A Proposal From The Obama Administration

[volinbham]

This guy sums it up well

Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg said the new rules would harm family farms and were going too far.

“I just don't think the bureaucrats at the Department of Labor get it,” Rehberg said. “Only in Washington D.C. would anyone assume that a faceless bureaucrat is better equipped to look out for a child's best interest than a parent.”

The proposed bill also takes safety training away from 4H and requires a Federal government training program. Thank you from saving us from ourselves.

[volinreallife]

I remember cutting/stripping tobacco. Hands are covered black and most of the time there was no cloud in the sky and 15 degrees when we were stripping. I don't remember it being itchy though.

I know that my work ethic would not be the same had I not grew up on a farm. Dying breed

[RespectTradition]

Originally Posted by JayVols

Agreed. I'm sure all those hours in the tobacco patch and the hay fields in scorching heat bordered on child abuse. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

True dat.

And the pay was great too! All the food I could eat and a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, etc.

And don't forget cutting the firewood. We sold many, many ricks every year.

And the garden...

And sloppin' the hogs...

And robbing the chickens...

And the mechanic work...

And building the house...

And... oh, I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

I wouldn't pass any of it up for anything. The things I learned. The trouble I stayed out of. The time with my dad. I hope I can come close to giving some reasonable facsimile to my kids someday.

[Danl]

Originally Posted by volinreallife

I remember cutting/stripping tobacco. Hands are covered black and most of the time there was no cloud in the sky and 15 degrees when we were stripping. I don't remember it being itchy though.

I know that my work ethic would not be the same had I not grew up on a farm. Dying breed

Itchy, but not when cutting/stripping/tying. We called that process "handing off". Itchy when it was hot and humid and we were "suckering" the crop. And removing those bigass tobacco worms that looked like they could sting you, but couldn't.

While I attribute a good bit of my work ethic to having grown up on a dirt poor farm, I have often wondered if I would have done just as well growing up in, shall we say, more affluent environs.

[JayVols]

Originally Posted by RespectTradition

True dat.

And the pay was great too! All the food I could eat and a bed to sleep in, clothes to wear, etc.

And don't forget cutting the firewood. We sold many, many ricks every year.

And the garden...

And sloppin' the hogs...

And robbing the chickens...

And the mechanic work...

And building the house...

And... oh, I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

I wouldn't pass any of it up for anything. The things I learned. The trouble I stayed out of. The time with my dad. I hope I can come close to giving some reasonable facsimile to my kids someday.

Nothing like farming to teach a work ethic. Me and my dad became best buddies on my farm and on the ball fields. He's gone now, but I can step out on my front porch, survey the farm, and know that he is near. Good memories. (I built my house on the same plot that we put the tobacco patch to ensure that I would never handle another stalk. How's that for a grudge?)

[JayVols]

Originally Posted by Danl

Itchy, but not when cutting/stripping/tying. We called that process "handing off". Itchy when it was hot and humid and we were "suckering" the crop. And removing those bigass tobacco worms that looked like they could sting you, but couldn't.

While I attribute a good bit of my work ethic to having grown up on a dirt poor farm, I have often wondered if I would have done just as well growing up in, shall we say, more affluent environs.

We called it grading. We had ground leaves, short reds, long reds, and tips for grades. We also hand tied it and packed it in baskets. There wasn't any of this baling in only two grades crap. That's cheating. I remember topping and suckering when the dew was still on the leaves. I would get very light-headed and dizzy often followed by a splitting head ache. I later learned those feelings were more than likely from nicotine overdose. The nicotine can leech from the leaf into the water and enter via pores in the skin. That might be a contributor to the itchy feeling as well.

If you really want to discuss itching, lets talk about putting up 1,000+ square bales in 85-95° heat in poison ivy. That's itchy......

Edit: Tobacco horn worms are evil looking critters.

[utvolpj]

children do the jobs illegals don't want to

[Danl]

Originally Posted by JayVols

We called it grading. We had ground leaves, short reds, long reds, and tips for grades. We also hand tied it and packed it in baskets. There wasn't any of this baling in only two grades crap. That's cheating. I remember topping and suckering when the dew was still on the leaves. I would get very light-headed and dizzy often followed by a splitting head ache. I later learned those feelings were more than likely from nicotine overdose. The nicotine can leech from the leaf into the water and enter via pores in the skin. That might be a contributor to the itchy feeling as well.

If you really want to discuss itching, lets talk about putting up 1,000+ square bales in 85-95° heat in poison ivy. That's itchy......

Edit: Tobacco horn worms are evil looking critters.

Good times, JayVols

[Volst53]

I don't agree with this at all.

[YorkVol]

I remember going to get my learner's permit in Kansas in 1978. I was 15 but my farming friends had already had their license for a year so they could drive the farm equipment. Seems we are going backwards...

[BearCat204]

Some of the best lessons in life and my appreciation for earned money came from working each summer in a hay field slinging bales of hay all day. Wonder if they will try to pass a bill preventing parents from letting kids sit in front of the tv all day, training them for their future of not working and collecting a hand out from the gov

[hog88]

Grew up on a dairy farm, no way my dad would have survived the 70's without me and my brother working. If you look at who is backing this you'll probably find some major corporate farm companies.

[GAVol]

Originally Posted by Abe Hoffman

If you’re working your own parent’s farm, the new rules don’t apply at all, and the act also contains many exemptions for programs, like 4-H, aimed at giving youth experience working on farms.

But it would have applied to me growing up when I worked on my Grandparent's and Uncle's farm. You haven't lived until your Grandad hands you some goggles and a mask and puts you inside a grain bin to clean it out.

[volinbham]

Proposal nixed:

Obama administration scraps child labor restrictions for farms - TheHill.com

Classic Washington double talk

In nixing the proposal, the Labor Department cited the need to protect "the rural way of life." "The Obama administration is firmly committed to promoting family farmers and respecting the rural way of life, especially the role that parents and other family members play in passing those traditions down through the generations," the Labor Department said in a statement announcing the withdrawal of the rule.

That's why we proposed it in the first place then withdrew it when it became a political hot potato.

Why was it there in the first place?

Others in Congress supported the rule, and unions argued it was needed to make farm work safer for young adults.

No way. A another union-based move by the DoLabor? I'm shocked.