Post 3 - Cornell Farms
Recently I've been enjoying the work and routine of Cornell more. Mostly I think I've gotten used to the daily procedure I've developed. It now feels comparable to attending school every day! Additionally, the weather has been much kinder recently, making work much more bearable.
A highlight from this week was getting cart trained. Ever since I started work at Cornell I've been lifting and moving heavy pots, soil bags, trees, plants, etc. without the assistance of the electronic carts the majority of the staff has access to. On Monday there was finally time for my boss to train me. Having access to the carts removes some of the manual labor from the job which I was very excited about. It was also an interesting opportunity to see how the owners deal with safety and training. We dedicated about 3 hours to learn about how each individual cart works and ended with a written test covering what we'd talked about. It was a relatively simple and streamlined process but very educational.
I've continued with my plant learning, focusing recently on the houseplant portion of the farm. Though it's still the department I know the least about, I'm working to change that. Recently in our morning meetings on the farm, the staff is notified how much we made for the owners in the previous day. It was interesting to hear that we'd been making them around 60-80k a day during peak business. It was an intense juxtaposition in the context of my project and the survivability of minimum wage.
Sequoia update: I've decided on mount tabor as its home, I'm planning on planting soon!
Pictures - getting cart trained
Alec, what an upbeat post this is! I'm sorry that your photos didn't load properly. We're all eager to see. Good job keeping the economic thread alive. I encourage you to elaborate. You're suggesting something by using the descriptor "intense juxtaposition," and I think I know what you mean, but it would be good for you to tease out this thought. Consider, too, scrutinizing what role those daily profits play during the year as a whole. What questions can you ask of this? What data would help you think this through? Great job, Alec! They're lucky to have you!
ReplyDeleteAlec, I'm enjoying your blog and its reflections on your learning. It would be interesting to hear more about the folks you are working with: for how many has this been a long-term job? how many seem to consider it as a temporary one? I think one of the myths about minimum wage is that it's something people earn on their way to better-paying jobs, but for so many Americans this is increasingly not the case. Thanks for sharing your sharp insights.
ReplyDeleteHi Alec! I´ve been enjoying your blog posts and I appreciate your candid observations. I am a huge gardening enthusiast and more than once I pondered what it would be like to work in a nursery. I am curious about where on Mt. Tabor you´d like to plant your sequoia. Have you picked a spot yet? Can anyone pick a spot and plant a tree there or is there an official process that needs to be followed so that the tree is protected? Since I don´t live too far away, it would be fun to be able to visit your tree:-)
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