OT/what pushed ya over the edge

rrlund · Nov 2, 2009

You guys that have retired from farming,I know it was cumulative over the years,but I'm guessing that there was a "last straw" that finally made you quit. What was it?

Had one neighbor that finally quit over a hay rake. Said that if he had to farm with junk like that,he was all done. Another guy just to the west stopped about 6 weeks ago and said that he was looking the chopper over to start filling silo and decided it wasn't going to make it through the season,so the cows were going down the road and they had found somebody to work the ground next year and were having an auction in the spring. This kind of crap is piling up on my back right now,on top of looking at picking corn in the snow and cold. Don't know how much longer I'm gonna tolerate it all before I hang it up and call an auctioneer myself. I'm waiting on parts for the silage cart,loader tractor hung up between 2 gears in the rain out in the bunker silo this morning,had a tube sticking out of a rear tire Friday that I had to fix,hydraulic pump needs to be replaced on the 2-135,manure spreader and grinder mixer have seen better days,even the buildings have seen too many years of cattle and manure. A nice view of the mountains off the front porch sure would be a nice change of pace and a whole lot easier on the nerves.

thurlow · Nov 2, 2009

Wasn't any one thing for me.......multiple things. Had quit growing cotton because the timing was a major conflict with the cattle operation; the only local farmers who were keeping their heads above water at the time were cotton growers; corn was $2.00, beans were $5.40; can't remember wheat, but it wasn't good. Was gonna have to rent a lot more land, buy a picker, look for additional employees, etc. Had either 9 or 10 landlords; wrote the letters to 'em saying I'm quitting; letters lay on my desk for months before I mailed them; decision to mail them was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but after the fact, I was at peace with the decision; in retrospect, it was the right decision.

Minnie Mo John 2 · Nov 2, 2009

Did not farm but just had one too many "call outs" in the middle of the night in cold and snow to fix a telephone problem. The straw that broke the back was one at 2:00 AM with the temp at 10 degrees. Drive five miles to town in a cold truck, then transfer to another cold truck and drive 19 miles is 40 MPH winds to find NOTHING wrong with the circuit. The customer was asleep and did not hear the signal.
John

Cas · Nov 2, 2009

I was involved in dairy farmering and then hay
and cash crops for 40 years. In the slower times
I worked in a pharmacy. As mentioned in another
post; I got pneumonia in 2005. Being in a coma
for 3 weeks and spending 2 years of getting back
on my feet, made me stop and think. Know I just
run my little repair shop and farm a little.
Spend time with my wife, family, and friends.
I wish I would have smelled the roses sooner,
life is too short.

JOCCO · Nov 2, 2009

In some cases old age?

Nitro · Nov 2, 2009

Many years of grain farming and milking. It was fun when I was younger. Water,sewer and natural gas came down our road in the matter of three years of each other.We decided we had ten years left before we would be forced out. At 42 I decided that I didn't want to start over some where else. Both shoulders and knees were getting bad. Cash flow was slim. I had to get bigger or get out. The fun was out of it. Stress headaches daily. That has been ten years now and I don't miss it that much. My hat is off to any one that still farms. I have other stress in my life from day to day, but when I walk out the door at work it is gone and I can enjoy the ride home admiring the crops that my friends are raising.

NY 986 · Nov 2, 2009

I'm still going and want to continue for now despite the odds. I just wanted to pass along my observation about what I've seen others go through that has not been mentioned yet. Most of the operations I've seen discontinue locally was because of family dissent/ bickering. I am lucky in this respect as right or wrong I make most of the decisions here. I can't imagine being at somebody's throat for decades just to stay in farming. And it is mostly over stupid crap like who holds the most power or does the most work. Most of these operations were successful in terms of finances worst of all.
Had a professor at college stress family harmony being the core of any family business to be successful. 25 years after the fact he has yet to be proven wrong.
If one young guy on here sees this and saves himself a lifetime of misery then it was worth my five minutes to post this.

Nitro · Nov 2, 2009

I agree with NY986. I was lucky in that aspect. We got along well. I really didn't want to compete for ground with my good friends for ground to farm more than anything. I just didn't have the creative cut throat personality for that.

buickanddeere · Nov 2, 2009

I've never had such peace of mind since I abandoned all hope.

Mathias NY · Nov 2, 2009

If farming was easy, everyone would be doing it.

BCnT · Nov 2, 2009

little bit of everything making me think seriously about sellin out...cattle that i prob got $5 a pound in that are going for .38
calves arent bringing much either
hay,feed and fertilizer gone thru the roof
i guess only thing making me stick with it now is i dont want to explain WHY to my ancestors if we happen to meet up somewhere...my family been farming/ranching for over 7 generations in Texas...no telling how many years before that in Europe.
i'm screwed either way.
luckily everythings paid for...i feel for the folks trying to make mortgage payments on top of everything else.

rrlund · Nov 2, 2009

Same here. I think you have more determination when there's a goal to shoot for. Like making enough to make a payment. I'm on the farm that may Dad and Grandad had,about 2 miles from the original place that was homesteaded when my Graet Grandad came over from Sweden. All the old folks are gone,only one of my sons has even a passing interest in it. He doesn't even live here. He's about 5-10 minutes away. Has a couple of cows of his own and helps out when I ask,but doesn't volumteer for anything more. I just don't know if it's worth the hassle anymore to keep it for him if he doesn't show more interest than he has. It's just gonna put me in an early grave. I talked to all the kids before I sold the dairy cows 6 years ago. Gave them the chance to take it then,but they didn't want it. I practically get up everyday waiting for that one last straw that breaks the camels back. All 3 of the kids are doing well for themselves,and that might be what has to get them through life,cause ol'Dad just might not keep it around to pass on to another generation.

cjd12000 · Nov 2, 2009

Retire quit, I just started. Bought a herd of dairy cows last October and stated shipping milk. Went through all the problems one gets when they bring cows from different farm together in a new barn. Lost 4 in the first 2 months. Barn wasn’t full enough to keep it thawed in January and froze it up a few times. Hired hand quit in July. Had to fix the 806 in the spring, Head needed work also new injector and pump and after it started running right the transmission went. Bought a 1086 to replace it only to have it a rod start knocking in it 50 hrs later (rebuilt the engine). Broke the mower (replaced it) Baler, hay rake and spreader all pretty good. Just finished corn with the front of the john Deere forage wagon being held on with cargo straps (fell of well hauling). The badger wagon only broke 4 times this year. This is only my first year and I hold down a full time job to pay for all this fun. Spent the last 3 years after I got out of the marines working towards a dairy farm and spent the last year paying to own one. Don’t know if I can do it for a lifetime but will keep going for awhile longer just to see if it gets better.

rrlund · Nov 2, 2009

Ahh,to be young and optomistic again. Farm for 40 years and have all of those things happen at once,then tell me how it's going.Awe,just picking on you. But seriously,it wears on you after a while. There'll come a day when you realize all at once,that it doesn't matter a hill of beans to the rest of the world whether you're farming or not. It's all down hill from there.

Ken Macfarlane · Nov 2, 2009

I can't see farming as a full time employment unless you have some kind of cooperative in this area. You can't own every piece of new equipment with the returns, really need to share equipment and team up with other farmers. In the UK contracting is really big and lets farms with old equipment keep going longer without having to buy big stuff that sits around all the time.

gitrib · Nov 2, 2009

This sound so familiar. When you buy out a operating farm you are getting all of the problems that have made the owner want to sell.
It sound good to start with a going operation. It is better buy and ceate your own problems than to buy some one else.

gitrib

NY 986 · Nov 2, 2009

Would you consider renting it out for a couple of years. If you only needed the income that cropland rental brings it could be done in a pretty simple arrangement. If more income is required maybe you could rent it for somebody to milk cows out of. I would understand if the facilities are too far gone for that and not want to invest in repairs (our buildings would require a lot work to make usable for dairying again on our place).
I don't know what your opinion is of your local banker and extension agent but have seen around here where those individuals have helped set up some good relationships between a fellow such as your self and somebody just starting out. Having people involved like that often helps weed out those with poor character from renting. It would give you a few years to see if any of the kids have a change of heart on this. Once it is gone it's often gone for good.

LEH · Nov 2, 2009

Vito · Nov 2, 2009

It's the same in any business that requires manual labor and machinery.At least you don't have to drive work! LOL

Vito

Erik Ks farmer · Nov 2, 2009

There are days, like yesterday when I fell on my butt in the muck of the feedlot or today when the cloudless sky clouded up and rained 20 minutes after I got the combine in the field that make me wonder. However, despite the problems were up agianst there is no life in the world I would trade my muddy red wings, my worn out Ford or my rusty Massey for. It would be a lot easier to sell out and go to town...but you have to farm because you love it.

Pitch · Nov 2, 2009

A little bit off topic here, but you with kids that don"t seem to want the farm might want to take a look at yourselves. Got an Uncle and a nephew been farming the piece of land that has been in the family since 1823.At 28 years of age nephew say the heck with it and takes a factory job and moves off the land, Uncle can"t figure out why. Nephew has been working the farm since he was old enough to walk, was never given credit for anything was never allowed any input into the operation had to beg for spending money,was treated as a hired hand all these years, says he will buy the farm at the estate sale and start over. some times it is hard to take a real good look at yourself and rcognize that you ar not the be all and end all of the operation.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 2, 2009

I never really got to the edge. When I got out of the Army I wanted to farm my grandad's place. I did not want a mountain of debt so I dabbled in it at the level I could afford planning to do a little more every year. I worked construction jobs to stay afloat and pay for inputs. The plan was working but the construction jobs kept paying better and I followed the money trail. Now I own the farm but rent it all to my neighbor. I live on my own farm but work a good job in town.

scott mcintosh · Nov 2, 2009

Every time I have days like that I just think of a prior struggle that I overcame that helps.If that don't help then I think of my dad and say he had all this and come out,so shall I too!Hang in there Scott

Anonymous-0 · Nov 2, 2009

You sure hit the nail right on the head. Especially about the power thing. If some siblings are not interested in farming, why do they still want to call the shots? As long as you pay them their share of the rent, I dont know why they cannot just stay out of your business and let you do the farming. It is a power thing with them. They want to be important. I go through that every year. That will be why I finally call it quits, do woodwork, and open an antique shop. There is one thing that land will grow during a good economy. HOUSES.

OT/what pushed ya over the edge

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