That said, I often laugh when I am being told that we need to build a skateboard park or some such because there is just nothing for the kids in our California town to do. Growing up on the farm, I never once complained that I had nothing to do, because my mother could always find something to occupy my time.
“...farm workers are brought in to do it, because the companies are no longer allowed to employ teenagers for this work...”
That’s the big problem right there: we have made it illegal for children to do local summer farm work. Berry farmers in the Pacific Northwest would hire armies of kids to come out and pick berries every summer, but no more.
The situation in the large agricultural areas of central California is different. Those farmers have relied on Mexican field hands for as long as I can remember.
We used to pick peaches or watermelons to make extra cash. We usually got paid by the bushel, or similar, so the harder you worked, the more money you made. It wasn’t that bad in the shade of the groves, when you had a couple of friends with you. Watermelons suck. And I remember helping on the farm when I was a kid. I hated potatoes and okra. Especially okra.
I was allergic to the corn silk, though I eat corn all the time, so I walked beans instead, which is a better job anyway.