My Kids had a great weekend!! Was tough for me in a way!!

JD Seller

Well-known Member
This was the first time in 41 years that I did not help the family chop corn silage. Well actually the first two days. I told my kids a few years ago that I wanted them to learn how to do all the tings needed to keep the farm operation going. I knew I would dominate the activities if I was around in a leadership position. So I have stayed away from different activates in the last few years. This year it was getting started chopping corn silage.

It was too wet yesterday morning to go but the weather was good enough to get everything ready.

MY oldest two sons, my Mother, and my daughter worked together to fill the daughter's silo this weekend. They used our JD 5830 self propelled chopper. The oldest ran the chopper. My Mother and Daughter pulled wagons. My second oldest unloaded at the silo. They did 35 loads starting yesterday afternoon late. They finished mid afternoon today. No problems other than one flat wagon tire.

My youngest two sons worked on filling my youngest son's silo. They used his JD 3950 pull type chopper. They have 30 loads done and will finish filling the silo tomorrow. Funny happening with them. My youngest son called me and told me that I could tell him "I told you so". He forgot to check the chopper blower chute before he started. He plugged it solid and broke the auger chain in the first fifty feet. BIRDS NEST in the spout!!! LOL I always check the chutes on the choppers and silos for birds nests. LOL I bet he will never forget to check them again.

My middle son got done early enough at my daughter's to get things ready at the home farm to chop. They will be filling 10-12'x 300" silage bags. He got the bagger set and everything moved out of the way of the bags. The gravel lot the bags set on turns into over flow parking for "STUFF", as bags are emptied. LOL

The hard part for me is I LOVE chopping corn silage. Me staying away so they could get everything going themselves was tough for me to do. I wanted to call them and asked a hundred questions on how they where doing things. It was hard to do.

I will go out to the home farm tomorrow afternoon and help haul loads. They will have things going by then. The middle two sons will be at work along with my daughter. So my Mother and I will pull loads while my oldest runs the chopper and the youngest unloads at the bag. So the two senile seniors will be teamsters for the operation. LOL

I think that me stepping back, will help them in the long run. They need to learn things while I am around to help if things really go haywire. This stepping back is the hardest thing I have ever done on the farm. I know some of you will understand all of this.
 
Well done. Giving the reins to the next generation is not giving up, it is making a continuum out of the important elements that others gave to you. A two sided coin standing on edge. Jim
 
Good for you!!! I know of a couple of situations around here where one person always did one thing, plant or combine or whatever. That person either died or was unable to continue doing that job and the others didn't have a clue and ended up quitting all together. It's hard to pass the torch, but it has to be done. Chris
 
Handing over the reins at the right time is true leadership. I have seen many examples where the elder would not and could not trust the next generation. When they expired, the next generation was in their 50s and lacked the drive of the youthful to carry on and more or less gave up. It isn't easy but it is necessary. Good on you!

Ben
 
I have seen many farms fail because the kids couldn't do it. Dont know the reason. If they didnt know how, didnt have the right connections or just didnt have the drive. It's sad to see them struggle. I hope that you have taught yours well and they can get along.
 
JD you handled this the right way and they will thank you for it in the future. Two weeks ago I fully retired after 51 years helping others manage their money. 27 years ago my son joined me and my youngest daughter 15 years ago. We have been working as a team and I have been gradually cutting back for the last 5 years or so. It has been really a good feeling to see them take over and continue the business I started in 1968.
 
I?m sure they?re just as happy and proud as you are JD! Not every parent is willing to trust their children weather they?ve earned trust or not. Too many think that their own way is the only way and that they?re the only ones that can do the job right.
 
JD Seller,

God job! You are a wise, wise man.

I've frequently heard stories of "family farming" (or some other "family business"), where the older generation would NOT step back - they wanted to call all the shots. The stories often end badly... with fractured family relationships OR the younger generation living in abject misery because they don't want to step on Daddy's toes.

It's great you are allowing your sons to learn how to handle the operation without you always being in control. You are also teaching them how to hand operations over to the NEXT generation in years to come, with grace and wisdom.

Keep on keepin' on!
 
how many times does this happen dad is the boss his way is the only way junior says on the family farm under paid and over worked dad keeps telling I will leave all of this to you some day. mean while junior's wife gets tired of the bs and leaves him then the boss dies and brothers and sisters say we want our fair share even thou they left home before age 20 now 20 30 40 years later they come back and junior is left as much as the rest of them wore out sick and tired and little to show for it.
 
730virgil: That is why our operation has been incorporated for over 15 years. Those that work full time in it have a bigger stake/share of the operation.

Also what is fair in almost never equal. There is nothing equal in it other than my love for my children. My oldest son will get a larger inheritance than his younger siblings. Want to know why??? 30 years ago when he was in his twenties, he busted his butt making us both good money. I would not be where I am at without his help then. His younger siblings would not have near as much IF it was not for their older brother helping then.
 
One of my favorite jobs of farming is Silo filling with corn silage as long as it doesn?t get too wet/ muddy or start turning into winter before it is done. Glad to hear the chopping is going well for you.
 
Definitely understand this strategy, worked well too didn't it. I'm wondering if that one son will best you by putting a cover, hardware cloth or something to keep birds out, won't have to check them any more, just take the cover off LOL .

Fond memories of chopping corn all of this place was in corn except one pasture which could have been too, neighbor and long time farmer friend used to chop quite a bit with a 2 row NI chopper, he had 3 concrete stave silos and ran JD chuckwagons, which he had until about 10 years ago. His sons helped more and more as they got older and even later in life, I worked for him with his sons and when he got sick, he was able to take a break, we had it covered. I always told him, tell me how you want things done, I will do them exactly like you say. Mostly because knowing what it like to be on the sidelines, especially for him, he wanted to be out there, but his health said different. His daughter told me one time that her parents thought the world of me for all the years of good reliable help and good work whether it was field or repairs etc. That meant a lot to me and I do miss him quite a bit since he passed. When in these old fields, I always think of years past and the days of our youth when farming was prevalent in this area.
 

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