Work\Life Balance For Market Gardeners | Is It Possible?

This week JM and Chris discuss work/life balance for market gardeners.
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Dans l'épisode de cette semaine, Jean-Martin Fortier partage ses stratégies pour trouver une balance entre le travail et la vie personnelle.
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[@jahineverybody]

This was an amazing talk. I could listen to JM talk all day on this subject. I have in the past, but I’m not even currently market farming right now. There was a lot of overlap into solid life lessons in this video. Thank you.

[@DonteSVK]

Nice. I love that you are so true. Love the RnD and business behind all of it. Thank you for sharing.

[@goodboysongs]

Love the long form content. This was great. Thank you

[@TheMarketGardeners]

Thanks so much glad you enjoyed it! -Chris

[@markrodrigue9503]

Love your content you and your people are true inspiration

[@TheMarketGardeners]

Thank you so much Mark!! 💚 - Chris

[@christinaarjune8003]

Thank you! This video should be required viewing for prospective farmers. It cuts through the warm-fuzzy reasons for starting up and brings out the tough realities in a direct manner. Work Life balance is so important: I grew up with a family business that left no time for family. On the flip side, starting a successful business requires more time than a 9-5 job. This video helps us find that sweet spot. Merci!

[@markrodrigue9503]

With in the first minute I new this was going to be a solid video

[@Kristoffceyssens]

I absorbed this like a sponge. Thanks!

[@TheMarketGardeners]

So glad to hear that! 😁 Anything in particular that stood out for you in the conversation? -Chris

[@Kristoffceyssens]

@@TheMarketGardeners the 8 hour work day, and work flow in general. I'm setting up my first 1/4 acre garden while renovating a home. I'll be working on more structure and organisation for myself, instead of blindly working.

[@charleselertii6187]

That was a very good video. The interviewer was great. The topic was great. And, of course, JM is a treasure of information, wisdom, and self critique. Thank you so much. Chuck in Florida.

[@TheMarketGardeners]

Thank you so much Chuck! We're so glad to hear feedback like this. There's going to be a lot more content like this soon! 😉 -Chris

[@jpsolar]

thanks a lot, this conversation it`s very helpfull clearing the mind and giving the own thaughts a frame - perspektive. best regards from germany

[@ryancullen6706]

What a great conversation.👍 Love this. Awesome interview skills. I would say this about work life balance. When you set up your farm operation so that the work everyday and the processes of your operation are enjoyable, easy on the body and the mind, you have work life balance, becuase work is life and life is work. When you get to the point where the line between work and life ceases to exist, you've achieved balance.

[@TheMarketGardeners]

Thanks so much Ryan, and well said! ☝️ -Chris

[@markrodrigue9503]

Can’t wait for the food forest video

[@AYSewan]

👍love this..

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

On young people being comfortable, obviously JM has experience trying to employ and train young people but these conversations always gloss over the fact that millenials were promised an easy life if they did as told and then as soon as they hit working age - poof. Millenials became the evil that plagued every industry for having expectations, for trying to get the comfort they were promised. By demanding comfort for themselves they make business owners, managers, parents, conglomerates, etc uncomfortable by upsetting the status quo decided for them. There are piles of evidence showing how younger generations have had higher hurdles than their seniors yet its the youth who are wrong and weak for being asked to throw themselves unquestionably into the grinder to benefit others. Gen Z and Alpha see how millenials have been treated and are coming in swinging. I applaud them for making big business uncomfortable about how to appease their workers. There's no 2 ways about it that farming is hard and people dont have an accurate idea of what you have to put in either as a worker or owner. Its incredibly frustrating as a manager but can you blame them? Every day big business and governments say we are not enough while lining their pockets with the fruit of our "insufficient" labor. How do we blame the young for fighting for respect and comfort in their lives at an affordable cost? In most cases the respect being asked for is for employers and coworkers to be civil, respect their boundaries, and treat them as an employee - not a punching bag or lifeline to save your business on minimum wage. That being said, yes of course you need to put in work to get greater respect in life and the workplace. I can't help but wonder if JM gets more "green", starry eyed applicants due to his fame in the industry because I've yet to meet anyone in my area that thinks farming is or will be easy work.

[@juliannapoleon7353]

Was the reading list ever compiled? Cheers!

[@TheMarketGardeners]

Sorry not yet! I think we will cover it in another discussion one day ☝️😁 -Chris

[@user-tm1ec2on6w]

Don’t take this the wrong way, but the best decision I made in farming was letting go of baby sitting spoiled, entitled “apprentices”, paring down the work/production to what I could execute by myself, and then ENJOYING my life. I realize that there’s an unspoken obligation to pass on this sacred knowledge to another generation, but American teenagers/young adults are so . . .

[@goodboysongs]

That’s what JM says about halfway through. People got the wrong idea about what the farm was supposed to be when they tried to make it a lifestyle for the people they were sharing their farm with, and those people became resentful when those unrealistic expectations weren’t met. So he changed the rules and said, “Look. I am the boss, you work for me, I pay you for helping me.” And everything was simplified through that. Solo farms are cool depending on your personality, but I really see an exponential productivity by setting up jobs for people that I pay $16-$20/hour to do. With proper planning, you can get $50-$100/hour return on investment for that pay, so it’s well worth it in my view. Apprenticeships, especially unpaid/underpaid ones, are a broken model in my view, so I don’t blame anyone for not getting involved with it. Sure, teach the people who work for you so they can take on more management responsibilities on your farm, but why set up a relationship where someone is asking for free education in exchange for free labour? They’ll get the education way better by working on a profitable farm that can actually afford to pay people for doing the work.

[@user-tm1ec2on6w]

@@goodboysongs I’ve always paid my workers well, so that was not what engendered an untenable situation. As I said in my post, the people who were coming to me were simply not cut out for life, much less a metier that requires hard work, patience, tenacity and most importantly character.

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

I hear you. I manage people for a day job and work my farm solo. I know the economic upsides of bringing in people but I like the farm work and hate vetting good staff. If the farm gets to a point where it can support my family then I'm sure I'll reconsider my position, but for now it's good to have complete control. If 50% of our hires can't handle office work, forget finding people for manual work.

[@victorygarden556]

@@goodboysongs what do you find makes 50 to 100 an hour that you can have an apprentice do?

[@goodboysongs]

@@victorygarden556 Mainly seeding, planting, harvesting, washing, packing, selling, delivering. Value-adding activities re: Ben Hartman’s Lean Farm principles. Weeding is “muda” AKA waste, mowing is waste, looking for unorganized tools is waste, moving materials around the farm is waste, so while necessary to some degree, all of those are anti-value and need to be cut out of the process as much as possible. Train for seed-to-harvest activities and ensure that every $1 spent on labour returns as much value to the farm’s finances as possible.

[@garytibo]

Well, I will say it for you …1 children raise by the mother created a bunches of week men.