Too Much at 65

To Do , Health is not going to allow it ,At least for NOW . Forgive Me to unload my burden. I was Real bad off from flu getting in My lungs in December. still catching my breath . I created all of these projects .But Now They seem to snowball and overwhelm Me .. It could just be my tooth ache medication antibiotics beating the heck out of Me . My stomach is not in agreement with it , My legs and feet Always ache from neurothapy caused by chemotherapy poisoning from 5 yrs ago . at least cancer has stayed away . If the kids would come over and play farmer like they used to all this would have purpose .Some of it I got to give me purpose when I was bad sick . JUST got a lot to chew thru right Now . My wife goes in for serious back surgery April 28th.I drive a school bus that keeps me young And I am running for reelection .The primary is May 4 . Should I survive That I will be unopposed come fall . . Those of You who have been laid up awhile will understand all that thinking .Thinking about keeping a third , loading a third for scrap , and auctioning the other third. Been thinking of letting my brother row crop my Home farm of just 24 acres for this year . He Does The other farms . But i would hate it if my cows got in the crop just once ,We all Know that could happen No matter how good the fences are . . I have 12 new heifers calving Now . I could sell a third of them and i would not miss them . . No one ever gave me anything but a opportunity, and I ran with it , I own 240 acres on 4 places. I have 5 Massey combines ,over 20 saleable tractors , 5 round balers and square balers each. About 10 hay rakes and mowers and haybines each . At least 10 discs, 5 planters and drills . 5 trucks ,at least 20 wagon gears boxes Beds and gravity flows. Like I said a third ought to be scrapped . I think It is time to unload and come back with fresh stuff. I should make most My money back . but never get paid for all my sweat I put in It All .And I fear It might hurt Me , The heartbreak of seeing it go at any price . I wont sell any lands , Just talking of letting go of most the rolling stock , And some animals to lighten My Load ,.. Most You guys are near my Age That Could give Me sound advice . Up until 6 yrs ago i Row cropped all of my cropable 130 acres and made all my hay on another 100 acres. I did most my repairs . It aches Me all over Just doing the simple chores . About the only thing I am good for is driving and telling others what needs to be done and how to do it .

Anyone who passes by an old farm with equipment sitting on it and then posts a "Why don't they...keep up the buildings/sell that old junk to me for cheap?" thread needs to read your post.

My Dad worked the farm right up until the day he died. Did the chores, cleaned, bedded, and fed 44 head of cattle, went to bed that night, and woke up dead the next morning...

Probably should have given it up, sold the farm years ago, but he couldn't.

Letting go isn't easy but if you need to slow down you probably should slow down.

I understand how you feel. I have been fighting stage 4 colorectal cancer for 2 1/2 years. I am recovering from surgery, my second try at my second surgery to remove the cancer. Before I got the cancer I worked full time and did about 4000-4500 square bales of hay myself. I am retired now .Now I have neuropathy really bad from the chemo and it really has slowed me down. Not being able to do things like I used to is really tough and I have a few projects that will probably never get done now , basically because I have fallen behind on things like building maintenance that will have to get done, so some of the other things will be sitting for too long before I could even get to them. I am hoping to get in better shape as the year goes by and do about 1000-1200 bale's of hay which is what I did the last two years, and continue renting the rest of my hay land out. I am guessing you had cancer too. I agree you have to have purpose to help to keep going but situation like ours can really change one's perspective. Don't feel bad about doing what you have to do at this point. Machinery is selling good and bringing good money. I'm not sure if scrap is high right now, but scrap will keep . Might be a good time to auction some of your better stuff and even maybe some of the scrap. Concentrate on making your life easier and less stressed , and less stuff and cutting down on the livestock sounds like a good idea to me. I always did all my own repair work and now that is harder than it used to be . I also need now glasses for some jobs and that takes getting used to as well. Good luck with your decisions.

After watching my dad die in a so
called assisted living facility I'm not
so sure about that.

I would sell off the rolling stock as you said. You need 1 tractor with cab that you like to drive to feed cows and do a little haying if you want to do it yourself.
My dad sold off all his equipment and I mean ALL. bought 1 140 hp tractor kept 20 cows and keeps some heifers to sell and a few bulls.
rents out all his land and gets hay in return.
buys a little grain and keeps them real tame.
he said it gives him a reason to get up every morning to go feed the cows.
after 5-7 years of that it was to much work to calve so he gets my brother(you could get somebody else) to keep his cows all winter and calves them out for him.
in return he feeds a few heifers for him.
the best you can do is not be sentimentally attached to equipment. Get rid of scrap and mow or pasture that area and make it look good. My dad takes pride now in his nice yard where before he had so much junk it looked like a wreckers yard. planted apple and other fruit trees as he feels he can not has to
I have seen a few people that have done it like this and they seem to do better health wise than those that quit all in one or those who work till they drop. Grand kids means a lot to some and nothing to others so that also helps some people

I will give you permission to sell it all except for four tractors, one mower, 1 rake, one baler, and one wagon, and a manure spreader. That way you can still do a few acres of hay. I used to hay nearly 100 acres, then at around 50 years old I cut back to 45, then at around 65 I cut back to 10 acres. I can't give it up completely yet but if my health or something else were to go really bad, it won't be a big deal if I don't do it.

I know how you feel.Cant tell you what to do,,,that is up to you,,,but,,,I know how you feel

After reading the stories here I shouldnt feel bad about having a few skeletal issues. You are wise not selling the land. Land will always be there.

Here is a thought to ponder about your machinery and I do not mean to be insensitive to your personal feelings when I say this. The machinery is merely cold heartless, feelingless steel and nothing more than that. I have scrapped out almost all of the machinery I started farming with after it did not fit my needs anymore. But was not worth anything as a trade in. A few pieces had special meaning and it put a lump in my throat when I lit the torch, but I had to remind myself it has no heart and no feelings. The two pieces I am talking about was the grinder mixer I used nearly every day and the combine I nursed along for 19 years. Like what was mentioned keep a few of the best pieces to do a little farming with and cash in on the rest.

Sounds like you could retire today and be set for life. Change is always difficult, I am the same way, LOL. What seems obvious for someone else to do in a similar situation just does not apply to me when it happens to me.

Farmland rents are very high. Pencil out the numbers, renting out the farms might provide the same income as farming it yourself, especially if your illnesses get worst and you can't get things done on time or have to hire someone else to finish things for you and that will be when they have time to do it. You probably have enough feed on hand to finish out the livestock you have now. If you don't replace them you don't need the new crop to feed the next batch anymore.

Many retirees find that life gets better after they have fewer responsibilities. Some find new activities that they enjoy, new hobbies or part time work if they need to. A few can't bear to give things up for any reason.

If you know you have illnesses that could drastically affect your ability to carry out the duties of your office, then running for reelection may not be the right thing to do for your constituents. For example our US congressman from SE MN passed away halfway through his second term in office. He had long term cancer and was severely ill during his first term. He was not able to represent us well during part of the first term or during much of the second term. Now the taxpayers have to setup a special election to fill his office for the remainder of his term and we are without representation until that is completed. We are left wondering why did he ran for reelection if he knew he was that sick: pride; greed; simply didn't want to let someone else hold HIS office? Please consider what is best for the voters.

Good wishes whatever you decide to do.

You might pick out the stuff you think is junk and have an on line auction you might be surprised how much that junk brings.Good thing about an on line you don't need a huge amount of anything to have a successful auction.

I sold my cows 2 years ago, I was 71 at the time. The enjoyment was pretty much gone and they were just work and worry that I didn't need. I don't regret it at all.

Know the feeling, at 79 I have slowed a lot. I worked out an arrangement with my neighbor to do the crop work in exchange for some cheap hay. I help a little as I can, works for both of us.

Sorry that things are difficult. I hope everything works out all right for you and your wife.

Regarding your digestive issues: If taking antibiotics, it is good to eat probiotic foods (cultured yogurt, sauerkraut, etc.), to help keep some GOOD bacteria in your gut.

Three years ago I was running 500 acres by myself with big modern equip. But I was starting to get tired. It was just getting to hard to climb in and out of grain bins and move augers and handle seed bags etc. So I rented my owned farms out to neighbor and kept farming 115 acres of rented land. Kept all my machinery. When my friend heard I rented out some land he said,,,boy you sure got a lot of big machinery to only run 115 acres. I told him,,,what's the difference? It's paid for.
I told you that so I can tell you this. It's your stuff. Do what ever you want. It's nobody else business.

At 74 I had the opportunity to rent it all out last year...maybe should have done it given the surge in price of inputs this year. Have land and a bunch of Case tractors and machinery I could sell...then what?? Don't like crowds and as a side job with farming I drove my truck all over the US...not any place I need to see. Bought a newer 5th wheel camper last summer...guess we will go to as many tractor shows as possible and relish our good health at this age. Have fun as time permits...the end comes too soon if you slow down.

X2...

JK NY You poor Guy with Neurathapy ,If it is like mine my legs were liker fence posts for a yr . I Take Selenium , B-12 , vit D and Valarian root to sleep and relax in the evening I took all 12 doses of chemo for 6 monthes in 2016 , I couldhave quit and should had at 8or 9 doses ,,. But I never quit ajob , I thought I needed to take all of them If I was going to beat cancer , AND I did , I* had stage 3 colon cancer they took a foot out of My colon , My brother Told Me That was the foot I put there Years ago We worked together in home Improvement for 17 yrs ,. Both Of Us Have nice farms we paid for from that business . I Certainly Thank ALL Of YOU for answering and empathizing with my condition and situation I am In , I LIKEWISE wish You All well and would offer as best advice I could , I like the one fellas comment of Cold steel has no feelings SCRAP IT ! ,.Should have done that with My 1070 when the engine developed a rattle ... I have over 10 thousand in repairs on it ,,. My 4020 is up to 21 grand .. I will CHERRY those tractors out and Get All that and More for them when I sell them . Same with My little dependable 430 Case Diesels . But golly when It comes to Haybines ,.. It is a pot shot on whether the money will come back ,,. Wagons always sell like hot cakes. Right Now And actually Since We got nnalert BAD before Christmas, I just can not get my stride back , My throat and gums got infected after I spent 2 weeks in Hospital. So bad i ended up pulling a bad rear molar . So between aches and pains , i went out and tried bringing things together since itwarmed up some , And i just dont have the energy , And When everthing hurts , It Just isnot fun ,.. I Do DRIVE that bus . I enjoy the children and the route is in my district where i take care of all the county roads... I mentioned earlier I have no trouble driving for hours be it that bus or a tractor or driving my Lincoln to Purdue for Road school .. Asa far as serving my constituets , I do that very well . Ireturn calls and work on troubles with my dept. heads . I never miss a meeting .And I am well known in this area For being a GOOD Taskmaster.. I realize I have neglected My Farm over Public work all my life including the yrs . I did Home improvement . What isTuf For Me is to realize I just cant RUN as fast or far , JUMP as High Or Dig as Deep or Quickly as I used Too ,... And It dont matter to Me that No one else would dare try to keep up with Me back in those days when i was spry LOL ..But Yes Here are the priorities ..... #1 Farming will not be in the way when My SARA goes under the knife . #2 I want to serve 4 more yrs as County Commissioner , So i will Do what I must to stay in office and continue serving ... BTW My opponet thought i was down for the count and going to die when he signed up he is a power hungry know nothing , I cant ease up and let him have it . so for the s
hort term i have a plan to follow ,.Longterm ,No row crops For Me in 22. My brother Will handle all of it and I will help as needed.. 3 pcs will go to Consignment auction . Sell Down The cows to 2/3rds and Do the Hay . My older sister advised me to wind down Slow ,.,.. She thinks My heart will break if I had a I quit Auction I think She KNows Me as well as any of My wives do. They are all in agreement i certainly appreciate everyones advice GOD BLESS You ALL

I retired from flat bed trucking at 66. My hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders were constantly sore The next week I started as a go-fer for my sons business. I made a serous mistake when my wife got infirm and stayed home and watched TV with her. The lack of exercise was as bad as being sore Im starting to work my way out of it. I spend a lot of time with my grandsons and my antique tractors. So my advice is to keep moving You could keep a couple of pet steers like my neighbor did and get them so fat they barely fit thru the door

yes ,,.. neeed to slooooow down

You kept Your rented land Too , LOL , I just did not want to loose What i had nurtured so well for years. We Row cropped 250 acres with my sons and nephews helping for about 15 yrs . Golly , that was fun , And I think we ALL made some money along the way , The kids learned all sorts of skills that is serving them well Now . Then they found cancer in Me ... I rented 2 of my places to my older brother on shares ,,. Best thing I ever did ... Now We dont seem to be competing but NOW are Cooperating as GOD intended brothers to be... Funny thing , I went out and recruited 3 young farmers to takeover my rented ground and spent time with the owners getting everyone talking to one another .

Sweetfeet , You hit it on the head .. I have been away from home since Monday at Purdue road school . and away from My Yogurt , Forgot my Probiotics and My Razor and shaving Creme . Tuesday evening I was craving SourKraut too . went to walgreens and Got my FIX . LOL... too many sourdough sandwich lunches this week at school . a very heavy class schedule begining at 7;30 AM and ending at five each day 171 seminars to choose from .. covering Everything You can imagine , Electric automation ? Driverless vehicles Road and bridge repair and building ,and building relationships with County Deptment s To make the most ... It wasvery good , True , It was intense .. And perhaps as I stumbled out to look over My rundown farm It was a bit of a culture shock.. the harness seemed to feel awful stiff to put back on this morning,. and to top that off a tree limb had fell on the fence and 2 heifers were not where they should had been .LOL

Larry are Your health issues still holding You down ? I have always enjoyed following Your posts.. You have made some nice work . And It saddened Me when You reported You were sick. I feel we are kindred in spirit and in our abilities too ,... You are Right . It is my decisions to make . But I would not mind if You said Your peace about All what You would Do with All My Stuff ... Perhaps I can Help You form an opinion , LOL I have predominately CASE tractors LOL

thats a good plan , Might become My target goal Thank You, Showcrop

Dont do anything in haste,,think about it ,but,,,only you can decide,,Not much help to you,,but sure wish the very best to you whatever you decide

2 yrs ago , there was a guy selling nursing home insurance that protected my home and provided care as needed , My assets and my children will be protected from being saddled with assisted living expense . either at home or in a nursing home . It cost 115 dollars per month til I die ..I bought it before I turned 65. And naturally they pull it out of My account every month .My B-I-L bought in when I did , I think We both made a wise move . I hope to follow my ancestors and live beyond my 80s, who knows I might hit a hundred if they give Me a sweet cute nurse to watch over this ornery old guy

If My wife is successful with her surgery , and is able to come along , I hope to do some shows also ,. It would be nice to cross trails

Amen .and Dont Do Anything when eVer You are in the midddle of a MEAN German Mad . simmer down, cool off, think about it while drinking a beer or good bourbon with some friends or a friend like My dear wife

A guy I know worked a tad past being able to draw max SS, and retired from an office job 2 ish years ago. Went home and drinks beer and watches Sci Fi on tv all day. Every day. And gots more money than he could ever spend. Could do what ever he wants in retirement. His life. His choice. But, .... I can tell ya this, everytime I see him, he shuffles his feet a little worse. Appears to be more and more feeblely. I only see him when he comes to his weekend home once every month or two. So the change is quit noticeable. He hasn't been around since November. Makes me wonder how he'll be the next time I see him. Or maybe that's the reason he ain't been around. Doesn't get around good enough to come to the weekend home. Sitting around watching tv couldn't be helping him out one bit physically.

Another guy I know, gave up farming all of his ground except his home place about 10 years ago. Kept farming the home place I think just for something to do. That, and he had/kept his machinery. He rented out the remainder of his farm ground thus year. But kept his cows. I think he kept those just for a reason to get out of bed everyday. He went roller skating for his 80th birthday. Went on 2 ski trips this winter. He actually still skis.

2 completely different stories of people I know. I think staying active is key. Giving up work is one thing. And for some, that might be the senseble thing to do. Especially if your next month, or 3 months from now is questionable as far as your condition and ability and what your doing work wise depends on that. But giving up work and replacing it with nothing is something else. Replacing it with playing golf might be a better choice. Play when you feel like it. When you don't have Dr's appointments to run around to. You miss a day. Not the end of the world. Not like you got some work obligation that is now paying the price because it wasn't accomplished. If not golf, pick something else. I only said that for the ones who'll reply (I wouldn't be caught dead playing golf). LOL.

Me, I haven't started slowing down. Kind of like Doc Holiday said in Tombstone, I have just reached my prime. Well, maybe not. Definitely past the work is fun days though.

Yep the worst thing an older person can do is to quit and do nothing.I'm 70 my wood stove and livestock gives me a push every morning to get up and get going,once I get rolling I always feel 100% better.Something satisfying about getting out in the cold and maybe rain or snow to feed the cows and goats then coming in the house and sitting my the wood stove drinking a cup of coffee.We all need a purpose in life.Plus my wife and I now have some baby ducks and bottle goat kids depending on us.

Jim, I hope you can get to feeling better physically and mentally. When I sold the dairy cows and heifers, I gave up my rented ground and rented out about 2/3 of the owned farmland. Didn't sell but one tractor and the extra grinder mixer. It was all paid for anyway. I still have enough land to grow some corn and hay, and have a place to play with my vintage machinery. Wish the best for you and your wife.

Most men that have farmed all there life arent happy going golfing or just sitting around doing nothing . My grandpa was the same way when they kicked him off the farm he was dead in a short time his health went from bad to worse over night more from a broken heart than anything . I wouldnt give up everything but I would maybe slow down some and take a pace you can keep up with and be happy . Maybe some young guys could use some of your extra equipment thats how I started was by fixing junk nobody wanted or was to small for anyone to want .

First off get well!! I will try to keep this short if possible. Prioritize what you feel you can do. As others have mentioned do not just Quit, I am quite close to retirement but my health would let me run a few acres as a hobby (work is really stressful now and I will need to move on).I have to be doing something. My Advisor told me retirement is not a correct word now, just what you are doing in life. Bear in mind I sold my farm in the 90s when land was not as valuable. Kind of hard to get back into a acreage now. First your statement about the cattle getting out is correct. I rented out 40 acres of pasture before selling altogether. I spent more time trying to keep the critters (beef) in than any time in my life with the Holsteins. For me livestock is too much work that is a daily in some cases job and can't be left alone for long. The equipment is not going to run away. When we sold on an auction(live) back then, most of our equipment was too large for some and too small for others and it was a miserable day of weather. In the end the tractors sold OK but a majority of the rest was cut up for scrap on my front lawn and it did not feel good or right, so if something is special move it aside. Selling stuff to clean up is a good thing but in the case of my dad sometimes having the money caused tax issues, so be aware of that. Multiple online auctions of all the stuff you want to get rid of seems the best solution in principle. It would allow you to sell what you want at your pace and the best thing is it can be worded so you have minimal work involved. The scrap can be sold as scrap and not your responsibility to move it unless it is blended in with good equipment. It sounds like your Plate in life is loaded. Best wishes and I would help if you were close.
Roger