Originally Posted by
GREENCOUNTYPETE
they are in thier 30s and have families and full time jobs
i think you meant the kids born in the mid to late 90s 2011-16=1995
first there are fewer of them than there were in the 70s there was a glut of 16 year olds in 1970 they were baby boomers
hay isn't regular work it's feast and famine work, you need kids that are eather going to work a farm all summer or be available for a few days when the time is right , the kids with skills even if it is just the skill of showing up on time and work while there , have jobs in fast food , retail , and many other places that would make them generally unavailable for hay. the kids that would be available are generally to lazy to work or their parents wouldn't let them do something as dangerous as hay.
also hay around her is almost all large square or round bales now so no kids unless they are the farmers kids running the tractor or end loader to move them.
in the 90s i worked my construction job , the owner had a farm and we put up hay also , I was breaking the labor laws from the day i started working for him at age 12 till the day i turned 18 even then we broke a few laws , but he knew my dad and that made it ok , fast forward 16 years laws have gotten more restrictive and getting sued a much greater reality. when i was 14 i was working for a lumber yard also in addition to construction I lost the end of my thumb working as a independent contractor so they didn't need to know my age , they made me a real employee real fast so i could go to the hospital on their dime as i was the one holding the board not the one who smashed the end of my finger off although he was also 14 these are risks that not many employers are willing to take any more.
i am not making excuses for the lazy kids out there , just saying, and your barking at the wrong generation