LocalHarvest

Hello, I think I need a new thread to get this one to the top, my thread from last year doesn't seem to be bumping up.

Please see this thread as well:

http://www.localharvest.org/forum/thread.jsp?forum=12&thread=1501

Hello again, it is that time...

I had a good season last year. I only placed two employment ads and from the other one I was instantly swamped with contacts. So this year I am only placing this one. I still need 2 people for the coming season, which will be starting Nov. 9th in Alabama, just a bit south of Columbus, GA / Fort Benning. We will probably be on that one contract through early/mid December, when I have some work around Wilmington, NC. January and February should be mostly in the Carolinas, and then in March I'll move up to the Virginias, until returning to my home base in northern Michigan in April.

Here is a link to my new blog:

http://web.me.com/newforestservices/treeplantingblog/Bienvenidos.html

It covers most of last season and is still a work in progress, but can give you a little bit more of an overview of the work.

This year we will be camping a lot more than last year. The first contract, in Eufaula, AL, is across the street from a nice state park that is going to rent me one whole loop, with it's own set of bathrooms, etc.

I supply all the tools, and pay the campground fees. Other times we will be in hotels or a couple mobile homes. Transportation will be a bit of a mish-mash. I still have room for a person or two in my crew-cab truck, but if you have a fairly reliable vehicle you might prefer that for your time off. I can help with the gas when we are moving between contracts, but can't get you to the first one or back home again. We start each Monday and try and get 40 hours per week but don't generally work in the rain, so sometimes we work some on a Saturday. The pay is still $10/hr, if anything labor rates are going down this year and it is harder to win a bid.

It is incredibly difficult to be a multi-state employer with employees from multiple states working in multiple other states. Unfortunately, your state of permanent residence is a factor in who I can hire. Proper workmen's comp insurance is the stickiest point, and that is important. I do carry such insurance, but have never seen it used in my industry; it is very low-tech and very safe. I go through 2 or 3 band-aids in a season and that's about it.