[Backinwellies]

stufe

I agree that Ina should charge the going rate.

However your comments on farmers are  unnecessary and inflamatory.    Some smallholders are entitled to claim subsidies/ grants too.

 Please keep this thread on topic.

[stufe35]

Apologies reading back I guess it looks inflammatory, to put things in perspective, on a Thursday night I go out for a drink with my 4 farmer friends. We all take it turns to drive and pick each other up...4 out of 5 weeks I get a lift in nearly new range rovers, discoveries etc. on the 5th week they all moan about my creaking 10 year old passat !  There is much Micky taking (I goad them about my taxes paying for their alloy wheels ).  The information in my post comes from my conversations with them, they are all very good business men.  I always call time and say we have to go as I have to be bright and breezy to sit in meetings and act intelligent at work in the morning, whilst their biggest worry is wether to feed the sheep or the cows first !

So on topic ; one of them employees a milking man who works every weekday and every other weekend for £10 hour.

[happygolucky]

Bloomer I would love to use you and your skills when/ if we move but until we do, we need every penny we can lay our hands on.........
I think the best way forward to to agree on a price between the two of you and as its only 2 miles away it is walking distance or cycle distance so great.
 I do different type work but cannot afford to work to far away on basic wage as its pointless...I wish I had enough money to trade in my expensive to run car. 
 

[colliewobbles]

If it helps my hubby is a gardener - works alone.  He started at £10 per hour 2 years ago and now charges £12 per hour.  He will also do any other odd jobs that people ask for - like painting, erecting sheds, unlocking toilets (!)

Donna

We are in South Norfolk

[Ina]

Ina.   Farmers are paid vast subsidies from the government every year for just owning land, they concrete their yards and put up buildings with grants, they pay no inheritance tax when they inherit their farms. They are great at pleading poverty, but don't know the meaning of the word.  They will be claiming tax relief on your wages so if they are paying you £7 an hour it's probably costing them about £4. Do not feel sorry for them and certainly don't be a charity to them at your own expense.

You seem to know very little about farmers. Some rich landowners get huge subsidies - but my friends don't belong to that category. I know how they struggle, and how hard they work to make ends meet. One of them doesn't get any subsidies, the other gets very little. Both have to go out and work off farm just to pay the bills. And they are not exceptions!

Ignorance like yours makes me very, very angry. Have you actually worked on farms? How many farmers do you know personally?

[happygolucky]

Its funny as I grew up in a farming area in Leicestershire, my ex husband dad was a farmer, also lots of my friends were also farmers and so boys I dated and still know, relations now are all farmers and none are that wealthy, they all work hard and have to save every penny incase stuff the farm goes tits up....they are only rich when dead....then they are farmers but not maybe the ones you mean who would be the massive land owners with big estates etc, whole different ball game....

[Berkshire Boy]

Farmers poor. Pull the other one. I'm surrounded by farms all full of lovely shine tractors and masses of new gadgets to make their life easier. These are not big farms but money never seems to be a problem.

[happygolucky]

My mum always told me to marry a farmers son, I did, he IS wealthy but he is a plumber , his dad left money and so did another relation but while alive they lived a very frugle life.....I think things are like you say shygirl, divided like in other walks of life...rich and poor!!

[Sbom]

Shiny new machinery that never gets paid for, they keep upgrading to keep in warranty which helps keep mechanical bills down and goes against there income to keep tax bills down. I come from a big farming family, we also have many farming friends and also in our business we work for many farmers from council holders upto very large estates. All of these struggle for money, most work incredibly long, hard hours for very little reward. If they want to go on holiday it costs twice as much as they have to pay others to work for them whilst away. Believe me you would not want there overdrafts!
The only 'rich' farmers I know have money invested elsewhere which brings in an income.
Isn't there a saying that goes something like......don't judge a man til you've walked a mile in his shoes?

[happygolucky]

I live in a  big house now and lived in a big house with a big car  before and still have nothing..but am happy........I think a lot of peole look rich with all the trappings but its all owed to the bank, I at least have no doubts and I am not a farme

[shygirl]

actually the richest landowner around here is a very highly paid london doctor. he owns alot of land in our area and down south.
i have a contractor friend who went out and bought shiny new tractors and a posh balers to replace his other perfectly fine machinery, now he cant make his repayments on his loan and has put his farm up for sale.

[Castle Farm]

Most farmer get new machines on credit, including cars and pick-ups. They lerch from crisis to crisis financilly and it's only the SFP and what they rear to sell that keeps then afloat. Bad farmers go under, good farmers float.

As for home much and hour you would pay a person to help you out.

I pay the guy that helps me £12,50 an hour and he earns it. But ask yourself what would you charge?

[Padge]

Thanks at least to CF for dragging back to topic......
Stufes explanation for the previous post seem to have been either missed or conveniently ignored for the sake of a mudsling 

[happygolucky]

Padge I am easily distracted...sorry...no mud slinging from me just chat...well known for going off at a tangent   Back on track we usualy agree a price on a job so that way we are all happy!

[LouiseG]

If it helps my hubby is a gardener - works alone.  He started at £10 per hour 2 years ago and now charges £12 per hour.  He will also do any other odd jobs that people ask for - like painting, erecting sheds, unlocking toilets (!)

Donna

We are in South Norfolk

Can your hubby do post and rail fencing? And is 7 miles south of Bury St eds too far?