Our son went to college and we are short on labor. A neighbor boy is a senior in high school and wants to help. He just turned 18. He could either drive the grain cart or run the no-till drill planting cover crops. He doesn’t have much farm experience. Where should we put him? Or should we look for someone else?

The Profit Planners panel consists of David Erickson, farmer, Altona, Ill.; Mark Evans, Purdue University Extension educator, Greencastle, Ind.; Steve Myers, farm manager, Busey Ag Resources, Leroy, Ill.; and Chris Parker, cattle and forage producer, Morgantown, Ind.

Erickson: I like the idea of training an inexperienced person to become the additional help you need with specific training for your situation. You can help a young person get experience and earn money for his future. I believe you could try him at different tasks and see how he adapts to determine his best placement. You may find that providing cross-training for more than one task is preferable and gives you options based on daily priorities.

Evans: Finding workers is difficult for non-ag [jobs], let alone ag and farming operations. The supply of workers is tighter with low statewide unemployment. Hauling out the crop has to occur, and if you’re short of workers, perhaps the cover crop could be flown on. Otherwise, it would not matter, as both activities consist of similar types of skills. Safety is a must, and providing time for proper training will see you to success. If you have a willing candidate who has the personal drive, you should try the arrangement. Clear instruction and taking time to provide guidance while not micromanaging will likely make for a happy worker. Perhaps having a tailgate meeting in the morning and after lunch to review expectations and potential pitfalls like tile blow holes would help.

Myers: Good labor is always at a premium, with the answer being that he could possibly do both. I would suggest you train him in both skills, and then use him as you see fit or as your other labor allows. Remember, work at your place will have to fit his school schedule and mesh with your other daytime labor. If his skill set is limited, a “one-round primer” might not be adequate for him to be on his own.

Parker: Looking for part-time farm labor may not be an easy proposition, as supply seems to be getting tighter over the years. I don’t know that it matters which job you utilize him for. Both involve a tractor with an implement. To me the key is proper training and orientations well ahead of time in an unhurried and stress-free environment. Don’t wait until the last minute and provide hasty, incomplete guidance.

Editor’s note: Here is a classic but true tale of what not to do. A high school kid from town wanted to work for the farmer. The farmer was in a hurry. He put him on a tractor hooked to a four-row rotary hoe and told him to drive down the rows, skip four rows and come back. When the farmer returned a couple of hours later, the boy was going down, skipping four rows and coming back — on the same rows he had just hoed! He hoed the same eight rows for two hours! There weren’t any weeds left, but not many soybeans, either.