What should you know before volunteering in exchange for food and lodging
There was a period when I grew tired of the corporate life. The daily routine of a 9-5 job was beginning to wear me down and I yearned for something more. Something that would bring me back closer to nature, and something to get away from the desk. So I saved up a few grand and decided to give it a shot.
I know, I know, I filmed vertically... My bad =(
Life is too short, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone
My goal was simple, to find an organic farm somewhere I could volunteer on to get a more in depth feel for the amount of work required in case I wanted to start my own little homestead in the future. I looked around on HelpX and Workaway (I decided against WWOOF because they charge additional fees for each country you search) and eventually I came across a cozy little organic farm in Missouri, USA.
Missouri or Misery?
My first mistake - not asking enough questions! I was eager to jump into the outdoor lifestyle and get back to working with the soil, so I didn't spend enough time researching where and what I was getting myself into! The location was labelled as an organic farm, but they failed to emphasize it was almost entirely an organic milk farm. And for those of you who don't know, milking requires A LOT of effort.
The Goat Milk Farm
The organic garden that they had was tiny, dead, and no-one wanted to take care of it. That is what I was really interested in, but the owners of the property were only interested in the profit from their milk and cheese operation. The deal was that I would work for at least 4 hours before then having the rest of the day to myself. To them though, that meant 4 hours of milking - if I wanted to work the garden that would come out of my own free-time. Thanks...
Since I was there, I bit the bullet and committed. Even though it felt like a "bait and switch" I thought I would give it a go and check out the milking industry. Boy did I learn quickly about how much effort it required, especially when dealing with ornery goats!
The Routine
You wake up around 6-6:30AM. Generally nobody (including the owners) would bother to make breakfast, so it was a cup of coffee and off to work. The milking daily routine:
- Fill all the feed buckets (for keeping the goats distracted while you milk)
- Prep the milk jugs (attach all of the hookups and gaskets)
- Rally the goats in to the holding pen
- Separate the goats that can't be milked (pregnant goats or ones that are sick)
- Start bringing them in to the milking stations a few at a time
- After the milking is done, you transfer it to giant vats for storage
- Clean EVERYTHING (jugs, attachments, milking stations etc)
And after all that is over with, it would be approaching lunchtime (4-6 hours later) so you could finally take a break and eat something. But milking had to be done twice a day! And the owners expected the milking to only take 3 hours so they would constantly pressure me into working extra shifts for free
Nice Guy Snaps
Generally I am a pretty nice guy, but when people mistake my kindness as a floormat, I start getting angry. And when the original agreement I made with the organic farm was for 4 hours of labor, and they consistently asked for upwards of 6-8 hours of work, I was beginning to get pissed.
I brought it up with them one evening in a very polite civil conversation with the owners. They were friendly and acted like they understood the agreement, but I think I made the mistake of saying,
"I don't mind offering a little extra help every now and then, just not all the time."
That lasted all of a day or two before they were back to asking for extra help almost every single day. But what really was getting on my nerve is how they would ask for help so that they could take breaks, drink and hang out with their friends.
Eventually I got fed up and left. I had only put a month into the experiment but I was done. People have walked over me in the past I wasn't about to put up with it again. I collected my stuff and told the owners I must head back home and go back to work.
Do I miss it?
I miss the Missouri country (aside from the ticks). It was soo beautiful over there with many great hiking and fishing locations. And I actually miss the goats a bit too, but if I ever got some for myself, it would only be ONE OR TWO!!! And I actually miss the hard work to a degree. Not particularly milking related hard work, but just the effort in general. Not only did I see a transformation in my physique taking place, but my health was really becoming much better!
Conclusion
Stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new experiences is WELL WORTH it in the long term. I can now look back at this experience wiser from my mistakes but also with many sentimental memories of the area. I encourage everyone to do this from time to time but remember: