Hi,
I'm currently an adult college student living in midcoast Maine, but previously was a full time farm hand. I started working part time on a strawberry farm when I was 14, graduated to doing basic equipment work by 16, and after high school spent a number of years as an assistant grower on a small scale fruit and vegetable farm. From there I moved to a small dairy farm milking, feeding and doing fieldwork. During that time I also worked for a grain farmer, mostly planting soybeans and wheat, doing tillage work and driving trucks and grain cart during harvest. In 2005 I moved to Maine to purchase a dairy farm, but was unable to get financed. I continued to work on a few small dairies until 2011, when I moved into other work. (mostly retail and trucking.)
Though I'm about a third of the way through a BA in History, I'm finding that I really miss agriculture, and would like to go back to it. By this time next year I will be in a position to move pretty much anywhere, but I'm not really sure where to begin looking. Ideally I would like to find a long-term, full-time, stable job on a crop farm, perhaps one that also raises beef or other animals. Stability and an opportunity to become part of a rural community are top priorities for me. I have a Class A license, equipment experience (though not combine) and used to have a pesticide applicator's license, though it's long expired.
The difficulty is that I have zero experience with auto-steer, gps or computerized equipment. The newest equipment I was running was a JD 8220 with grain drills, but the "computer" system was pretty basic. I don't expect I'd have any trouble learning the newer systems. I also lack combine experience- I've run a JD 9550 a little bit, but not enough to really know what I'm doing, and that experience is also a number of years old.
Given that my experience is older and missing some important things, I would be willing to work for a reduced wage for a season as "on-the-job training" if that's a possibility. Obviously I'm starting this process way early, given that I'm not free to move until next spring/summer, but I'd welcome any advice anyone might have.
FYI- I'm a US citizen, Maine CDL holder, looking only to work within the US. Especially interested in Kansas/Nebraska/Minnesota/Iowa. 34 years old now.
I'd welcome any suggestions for how I should proceed.
Thanks,
Screven
New guy, looking to change career paths
I'm currently an adult college student living in midcoast Maine, but previously was a full time farm hand. I started working part time on a strawberry farm when I was 14, graduated to doing basic equipment work by 16, and after high school spent a number of years as an assistant grower on a small scale fruit and vegetable farm. From there I moved to a small dairy farm milking, feeding and doing fieldwork. During that time I also worked for a grain farmer, mostly planting soybeans and wheat, doing tillage work and driving trucks and grain cart during harvest. In 2005 I moved to Maine to purchase a dairy farm, but was unable to get financed. I continued to work on a few small dairies until 2011, when I moved into other work. (mostly retail and trucking.)
Though I'm about a third of the way through a BA in History, I'm finding that I really miss agriculture, and would like to go back to it. By this time next year I will be in a position to move pretty much anywhere, but I'm not really sure where to begin looking. Ideally I would like to find a long-term, full-time, stable job on a crop farm, perhaps one that also raises beef or other animals. Stability and an opportunity to become part of a rural community are top priorities for me. I have a Class A license, equipment experience (though not combine) and used to have a pesticide applicator's license, though it's long expired.
The difficulty is that I have zero experience with auto-steer, gps or computerized equipment. The newest equipment I was running was a JD 8220 with grain drills, but the "computer" system was pretty basic. I don't expect I'd have any trouble learning the newer systems. I also lack combine experience- I've run a JD 9550 a little bit, but not enough to really know what I'm doing, and that experience is also a number of years old.
Given that my experience is older and missing some important things, I would be willing to work for a reduced wage for a season as "on-the-job training" if that's a possibility. Obviously I'm starting this process way early, given that I'm not free to move until next spring/summer, but I'd welcome any advice anyone might have.
FYI- I'm a US citizen, Maine CDL holder, looking only to work within the US. Especially interested in Kansas/Nebraska/Minnesota/Iowa. 34 years old now.
I'd welcome any suggestions for how I should proceed.
Thanks,
Screven
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