Cow calf producers gettin old??

[jasonleonard]

Anyone know what the average age of our commercial cow calf operators is?
Calf pool I sometimes sell with seems to think this will be a huge problem
for feedlots in years to come. I am seeing all the young farmers around me
only want to raise corn and soybeans. Are we gonna see the cow calf business
go to huge operators like milk did?

 

[john250]

No, my opinion is you won't see cow-calf go to huge operations. Land prices will stop that. I do think you'll see cow-calf shift to places like Brazil, maybe Africa, where land is cheaper. Look at the USA and where the calves are. Lower land price states. If an acre can raise corn, it is going to raise corn and sell for more than a cow will produce.

 

[Jogeephus]

If I remember correctly the bulk of the herd is owned by people over 60.

 

[kenny thomas]

If I remember correctly the bulk of the herd is owned by people over 60.

And many of us that are under 60 are broke down health wise and not doing as much as we once were.

 

[jedstivers]

If I remember correctly the bulk of the herd is owned by people over 60.

And many of us that are under 60 are broke down health wise and not doing as much as we once were.

Kenny. They are talking about cattle, not women. :mrgreen:

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I don't see this being a problem, but it may be different in other area's, around here i think there is a big number of younger people staying at it.

 

[Bigfoot]

I personally see almost no young people with cattle period. What few I do see seem to be more of a small hobby operation.

 

[Kingfisher]

Looks like a field ripe for mentoring. The way I see it the capital investment for someone young would be down right hard. A partnership with some cash infusion by a go-getter coupled with the experience of an older producer with the new found ability to catch up and do it right would be a winner.

 

[Dave]

I was just reading last week that the enrollment in Ag colleges was way up. So there are young people moving into ag.

 

[dieselbeef]

I personally see almost no young people with cattle period. What few I do see seem to be more of a small hobby operation.

too dang expnsive for the returns unless you inherit the land

 

[AllForage]

I was just reading last week that the enrollment in Ag colleges was way up. So there are young people moving into ag.

I am guessing every part of AG except the actual farmer/rancher

I personally see almost no young people with cattle period. What few I do see seem to be more of a small hobby operation.

too dang expnsive for the returns unless you inherit the land

Exactly!! This is my biggest obstacle for growth

 

[skyhightree1]

I personally see almost no young people with cattle period. What few I do see seem to be more of a small hobby operation.

too dang expnsive for the returns unless you inherit the land

This is true its almost if not impossible for a young person to go out and decide they want to farm and get financing. I honestly can't think of any person that just decided to be a farmer and got a loan and started out that way.

I guess I am in the small hobby operation class. I did inherit and take over my families farm and land because I was the only grandchild that took interest in it. If it were not for that there would be no way I could afford to buy the land and start farming. I think farm zoned land should be cheaper if its going to be used to really farm.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I think farm zoned land should be cheaper if its going to be used to really farm.

You sell yours at a reduced rate. I aint about to. Worked to darn hard for it. :D

As the cattle supply depletes, prices will go up and interest will too commensurately with prices. Hard to make money right now if you don't have the facility already.

 

[skyhightree1]

lol no way I just want to buy it at a reduced rate..

 

[AllForage]

What would make it more competitive between actual farmers is to take away Ag status on land for deer hunters. We have "tree" farms that are just shelters for hunters and those that plant a food plot get away with it. With the economy the developer has gone away for now, but land owners are still having a hard time understanding the price bubble is over.

 

[dieselbeef]

im doing mine the hard way..were land poor....

i started with 5 when i was 30. im 48 now i got almost 20 and lease another adjacent 60...keeps us struggling to pay the mtg's tho. could never do it if not for a good job...

 

[skyhightree1]

im doing mine the hard way..were land poor....

i started with 5 when i was 30. im 48 now i got almost 20 and lease another adjacent 60...keeps us struggling to pay the mtg's tho. could never do it if not for a good job...

Yea, thats true diesel. I had to work to get my land and equip in which I raise cattle on the grain farm was given to me.

 

[Dave]

There are three ways to get into ranching. It has been that way for a lot of years. Be born into it and thus inherit the land. Marry into it. Which is probably the best way because you avoid being slave labor as a kid. The third way which I knew people who did it this way in the 40's, in the 60's, in the 80's, and people who are doing it this way right now is a lot of work. That is a young couple who share a dream. One or both get decent paying outside jobs. They work hard on their time off from the day job. Start with a lot of rented or leased land. Don't take money out of the farm enterprise but keep adding money into it. There always have been nay sayers who claim it can't be done and every generation there are people who do it. But it aint easy.

 

[cow pollinater]

I'd be considered a small scale farmer by CA standards and a small to mid sized rancher and I've gotten there without any help so it can be done but some days I wonder if it is worth it.
I think with the prices just within this last year if I'd have gotten in any later I wouldn't be able to do it. When I made the offer on the pasture ground I own, I was told I was about a hundred an acre to high but if I apraised it now I'd literally be a millionare as since I bough in four properties in the vicinity have sold for double what I paid and two of them were to good cowmen who know what it's worth.
I really feel that alot of young guys would like to do it but the downfall of most of them is lack of knowledge about how to deal with banks and realtors,etc and that is a necesity these days. A guy that I work with wants to so bad he can taste it but he put in a verbal offer on one piece of ground and then got it sold out from under him because someone else made the same offer through the realtor while the owner was waiting for him to get it into writing and then he turned around and got another piece of ground into escrow but couldn't get a loan that he was qualified for because he didn't have a good handle on what all goes into an asset column so he didn't list his cows as an asset and that threw his debt to asset ratio out of balance... now he's so discouraged he's given up. :frowns:

 

[shadyhollownj]

I have to say guys I must be the only one that did go out and get the loan for the land. We never farmed but just had a dream. We were 28 years old when we bought the farm 5 years ago. I was fortunate before the economy tanked I bought the farm in feb and we were outta work in march. Luckily the wife is a nurse and makes good money and I downsized enough to still make a living being a concrete contractor. We took a loan out for the house and 80 acres for 400,000. The property was 500 total. I never could afford to get started with cattle if we didnt both have good off farm jobs. Getting the loan was next to impossible. There is only two companies that will finance a farm over 10 acres in jersey. It took 8 months to get the loan sorted out. It was ridiculous since we could have gotten a loan of 800k and been in a house in 30 days. A guy trying to get started in the north east is next to impossible. I wish I could meet someone that would be a retired honest partner. I would be out of the contracting business in a second. I love cattle and hate people so being a contractor in a bad economy doesnt cut it. Hopefully one day I can talk the wife into moving out west but it doesnt look good. I know even if we do make it raising reg stock we will never really be looked upon as a good breeder cause of our location. So now skytree you do know someone crazy enough to start from scratch.