Child Labor Laws

I ran across an article in Drovers today, about changes to child labor laws in America. I almost overlooked it because the issue of child labor doesn’t affect agriculture. Mind you I know of adults and Children who have been killed while on the farm and education is needed to make farms a safe place to be but some of the best memories I have or learning experiences as we call them are while I was working on the farm.




I remember failing an algebra test in (I believe) 5th grade and having a hard time remembering the multiplication table of 9. My dad tried and tried to teach me that table but I couldn’t get it. I could see he was at his wits end because he and my sister are great at math and I preferred hanging out in the barn. On Saturday morning 7am we headed to the barn to start chores. After feeding the goats, horses and chickens I thought I was free to catch the rest of the Saturday morning cartoons. We did only have 5 channels in the boonies and cartoons came on 1 day a week. Yes, kids this was a BIG deal. But, the tractor fired up and the manure spreader was backing into the barn and I know I still have that stuck-on-stupid look on my face like “why is Dad going to clean out the barn today, by hand, in time for Cartoons, by himself.” The pitchfork was handed to me, Dad took his and with every sweep of manure he asked me what 9 x 1 was, then 9 x 2, etc. If I got the whole sequence correct, I could go inside to the cartoons. We were both pitching by now and I was trying my hardest to get the whole sequence correct and you know what....after time I finally did. Cartoon and cereal awaited and the rest is history. Dad also got quite a few clean stalls; I am really bad at Math! But looking back I can see many times where hard work, determination and a little manure put me in my place. It taught me character or math but if the governments wants to talk to me about child labor in agriculture I recommend they pick up the manure fork because I have a barn to clean.



The article is below, as well as a place to comment so your voice is heard. I know I will be commenting on the article because I want to have my nieces in the barn helping and learning about life because there is a lot that can be learned from barn time.



The article can be found below:
http://www.cattletradercenter.com/news/industry-headlines/Commentary-Changes-in-child-labor-laws-affecting-farm-kids-132994943.html