I like your reply. I'm kind of in between you and Steve in that I do have several employees as well as family but also spend a fair amount of time on the tractor. I started out right out of high school as an employer with several employees by the time I was 20. After seven years in the farm equipment business and farming too I sold out the equipment business and went to full time farming with me being the sole source of labor like Steve, then my new wife joining the labor pool but still just the two of us. Today I'm back employing people again, partly because I desire to do so and partly because of health reasons. So I guess I've been on both sides and both sides have advantages and disadvantages.

I don't think we can characterize being the soul provider of labor on the farm or hiring employees as being either bad or good.  It is just part of a business decision a person has to make. I've had 3 back surgeries over a 6 year period and there is no way I could have continued farming without hiring employees. I am providing an avenue for some very good people to be involved in agriculture that could never be or would never choose to be farm business owners themselves. I'm proud of the fact that I have been able to give them this opportunity.

John