2035

[Caustic Burno]

I'm still here.
I recall a TAMU workshop I attended years ago and the speaker stated cattlemen like myself wouldn't exist in 2035.
I don't think we are going to make 2030!
Not many cattle left in this country, go to the auction and it's over in an hour.
Local feed mill largest customer base is deer hunters not cattlemen now.
We used to have breakfast together once in a while and it was standing room only, today lucky to get four or five old wore out cattlemen.
My hay man will be 77 next month he is also my partner . Math is not in our favor.
I penned to worm while back had a Brimmer girl hit me so hard she literally knocked me out of my boots.
I was pulling a 357 to kill her when she got off me and went after my help.
I was kinda like uncle Joe at the junction for a while.
That cow had never lost it before knew the drill and completely blew up.
Grey Brimmer not in the chute.

 

[Brute 23]

Be careful out there CB.

 

[cowman82]

I just found out most people think you have to train a cat to catch rodents...... this is where we are.. clown world.

 

[WFfarm]

My brother and I a have 35 cow herd and both work full time. We are the some of the youngest guys with cattle in our area and we're in our fifties. We worry more about getting hurt when working cattle than getting done quick. Anything that looks cross eyed at us gets sold quick. I was pushing calves thru the alley last week for vaccination. I usually move in sideways behind them figuring there is more soft stuff on the side they kicked vs shin bone or knee bone. I came in square and steer kicked me right in the coconuts. Took a knee for about ten minutes to catch my wind, luckily nothing permanently damaged.

 

[cowman82]

why are you getting close enough for them to kick you? use a paddle.. stick.. or hot shot.

 

[Lucky]

I recall a TAMU workshop I attended years ago and the speaker stated cattlemen like myself wouldn't exist in 2035.

What was the reason for being out of business? Age and proximity to a growing city? Smaller cattleman being pushed out? Gotta be careful around cattle, they'll definitely get you hurt.

 

[greybeard]

What was the reason for being out of business? Age and proximity to a growing city? Smaller cattleman being pushed out? Gotta be careful around cattle, they'll definitely get you hurt.

Like a lot of other sectors, it's not so much they leave the business as it is the business leaves them. No one around you bales hay any more, no real feed stores, can't find any place close to get equipment worked on, feed mills close, sale barns close .
.

 

[Lucky]

Like a lot of other sectors, it's not so much they leave the business as it is the business leaves them. No one around you bales hay any more, no real feed stores, can't find any place close to get equipment worked on, feed mills close, sale barns close .
.

I'm guessing this is all caused from urban expansion. We aren't seeing it our area or surrounding counties yet. Definitely can see it once you get closer to the DFW area though. A good friend of mine ask me a question that was kind of hard to answer one day. He simply ask if the goal in the cattle biz was to make money and you owned the land why not sell it. I think more and more people are thinking this way once land is handed down. We still have plenty of young people wanting in the Ag business and middle aged people trying to grow here though. I see very few people buying land to run cattle on and very few places for sale advertised as cattle ranches.

 

[Mrcopier]

The price of land around here in E Texas is around 10-12 thousand a acre so you can't afford to even get in the business here

 

[Lucky]

The price of land around here in E Texas is around 10-12 thousand a acre so you can't afford to even get in the business here

Land in our area is 3-4k for 200 acres and up. Smaller places are asking from 6-14k. We still have allot of lease land available but the larger operators gather it up pretty quick. If I was a young person wanting in I'd go all in on the USDA loan programs and hustle all I could. The problem I see is nobody wants to make it happen anymore. 40 hrs doesn't buy land and cattle. We worked probably 80 plus hour weeks for 15 yrs to make it happen and have just recently slowed up to 60 or so hour weeks. I can't even convince these guys to feed everyday to keep cost down.

 

[Ky hills]

Several stockyards have closed here in the eastern half of the state. To my knowledge there is only one straight east of here about an hour away. There are 6 or 7 within a 1/2 hour to hour of here, but used to be about that many more,
From what I understand we have the largest 2 stockyards east of the Mississippi River, within 1/2 hour of here.
Paris is the largest 1 day sale and Lexington is the largest 2 day sale.
We sold 3 steers at Paris last week, sale starts at 9am, ours sold around 4pm. They sold around 2400 head that day, and 2700 some odd week before.
Sold a big open heifer and a heifer that had a calf but not enough milk, at Lexington on Tuesday, they had a little lighter run this Monday and Tuesday than had been having, likely due to the storm remnants. The combination of both sale days was over 2000 there. The folks in the office had told us a while back that usually in the summer months the numbers fall off, but this year they kept up. Lots of cattle been out in the market here, and a lot of cows went to slaughter.
Things are changing for sure.
On the farm property we live on we join seven other people. 5 of those seven have cattle, only 2 are actually serious about cattle, the others have anywhere from 2 to less than 10 head and no management knowledge or desire. We get the joy of dealing with their hobby whenever work is involved. The other 2 actual farms are the only ones that help maintain fences or keep track of their animals.
I've been saying for a while all the city slickers and yuppies are crowding us out.
I'm pretty close to throwing in the towel here and letting somebody else take over dealing with messes from the clueless, it's all good hobby farmers.
We still have good local feed store and Southern States Co op. The city wouldn't let our local stockyards build back when it burned down in the mid 80's.
We have a Tractor Supply and Rural King which as we've discussed on here before are geared towards a larger and different range of clientele. Some in the city are even upset with RK saying that they are in violation of ordinances because they have unsightly farm implements displayed in the parking lot, that was how one critic wrote it in an editorial piece. Our city absolutely hates its rural/agricultural heritage.
I used to never think about selling out and leaving,here, because there used to be a lot more farmers here, but now the city folks have moved in large numbers to what used to be the country.
Now it's like living in a big city even miles outside the city. It's like I'm sitting on a lot of money that I don't have unless I sell out. The longer it goes the less appealing it seems to stay being surrounded by all the aggravation.

 

[Dave]

I know of several people who had farms in areas where the urban was moving in. Some sold out and retired very early. Their kids retired too. Others sold out and bought a much bigger and better farm or ranch a long ways from any city invasion. Personally I sold 7.7 acres with a modest house in western Washington for enough to pay half the cost of buying 1,200+ acres with bigger house and out buildings along with some irrigated hay meadows in eastern Oregon.
If you are looking to buy land to run cows the price per acre is not the important number. How much is the price per animal unit. The size of the down payment will effect that some as will the percentage of interest on the financing. There are places out there that will pencil. But they will likely cause a person to move. Maybe out of state and maybe out of the region. The young people I know starting out on their own lease the land to start.

 

[Lucky]

I did some quick basic figures and with todays calf prices it would take us 40 yrs to make what this place would sell for today. Anyone with half a brain would sellout, retire, and go on a couple vacations a year.

 

[4hfarms]

Sure can't make a living just doing cattle on a small acre farm as mine.
Lucky I have my retirement to support us. Cows finally pay for themselves.

I'm just a sucker for punishment and hard work!

 

[greybeard]

I did some quick basic figures and with todays calf prices it would take us 40 yrs to make what this place would sell for today. Anyone with half a brain would sellout, retire, and go on a couple vacations a year.

Some things Lucky, you just can't replace. Life is about more than how much disposable $$ you have.

Believe me, like many other things, you will find it to be a case of 'you don't know what you have till it's gone.."

 

[Kthompson]

Land in our area is 3-4k for 200 acres and up. Smaller places are asking from 6-14k. We still have allot of lease land available but the larger operators gather it up pretty quick. If I was a young person wanting in I'd go all in on the USDA loan programs and hustle all I could. The problem I see is nobody wants to make it happen anymore. 40 hrs doesn't buy land and cattle. We worked probably 80 plus hour weeks for 15 yrs to make it happen and have just recently slowed up to 60 or so hour weeks. I can't even convince these guys to feed everyday to keep cost down.

Lucky, what part of NE TX are you in?
I added a 45 acre hay meadow a couple of years ago, paid $8k an acre for it , felt like I was getting robbed , had it appraised a couple weeks ago for $11k an acre
9 years ago had an opportunity to buy 500 acre place all pasture for 1m , I couldn't fathom the idea at the time, sure wish I had done it now!

 

[Mrcopier]

I bought a 50 acre plot 5 years ago at $3500 an acre it now appraises at 10k an acre. Bet I couldn't do that again

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

No one around you bales hay any more, no real feed stores, can't find any place close to get equipment worked on, feed mills close, sale barns close .
.

You have to adapt. I bale my own hay because custom operators don't exist here. Nearest feed mill/feed store is 2.5 hours away and I don't have much need to go there. Equipment dealer is 1.5-2 hours away so you fix your own stuff. Sale barn is 7 hours away so you get together with "neighbors" (people within 2 hours of you) and consolidate cattle to make pot loads.

Some of us know no different so we make do.

 

[Brute 23]

Like a lot of other sectors, it's not so much they leave the business as it is the business leaves them. No one around you bales hay any more, no real feed stores, can't find any place close to get equipment worked on, feed mills close, sale barns close .
.

Wasn't there a young guy on here talking about how bad hay was and producers needed to look for other avenues?

If people dig their heels in and refuse to move... they get left.

(Nothing to do with CB, just a general statement)

 

[greybeard]

Anyone with half a brain would sellout, retire, and go on a couple vacations a year.

Just make sure ya talk to a financial advisor beforehand and have a good plan. There can be substantial tax burdens, especially if you don't roll some of the sale proceeds over into something like another primary residence.