There are plenty of kids willing to work today. Stop in at a McDonalds or other fast food restaurant; there will be 10 people working there and the oldest one will be 18. "Problem" is these jobs pay pretty good.
I have been in their shoes before; I could spend 12 hour days doing hard labor for $4 an hour on a farm and have to give up playing ball because I worked too late. Or I could make $5 an hour working 8 hour days in an air conditioned factory doing light labor, come home and go have fun for a few hours. As a kid it was a pretty easy choice.
If you want a dedicated employee, pay them more than they can get at an "easier" job, and remember they have a life outside of work. It's easy for farmers and ranchers or any business owner to put in long hard hours because they enjoy what they do, and alot of them expect employees to be there right beside them. But even the best employees would rather be home doing something they enjoy.
Also remember most kids are busier now than when I grew up. Back then sports were just for the town kids and even then they were just for a couple hours right after school. Now more and more of the rural kids are involved in sports and the seasons are much longer and practice schedules are hectic. This is the same for pretty much any activity nowdays. Plus I never had homework as a kid, now kids in 1st grade bring homework home everynight. Sure there are a lot of kids that come home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night, but those kids were around in my youth also.
I have been in their shoes before; I could spend 12 hour days doing hard labor for $4 an hour on a farm and have to give up playing ball because I worked too late. Or I could make $5 an hour working 8 hour days in an air conditioned factory doing light labor, come home and go have fun for a few hours. As a kid it was a pretty easy choice.
If you want a dedicated employee, pay them more than they can get at an "easier" job, and remember they have a life outside of work. It's easy for farmers and ranchers or any business owner to put in long hard hours because they enjoy what they do, and alot of them expect employees to be there right beside them. But even the best employees would rather be home doing something they enjoy.
Also remember most kids are busier now than when I grew up. Back then sports were just for the town kids and even then they were just for a couple hours right after school. Now more and more of the rural kids are involved in sports and the seasons are much longer and practice schedules are hectic. This is the same for pretty much any activity nowdays. Plus I never had homework as a kid, now kids in 1st grade bring homework home everynight. Sure there are a lot of kids that come home and sit on the couch for the rest of the night, but those kids were around in my youth also.