Cattle people/ farmers are getting old.

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A friend of mine runs a 6,000 acre ranch. There's him, 1 full time hand, and one full/part time hand. They run about 1,200 mother cows and I'm not sure how many yearlings but I'd guess a couple thousand if you added the calves born on the ranch with the ones they buy. The ranch is in three different 2,000 acre sections so each of them is responsible for about 2,000 acres, 400 cows, and however many yearlings. They handle it easy enough and still go on trips and rope on the weekends. They also raise Angus bulls and raise all their own replacements. This is the reason I don't understand why people think they should be a full-time rancher with 80 cows. 80 cows isn't even a part time job around here. These guys do hire school kids to help with hay in the summer but have been getting away from feeding any hay over the last few years.
 
Lucky said:
This is too much. It's not money that's holding young people out, it's work ethic and the ability to understand you can't have it all today. Young people are the ones buying all this stuff at inflated prices. I love it when a 30 year old talks to me about how nice it must be to own a ranch, cattle, and equipment. Meanwhile the dummy is driving his $50,000 1/2 ton to his 30 acre hunting "ranch" and telling me how it must be nice to have money. I guess it's fine that an F150 cost $50k + and an F350 cost $100k now but land should still go for $1,200 an acre? I'm gonna guess most of the whiners don't have want it takes physically to keep up 500 acres if it was given to them.
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I'm 40 years old and I hear the same thing from people as well, most older than me. I have a friend that said to me one day " man I don't have your kind of money" ( he was referring to me having rental properties), I informed him tht the difference between he and I was he drives a new truck every few years and makes payments on it, I drive a 2002 truck and buy rent houses that someone else makes the payments on, he is self employed and only works 3 days a week sometimes if he decides he'd rather fish or hunt, I havn't got to go fishing or hunting in 3 years because I work all the time. Funny thing is I envy him and his free time and he envies the fact I have some wealth, I'm working on finding the balance between the 2 in my own life.
Problem is most people don't want to sacrifice anything, they want the new truck and boat but want their bank account to look like the guys like me who work all the dang time and drive old stuff and really no hobbies ( working on the farm is my hobby). I go on a week vacation once a year and might take 2 weekend trips a year, other than that I'm at work, on the farm, or working on rent houses. I'm perfectly content with just being around my place. Most people are not content with what they have and want more stuff ( not assets but liabilities).
The older farmers and landowners I know was able to build that up because they did without other things and devoted all of their time to gaining wealth and land, most are just now getting to enjoy their wealth in their 60s but the younger generation thinks they can take all those vacations and have weekends off and still accumulate what the older generation did.
 
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All of life is balance, if any one part of your life sucks like a gut punch everyday then you can usually pump the breaks in one area and watch it all line out.
 
Little Joe said:
I'm 40 years old and I hear the same thing from people as well, most older than me. I have a friend that said to me one day " man I don't have your kind of money" ( he was referring to me having rental properties), I informed him tht the difference between he and I was he drives a new truck every few years and makes payments on it, I drive a 2002 truck and buy rent houses that someone else makes the payments on, he is self employed and only works 3 days a week sometimes if he decides he'd rather fish or hunt, I havn't got to go fishing or hunting in 3 years because I work all the time. Funny thing is I envy him and his free time and he envies the fact I have some wealth, I'm working on finding the balance between the 2 in my own life.
Problem is most people don't want to sacrifice anything, they want the new truck and boat but want their bank account to look like the guys like me who work all the dang time and drive old stuff and really no hobbies ( working on the farm is my hobby). I go on a week vacation once a year and might take 2 weekend trips a year, other than that I'm at work, on the farm, or working on rent houses. I'm perfectly content with just being around my place. Most people are not content with what they have and want more stuff ( not assets but liabilities).
The older farmers and landowners I know was able to build that up because they did without other things and devoted all of their time to gaining wealth and land, most are just now getting to enjoy their wealth in their 60s but the younger generation thinks they can take all those vacations and have weekends off and still accumulate what the older generation did.
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Old man told me once boy, " If you want what you have, then you'll have all you ever wanted."
 
smartin0022 said:
So here goes nothing. My last response wasn't well received but I'm bored and running out of things I can do under 10 lbs lifting.
I'm a millennial and didn't know it. I was born into farming but I still had to buy my own way in. I started showing cattle at 11. Took my first market steer profit and bought a cow and calf bred back. Dad helped me fund that first steer I had to pay back feed and cost of the steer b4 I was allowed to use any of the money. Then he took me to the FSA office in late 1999 at 12 years old. I got a youth loan for $5,000 bought me 5 registed angus cows 10-11 years old 500 lbs calves at the side and bred back to Toeben bulls under my dad's instructions I had to purchase those type cattle. I sold those 5 registered bulls in 2000 for $1000 a head paying my loan off leaving only interest and a years hay bill I worked all summer tobacco to pay for. The next year I lost a 12-13 year cow and had 4 left. I showed steers throughout making a little bit every summer at the county fair. I had to find my own buyers for the fair so dad drove me around to local business to explain what I was doing and get people to come buy at the auction. Name in the newspaper tax write off and recognition for their business. I kept rolling like that till 17 years old when I graduated high school. 4H, FFA I learned a good deal but looking back now I was still and idiot but at the time you couldn't tell me nothing. I had to go to college cause I had big dreams and no real skillset besides raising cows and some general farm work. Then the long stretch. I knew I wanted to farm so I got a degree in welding technology pipe specialist. I had to use FAFSA loans for school. I worked to pay those off and managed a 600 acre operation for some doctors who had around 160 mommas and a nice cow calf operation. That's where I learned the most about farming and started to realize I didn't know much still don't apparently. Anyways graduated and went out on the rd for 4 years doing pipe work never being home but making alot of money. Missing the cows and farming but knowing I could get back if I busted my butt long enough enough hours I could eventually buy a farm. FSA direct operation loan after 4 years and I had my first 30 acres and house 3 kids and wife in dental hygiene school who I paid her way while working those 4 years on rd.
Got a service truck, traveling maintenance welder job and started flashlight farming with 30 head. Leasing anything that would hold cows every year losing leases to sell outs. Giving up leases to poor production and fence. I started to burn out checking cows all hours of the night, trying to raise a family working 100 hrs a week and farming in headlights. So something has to change.
I then grabbed up 193 acres of pretty nice ground close to my small home place. That's the game changer for me. Now I have enough land to start to build on. Got a pipe job in the distilleries to have more time to farm and do more of what i want in life which is farm. Loads of debt too. But one day it'll all go to my kids and they might not even want it. But they are made to work like it or not. Dad always said he had kids for the free labor he wasn't joking. Most of my machinery is paid for in cash. I paid the cattle off the way dad showed me how at 12 years old and starting rebuilding slow with replacements. I'm 34 now and been on some high highs and some low lows.
Young people can make it if they want to. But it has to be a dream with a goal and alot of sucking hind tit and busting your butt and don't give up or in along the way. That's what worked for me wasn't easy and I might fall flat tomorrow. But it's working for now and I'm doing what I enjoy and making enough to pay the bills. I couldn't do it without a day job the land is an investment IMO. My time is better spent farming than on a couch. Showing cattle got me started. Lots of young folks are interested in farming just don't have the determination to do what's necessary to achieve it. Long winded response from a very bored person who should prolly just erase all that.
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I'm glad you didn't have an eraser handy :) When my one Aunt sold her place (early/mid 90's) none of the relatives had the financial means to buy her little ranch (118 acres). It has sold 3 times since then. The last time it sold, I understand it sold for $1.2 million, $500,000.00 down, $5000.00/month. People buying at this price, I don't think can pay it off with agricultural income. The household water and most of the water for livestock is dependent on a small spring a 1/4 mile away, on property owned by a timber company, no irrigation. I think it figured out at about $10,000.00/acre.
 
One of the neighbors comes from a big family (10 kids). Dad must have been one sharp business man. He put together several big ranches. The three of the kids I know are all college educated and I believe dad put most if not all of the kids through college. Only 2 of the kids and one nephew interested in ranching. So the others are forcing sales. They sold one place up from here for over 7 mil. Another big piece of rangeland south of me is for sale for $4.5 million.
The surprising one is a little place which borders on me. It is only 160 acres. About 30 of it is irrigated. It has an old single wide that a old bachelor Mexican guy who worked for them has lived in for 30+ years. that home is of zero value. They are asking $495,000. When I compare that to my place and what I paid. I stole my place. And that was just 4 years ago.
 
Dave said:
I have neighbors who are all full time ranchers with no outside income. I see them going on more extended vacations than the people I worked with before retirement. They all have an attitude of not sweating the small stuff. They all do work. And they all put in long days. Just not every day.
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Who built the herd and the facilities and the fence?
 
Stocker Steve said:
Who built the herd and the facilities and the fence?
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Well that depends on which one you are talking about. My closest neighbor, his GG grandparents stopped their covered wagon on the Oregon Trail. So it has happened over generations. The guy with the biggest place was one of eleven kids raised on a dirt poor dirt farm about 90 miles from here. He is very smart and an extremely hard worker. I am sure he runs cows on more than 50,000 acres total. I am certain that he didn't build all that fence. Facilities? I am sure there are people on here with more in that regard but no where the numbers he runs. The herd? He buys cows. He keeps replacement heifers. I know this year we put the bred heifers down the chute, there was 132 of them. I bought 30 bred cows for him and I know his son bought some too. Go to the sale for him and you are not buying the top of the market.
 
ever since the 2000's wages, cattle prices, etc haven't kept up with inflation, and definitely haven't kept up with property and equipment prices, couple that with the fact that you can hardly get GOOD used equipment anymore since everything requires a dealer to fix... Unless you have a pretty darned good job, inflation is going to eat your savings faster than you can put into it.
While it's true that people don't have the work/save ethic anymore, that might be the result as much as the cause
 
Nesikep I still have those 6 rental houses. Taxes go up. Insurance goes up. Rent goes up. Equity goes up. The 7th one is now for sale. Tired of fighting the city with that one. 1938 house and they are invoking 2022 commercial codes because it is rental. Realtor is listing it for over $200K more than I paid. An electrical contractor, plumbing contractor and HVAC tech is retrofitting now. Its gonna cost me about $30K

Gold bullion has been flat. No losses but it is not as high as it was. Still ahead of the game and I'll keep sitting. It seems about like cattle. Not as good as it was but always has some kind of value. Except gold doesn't reproduce the way cattle can.

401K has been almost flat since the new administration came in.

We're still taking in way more than what we have going out. Net worth keeps creeping. I feel like I am losing on much of it but nevertheless my real estate has boomed the last few years. If it wasn't for that, I'd think inflation is kicking me hard.
 
backhoeboogie said:
Gold bullion has been flat. No losses but it is not as high as it was. Still ahead of the game and I'll keep sitting.
401K has been almost flat since the new administration came in.
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Currently, holding flat is doing well and I'm afraid it's going to be that way for quite a while.

Historically the first year of a presidency is the year stocks perform best.
S&P was up over 20% last year. A guy had to be ultra conservative for a 401K to finish the 1st year flat. And if super aggressive by getting into bitcoin at the start of the new administration, no worries for the rest of the decade.
However the super aggressive usually blow it by never knowing when to back off while the ultra conservative miss a lot of opportunities.
 
As a young agriculture student and farmer I want to ask how would you convince me or any other young people to get into cattle business or farming in general ? My way is clear but I still want to ask. Are you going to convince me by promising a lot of money ? or what kind of happiness ? What do you live for ? What do you suggest I live for ? How do you intend to convince me to wake up before sunrise and work until the evening for the rest of my life ?
 
After all, are you happy ? do you feel peaceful and safe ? I am sure you are most likely not.

Lucky said:
.....Now I own over 400 acres and have had as many as 120 mother cows. I've bought 3 new cab tractors, equipment, a dozer, cattle trailers, skid steer and plenty attachments, and a ton of other things. The trick is to want it bad enough and be willing to work. Nobody wants to work hard and put their time in any more, it's all about instant gratification. This little deal I'm typing on has more power than they used to launch the first space shuttle........free time....what's that?
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I hope you wont go into the barn and randomly shoot around, I know this is a very popular hobby among the happy citizens of your country.

Okay, thats enough trolling. If you continue this you will end up in my ignore list. I wont warn a second time.

MurraysMutts said:
Well, you ruined my day.

Whatever will I do now?
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