Are you thinking of becoming a farm sitter but not sure where to start? Whether you are coming with experience or not, this blog will give you tips to get started. Make sure you start by signing up to be a Homestead Helper on helpinghomestead.com and check for listings near you.
What is Farm Sitting?
Farm sitting is caring for animals and/or gardens and crops at a farm when the owner is traveling. However, this can vary quite a bit depending on the job. Hobby farmer’s may need something as simple as “pop-in” care once or twice a day to water plants and perhaps tend to a few backyard chickens. A full-scale farm might need experienced care for crops, livestock herds, and require you to stay onsite for the duration of the job.
The variety in types of jobs can provide several opportunities as a farm sitter. If you’re looking for a side gig or some extra hours in the summer, pop-in style care for long weekends or shorter trips might be perfect for you. Wanting to gain farm experience and travel the country? Overnight care for extended periods could let you travel from farm to farm while you earn $$$ and experience. Are you wanting to start a hobby farm yourself but want to be sure what you’re getting yourself into? Take care of a neighbor’s hobby farm for a weekend and see what it’s like first hand.
How to Prepare
Now that you’ve decided to pursue farm sitting, it’s time to start preparing. Whether you have relevant experience or not, you should create a resume. Make sure you include any relevant training or certifications and experience with anything you’ll be required to care for during the job. If you don’t have experience, that’s okay too! Explain why you’re interested, what you’re passionate about, and that you’re willing to come to the site for training before the job starts.
Getting Experience
If a larger scale farm does appeal to you and you don’t have experience, there are some ways to build your skills:
Volunteering
Many smaller farms could really use help, but may not be able to afford to hire a hand. Reaching out to these local farms to offer help could very likely get you some of the experience you’re looking for! And depending on the type of farm, you may end up with some fresh produce in exchange for your help.
How do you find these local farms? If there aren’t any you’re familiar with in your area, there are a couple ways to expand your search. Look for local pumpkin patches and apple orchards. These are usually smaller, family run farms that use these seasonal events as a way too boost their income.
You can also talk to vendors at local farmer’s markets! It doesn’t just have to be vegetables either - look for other products of farming including honey, mushrooms, goat’s milk products, lavender products, and really anything else that comes from a plant or animal. This is a great way to actually meet with the farmer face to face and make a connection.
Still stumped? Check out Edible Communities. They are a magazine/media platform with a focus on the farms that feed us. They also have a lot of amazing stories about local farmers and restaurants. They have a page where you can choose your location, and the magazine nearest you has a log of all of the local farms that share their same values. Not only will you be able to learn what farms are near you, but you’ll be able to learn more about them and how to get in touch with them if you’d like to offer a helping hand.
Courses
Looking to set yourself apart even further? Look for local or online agricultural classes. Courses that come with a formal certificate typically aren’t free, but will look great on your resume and make it more reasonable for you to ask for a higher rate.
Here is an online course for caring for backyard chickens from OSU that’s only $20: https://learn.extension.okstate.edu/courses/backyard-chickens
If you are looking to turn farm sitting into a career and are seeking more formal (but more pricey and time consuming) training, look for formal education programs near you. Here is an example of options offered by UW Madison: https://farms.extension.wisc.edu/articles/beginning-farmer-training-education-programs/
Applying to a Job
Once you’ve signed up for Helping Homestead, you can view listings for farm sitting jobs. Choosing a listing will of course depend on what kind of time commitment you’re looking for and what experience you have. Make sure your application is unique to each posting. For example, it’s good to emphasize skills that pertain to each listing.
It is also important to be honest about your skills and your expectations of the job. For example, if you don’t want to have to be at the property before 7 am, be upfront about that. Don’t waste your own time or the time of the lister.
Safety Tips
Click here to see our safety tips for both accepting jobs and hiring applicants. Anyone can make an account, and you want to make sure you are working with a legitimate farmer and not someone trying to scam you. Don’t provide any personal or payment information until you are 100% confident that you trust this person. Virtual interviews and onsite training are great ways to start, as a scammer definitely won’t agree to a zoom meeting where they show you their farm.
What to Expect
If you’ve landed a sitting gig already, congratulations! Make sure you get a lot of detail from the farmer about everything that needs to get done. If you didn’t actually go on a site tour, make sure there are very specific instructions on where to find everything as well as any access information (getting into locked paddocks, gate codes, etc.).
Emergency Contacts
Make sure you and the farmer/lister agree on a way of contacting each other in the event of an emergency or unexpected circumstance. If you find that one of their animals has been injured or appears to be sick, know how to get ahold of them or their emergency veterinarian. Same goes for them getting in touch with you if their travel plans change such as a delayed flight or other issue.
Going the Extra Mile
A common complaint we get from farmers when they have hired help in the past is that sitters do the bare minimum. A small dairy farmer told me that she hired someone to feed cows, turnover hay and clean stalls. The sitter did do all that, however there was a cow that was obviously sickly - lying down and not moving spots from day to day, lethargic, etc. and the sitter did not make mention of this at all. Keep in mind that you’re not just there to finish a check-list, but you are the caretaker for everything that lives and grows at this farm while the owner is away. If something doesn’t seem right, let them know. They will appreciate your concern for the wellbeing of their farm.
Staying in Touch
Even if everything does go as planned, check in with the farmer from time to time. If they have never worked with you before, getting daily updates that you visited their property and that everything went fine (perhaps include a photo of their animals!) will give them a lot of confidence and reassurance that their homestead is in good hands.
Agreeing on Payment
Make sure this is done upfront and before you are meant to be starting. Lots of farmers prefer to do a portion at the start of the job and the remaining payment at the end of the job. It’s only fair that they want to make sure you actually show up before paying you your full fee, and for the same reason you want to make sure you’re not going to do all this work and get left high and dry. On helping homestead, you can review and even report both the helpers and the homesteaders. This will help hold both parties accountable if they hope to find other helpers or other listings in the future.
Finally, as you complete more jobs, don’t forget to add them to your resume! Jobs with a variety of needs plus acquiring multiple positive reviews will help you get hired and even make it possible to raise your rate. Check for any new listings on helpinghomestead.com, and spread the word if you don’t see a lot of listings yet in your area! So many farmers and homesteaders need help but don’t know where to look. Help us make homesteading and hobby farming more accessible, and make some extra $$$ at the same time!
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