Help! I am a single mom who recently had to give up my over the road truck driving job. My grandmother was watching my son and had a stroke in Feb. She is much better, but no longer able to babysit. I have not been able to find a job around here. (western NY)

The local driving jobs have really tough hours for trying to find child care. They start between 1:00 & 3:00 am & go for 10 to 15 hours. There are no other family members to help out.

Anyway I would really like to relocate to the midwest. Iowa, Indiana or Illinois maybe. Wherever the right opportunity presents itself.

Does anyone know of a milking (3 yrs exp.) or other type of homestead/farm job? with housing! I enjoy working with all types of animals (have owned horses & rabbits) and am willing to learn!!! Market gardening, bakery, something I can eventually start my own homestead business doing. Would like to make it more of a lifestyle and be able to spend time with my son. Giving him the opportunity to live in the country, join 4-H, have a dog. We want a garden, the typical homestead type stuff. Things we have not been able to do or have because of landlords (have spent months looking for a place where we could have pets or a garden) or job requirements. It's hard to drive my son to 4-H meetings when I'm not even in the same state. Thank You, God Bless! Shannon

-- Shannon Sheldon (susieq13@alltel.net), April 18, 2002

Answers

Hello I have for sale a 30 acre farm in East Tennessee, Hancock County. It is 5 miles from Sneedville, about 20 miles from Morristown and about 80 miles Northeast of Knoxville in the small community of Treadway. The house is 24x44 and has a full basement, with 12x44 covered porch. It is 5 years old with a spectacular view of the mountains from the porch. It has floor trusses, so no support post in the basement. The basement is partially finished and heated, both the house and basement have thermostat controlled propane heaters. Currently there two bedrooms, but with a full basement you could have what ever you needed. The house has a water well and submersible pump, but there is a year round stream on the property. The taxes are $250 and there are no zoning laws or building permits needed to build. On the outside there is a mature apple orchard with about 20 trees and a large garden. Also there are 2 outbuildings, one is a workshop and the other is ½ chicken coop and ½ garden shed. The price has been reduced to $74,900. If you have any questions or would like to see some pictures, Please feel free to contact me by phone: ( 423) 733-2889 or e-mail me. Don www.donschwartz2002@yahoo.com

-- Don Schwartz (donschwartz2002@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

Here is one link that may have info on it of value to you:

Sustainable Farming Internships & Apprenticeships (also in PDF) Updated for 2002! For more than a decade, this one-of-a-kind resource has helped hundreds of family farms find interns and apprentices. The listing is free, and includes contact information and detailed descriptions of the farm, room and board arrangements, timeframes, etc. The list is updated at the beginning of each year. If you would like to list your farm in the next update, contact Katherine Adam at NCAT/ATTRA, P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702, 800-346-9140 kadam@ncat.org

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

Have you given thought to co-houseing, i would think in your situation someone with only 1 child, you should be able to find a family that would have a place for you and your child to live, without too much trouble

i would cheerfully offer you a place, we have plenty of space, and are in the process of building nearly all youre talking about , but , we wont be set up for milking till next spring, and there for ,wouldnt be able to provide you with an income till then

-- Beth Van Stiphout , in ND (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

Are you open to Canada? There are LOTS of opportunities for truckdrivers here. In fact, a lot of companies are almost crying for good ones. If you want, i can send you some info. Saskatchewan is a great place to live if you can handle the cold, and farming is our most important resource. Let me know, and I'll do what I can for ya! Wishing you peace...Judy

-- Judy Hill (rhillsacres@hotmail.com), April 18, 2002.

Shannon over in Charlotte NC I saw an ad for a truck driver drop & hook no touch freight. $10 per hour home every night. There seems to be a lot trucking jobs in NC.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), April 19, 2002.

Hi, I live in NE Iowa and there are always farmers looking for milking help and hog help. They love experience. I don't know if housing is included, but from what I hear the pay is substantial enough to allow you to at least rent something. I'll send you our local paper if you're interested. Stace

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), April 19, 2002.

Pick an area and subscibe or look up on the web the local newspapers etc. this may help find what you are looking for. Here in my area there are ads in the paper for herdpersons and other farm jobs as well as land for sale etc. Pick your area by climate or schools or whatever and start researching, it's going to be hard but what is'nt. Plenty of jobs but land prices within commuting distance to Minneapolis St. Paul is getting expensive but outstate is more reasonable. Generally excellant schools here but winter can be a drag. On the job front my company just hired 350 people for farm/nursery work. Good Luck

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), April 19, 2002.

I live in SE Iowa and often hear of jobs working with hogs, and occasionally with dairy cows.

-- Lis in Iowa (theshihtzu@lisco.com), April 19, 2002.

Judy, Is it that easy to get a job in Canada as an American? It was my impression that it was a very difficult process. DH and I looked into it but as teachers (not truck drivers). If you think its doable...email me. DH is looking seriously at a career change! :^)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

I have a 30 acre property with a 3 bed room, 1 bath house on it. There is a 2 car garage and a 40'x60' Wick building which I used to raise alpacas in. It could easily be converted to any livestock you'd like to raise. It has also been planted in hay and pasture. The property is just outside of Albany, Illinois and is a 20 minute drive to the Quad Cities (Moline and Rock Island on the Illinois side of the Mississippi and Davenport and Bettendorf on the Iowa side). Lots of job opportunities there and I could also keep my eyes and ears open for farm-style job opportunities as well. Please contact me if you'd be interested in learning more. I'd love to help you find a country lifestyle for your family. - Catherine

-- Catherine Gravert (ccalpacas@yahoo.com), April 23, 2002.