How many months a year do you work?

[stonepicker]

I took vvalk's first comment a different way, to me the cuban cigar is taking life too seriously, he's referring to a post made by tweety on another thread and he's using sarcasm. There, now i've passed my pschyiatric exam, freud has nothing on me!

[MBgrower]

Does reading and posting to agriville count as work?

[kato]

Twelve months a year. That's the life of a cattle producer. BUT... If we want to go fishing on a Tuesday morning, we do. If we feel like a good long quad ride, we do it. Skiing? Sure. Drive to the city to remind ourselves why we don't want to live there? Yup.

We take time off when the cattle allow. We appreciate the fact that we don't have to ask permission from some boss. There is a window in the second half of June when we could do a little vacation, and maybe this year we can finally afford a bit of a road trip. It's been a long time coming.

[tweety]

Seriously curious, what does a grain farmer do all winter that can be classified as "work" besides hauling grain - or getting it hauled.

[bucket]

Thinking planning etc it's all part of the job.

[farmaholic]

My initial answer was meant to be as stupid as the question. (Not you Cubin, the premise of the question)

I am too far removed from people employed at places long enough to accumulate "weeks to months" of vacation time to actually know the maximum allowed. Add in weekends, stats and sick days. How many days out of a year are they actually on the job? How many of the days they're
there are productive days, were something of value was accomplished?

I am long past the stage in my life that I make every minute count. As a Producer, If I haven't earned at least the same privileges as everyone else, I may as well have done the same as everyone else.

When you work for yourself, that is who you answer to. I would never have worked/work for someone else like I did for myself. I am the beneficiary of my labour and ambitions, little in little out. You decide.

Just because your not walking around in animal shit, stooped over shovelling grain, operating and maintaining equipment, doing something physical---doent mean you're not working. Management, marketing, grower meetings, learning new technologies, research and reading are mental work.

If its so "easy", have at it if you want a piece of the pie. It's a big pie, but at times you may not like the size of the piece you're left with....given the money you've risked and the boss, "Mother Nature's" work schedule!

[tweety]

Thinking and planning, hilarious!

Farming, best job ever.

[fjlip]

Average wage earner 48 weeks x 40 hours = 1920 hours. 1920 divided by a Farmer's 12 hours/day = 160 days = 5.33 months. Virtually the same!

If like me with NO employees, manager, laborer, grain sales, market research, purchasing, accounting, banker, investment manager, tax preparer, trucker, mechanic, gopher, building/yard safety and maintenance...pretty much FULL time.
Also times 45 years nearly double retirement years required for a job.
Oh and time for kids, rink board, church board, CAA board, camping, golfing, curling, snowmobile, after work! Man, I'm tired just thinking about it! Good night!

[iceman]

Do something you love and never work a day in your life. Teeny bird

Out

[farming101]

Besides the actual work whether it be physical labor or some aspect of farm management, I'm on call 24/7 for about 345 days a year. Does that count or anything?

[farming101]

And yes, I'm with everyone who loves farm life and don't really think of it as a lousy job, even when your shoveling out a flat bottom bin!

[SASKFARMER3]

Ok Ill take this a different way. I looked back on last year and days I worked on the farm. Not sitting on deck at the farm working on farm or shop etc.
Total is 281 days I'm gone for roughly 45 in the winter. Take Sat and Sunday from Nov to Mar. Seeding and harvest only days off are rain days. Sun from march to Nov.
245 is the average city worker and 225 days is the average Gov. employee with every second Friday off.

[westernvicki]

Define work. Is it just the physical, or does it include management, planning, gathering information, sharing information, and from what I know of farmers on vacation they take the technology and are never unavailable.

Farmers have a bad habit of defining work as just the physical.

[SASKFARMER3]

Good point. That is time spent working at yard. On Holidays have IPad and IPhone on me.

[farmaholic]

So Twitty, anyone who had a job that requires absolutely no physical exertion isn't really working? Hilarious..........