The Rural Voice, 1980-07, Page 35THE YOUNG FARMER
Agricrew
Agricrew co-ordinator Heather Boyle
is responsible for lining up crews
to work on the farm.
Heather Boyle, 21, of R.R.3, Ripley has a
job this summer that involves a lot of
responsibility. She's acting as an Agricrew
co-ordinator for Huron and Perth Counties.
She was one of 20 co-ordinators across
Ontario who were interviewed in February
and who then went to Toronto for an
Orientation program in the first week of
May.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food
out of Toronto picks what offices the
co-ordinators go to, but usually likes to get
themasclose to their home as possible.
Heather does not lack agricultural
knowledge as she came from a beef and
sheep operation. She decided to apply for
the job because she is taking social work in
school and is interested in working with
people, especially young people.
She is taking Sociology at the University
of Waterloo and for the past two summers
has worked in recreation. She said that this
year she wanted a different sort of working
with young people. Heather will be going
back for her third and final year in the fall.
Her job includes interviewing and hiring
BY DEBBIE RANNEY
crews/ getting publicity to the farmers,
getting farms for the teenagers to work on
and trying to co-ordinate the teenagers and
the farmers.
The first two weeks of the Agricrew
employment program have already been
booked for each of the three crews working
out of Huron and Perth. There were more
jobs for crews in Huron than in Perth last
year, but Heather says they're hoping
Perth will pick up this year.
ENTHUSIASM
As to the people who are , hired for the
Agricrews, Heather says they have to have
farm experience and she looks for
enthusiasm and how interested the
applicants are in the program, because as
she says, "they really have to do the public
relations, because they're dealing with the
farmers."
CUTBACK
The Agricrew program like many other
government programs, has suffered a
cutback and this year there are only three
crews, compared to four last year. Farmers
will have to book early to get them.
HEATHER BOYLE
Agricrews will do almost any kind of
farm work with the exception of working
with chain saws or second storey
construction or other dangerous jobs,
Heather says.
A lot of students might not know of jobs
like the one Heather has, if they're not
from the country/ but Heather's back-
ground includes a family member who
works for the Ontario Ministry of Agri-
culture and Food and a brother Bryan oil%
is an Associate Agricultural Representative
in Peterborough.
Although one person acts as a foreman
in charge of the Agricrew, Heather's job is
to check on crews about twice a week,
collect the money and do the paperwork,
and farmers are also instructed to get hold
of Heather if anything should go wrong
with working arrangements.
Agricrew workers have to be at least 15
years of age by May, and usually range in
age from 15-20.
The employment season for the
Agricrew started June 23 and finishes
August 15.
THE RURAL VOICE/JULY 1980 P0. 33