple of sows. As I shared on the conference call with Jim Bartlett, we bought a sow in April of last year for $150. She had 13 pigs in June, we sold 4 feeders for $200 in July, and sold 4 fat hogs in Nov-Jan, butchered one ourselves in Nov. Bred the remaining four, and have 15 pigs out of 3 of those, bred the sow again, and had 15, sold 6 of those for $300 and now have 9 remaining for fats this fall. All in all, we are ahead by about $500 and we have 5 sows, one yet to farrow, 24 feeder pigs, and the original sow is bred back, due in July. So in less than a year, from one sow (we did buy a boar along the way, $125), we are essentially in the hog business, on mostly purchased feed. If you can handle hogs, and not everyone can, they can get you going in farming nicely…
I’ll think on this some more, and if I have more thougths, I’ll contact you directly.
GFJ
March 26th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
GFJ,
Thanks for the input. This helps me think through things. I am sure Nathan is reading this as well. The first two points sound like the way that Jacob acquired his herds (minus the conniving that Jacob did) while caring for Laban’s livestock. I know that there is an organic or forage based dairy farmer in my area who spins off a new dairy farmer every few years. Seems that building equity or livestock numbers is the key, rather than just getting a salary. I think we may need to come visit you sometime.
Jim V