Again: pls show me where I said hired work must be done by a man.
Matter of record:
My roof was done by a woman.
Plumber I prefer had an apprentice with him last job: 20-something female
It can be useful to have a man around. Some things around the farm require more of a female touch. Sometimes, it just takes two bodies to get stuff done. Each has their specialties and strengths. Each has their weaknesses, and that is not only in the muscle department.
In the last fifteen + years of living on this farm, I have acquired new skills that have been necessary. Hitching up, unhitching and operating machinery (and I don’t operate every farm machine we own). The DH is very handy, very smart, and very hard working. What he can do amazes me. I can do some of this, and more of other things that he’s not so good at. What neither of us can master, we have to hire someone.
When I was a teenager, my Dad tried to teach me about using a chainsaw. He was an expert, many years of extensive experience. I was not keen. They were heavy, cumbersome, and scary. He was not successful. I did not think that this was something I needed to or wanted to learn. But when we came here to this farm, it was different. There were acres of land that I needed for pasture which was covered with deadfall trees. I needed a chainsaw. The DH did some chainsaw work for me at first, but then, for my birthday, he gave me an electric chain saw. I was doubtful about it, but gave it a go. It was a game changer. I wore that saw out. Then, for another birthday, he gave me the smallest Echo gas chainsaw. I was doubtful, but started to use it. It’s great, and I haven’t killed myself with it yet. I’ve cleared all sorts of bush and drop smaller trees with it. Now, I’ve started using the bigger chain saws too, if necessary. They are a bit heavier, but still manageable. The DH now has a collection of chainsaws, he has learned how to take them apart, fix them, and put them back together. All I’m saying here is… you can learn to do a bunch of stuff that you did not previously know how to do, did not think you could or should do.
I was previously just a horse rider/trainer/stable management worker. I’m now a farmer, and a bit of a lumberjack as well. You can learn. Life forces you to learn.
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I bought my own horse property in 2006 after years of boarding them. I had a barn built, fencing installed, the works. It was hard and fun at the same time. I had to make all the decisions on the barn up front, and I was nervous I’d make mistakes. I consulted my farrier and vet to see what they value most when making farm calls, and that helped me decide on flooring, aisle width and lighting, as well as orientation to optimize breezes and deal with winter snow.
That said, when I was ready and brought them home I was a nervous wreck for about a week before I calmed down. I’d get up in the night and go to the barn to make sure everything was okay. The horses would look at me like I was not only nuts, I was interfering with their sleepy time and they weren’t okay with that.
I’ve never looked back, and never regretted having them home. I will say, take care of your hay supplier. Treat them like Gold! It took me several tries to find one with consistent hay quality, and I’ve used the same guy for almost 15 years now. He delivers and I put out a message on the local FB group to get teenagers to come and help stack. It’s a system that’s worked really well. But I’m able to store a year’s worth, and that makes it worth his while. I feed small bales. Since I do this solo I really can’t manage the big bales.
I do almost everything myself, with the help of a 38 hp tractor. But as someone said, there are some things I just can’t do alone. My son lives about 15 minutes away and he will come and help when the project is too heavy or too unwieldy to manage by myself. And I have found a good handyman, through trial and error.
I’m planning to move this summer if I can find a place that works. Prices are insane but I still want horse property. I’m 72 and there’s a little voice in my head telling me I should just buy a regular house and save myself the work, but it’s a lifestyle at this point. And I love having my three home where I can take care of them.
Good luck!
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What worries me most about having my own farm is how much depends on you remaining healthy. Aging is fine; I order feed in 30 pound bags rather than 50 pounds so I can continue to lift and move them. And I only stack hay three bales high since that’s all I can manage. I have a quick hitch for the tractor, and a powered dump bed for the UTV. But it would only take a bad back sprain to completely upset my barn life.
I appreciate now why farm families seem to have so many children. I did my residency training in a hospital in a big farming community and the two nurses I mostly operated with, both married to farmers, had a total of 25 children. But my opportunity to create my own farm hands is long past.
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But you do help clarify why a woman might need a man on the farm!
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Both farrier and vet come to my new area, so that’s not an issue.
Yes, historically (back to the beginning of our agrarian society, until the past 80 or so years) that is exactly why farming families had so many children (that and infant/child mortality).
And not to mention lack of reliable birth control and not a lot for entertainment in the evenings…
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