I dont know how anyone could start up a farm business now days unless they take over a family business. With the price of land, equipment and how many hours you have to work, there arent many left who will dive into that. And if you dont already have mechanical skills you are at the mercy of repair shops and long waits. If you dont do your own baling, you're at the mercy of the custom guy and weather. Out of our 4 kids, our son is the only one interested in doing this work. He's got a good start, so i hope he carries on and takes over. We just hope inheritance taxes dont take it away from him. We were very fortunate when we got our place, land was at the lowest ever, people spend what we paid per acre on a good meal out now...lol.. We just had to tame the area, but it paid off in the long run. Land down the road, unimproved, is listed for 3000 an acre. Thats even more unbelievable than 3 dollars a pound at the sale barn.
Developing a Farm Business
- Thread starter GACowboy
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Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Son of Butch":1oiu5fth said:
Yea buddy they do, I got to counting tire's around here one day amazed at how many you can acquire.
If it has testosterone or tires it will give you trouble.
I have no idea how someone gets started today, when I bought my place sold the timber and paid for it.
You can't find that today.
highgrit
Well-known member
The way I see it is, I'm going to depend on myself and my family to get things done. The heck with depending on other folks, your going to be last in line. I've decided to go in the cow business for the long run. It got to the point of either get bigger or get out. The best move I've made dollar wise is buying my own hay equipment. It's opened doors to folks that I can work with. We're sold out of hay already, wish we had 300 more. There's money to be made hauling cows and calves for folks also. I've bought some nice cows that way already. Stay busy, treat folks fair and if you can't make it CALL them.
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
highgrit":n6eaaibx said:
Now you can make a cattle trailer pay for it self here.
I haul regularly for several. Hay is a different story here unless
your place alone is big enough to keep you bowed up.
I think a lot would have to do with the area, since the drought it changed everything here.
bverellen
Active member
If you truly want this to be a profitable business and not a hobby, you should do you and your family a a huge favor and invest in some education that will help make this venture profitable.
Sign up and attend "Ranching for Profit" school, put on by Ranch Management Consultants. This will be the absolute best money you will ever spend on yourself, your family and your ranch.
Link: http://www.ranchmanagement.com/
These folks won't teach you or tell you how or what to ranch. They, and the class, will help you to think about what you want, what you are doing, and make your self ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing.
You will start to think out of the box and look for ways to be profitable. You will begin the process of planning your business for success.
Between the 7 day class and hotel accomodations, it will cost you upwards of 3 grand. Sounds expensive, but consider the cost of 2 good cows or 3 dead calves and you already paid for the class. Alot cheaper and more effective than running out and getting a $70,000 loan so you can play weekend rancher.
This was the most challenging and eye opening course that I ever took, and has changed the way I look at ranching & business forever.
There is life time support after the class by other real world ranching peers, by the company and by the freindships you will make along the way.
You could puchase the book by Dave Pratt, the founder, entitled "Healthy Land, Happy Families and Profitable Businesses". Link: http://www.ranchmanagement.com/book/book.html
This book alone will give you a taste of what the school is about and the advise given within will make/save you potentially hundres of thousands of dollars over the span of a ranching career.
I'll bet alot of folks are going to poo-poo all over this post, but I'd be asking them if they really know the true cost of production, their true margins and if they are really making a profit after taxes, overheads, interest, fair wages, equipment costs, operating costs, depreciation and opportunity charges. Most places won't pencil out no matter what excuses they come up with.
I challenge you or any other person wanting to get into ranching or who wants to ranch and be able to quit their day job to look into this school.
Good Luck.
Bart VerEllen'
South Central Iowa
Sign up and attend "Ranching for Profit" school, put on by Ranch Management Consultants. This will be the absolute best money you will ever spend on yourself, your family and your ranch.
Link: http://www.ranchmanagement.com/
These folks won't teach you or tell you how or what to ranch. They, and the class, will help you to think about what you want, what you are doing, and make your self ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing.
You will start to think out of the box and look for ways to be profitable. You will begin the process of planning your business for success.
Between the 7 day class and hotel accomodations, it will cost you upwards of 3 grand. Sounds expensive, but consider the cost of 2 good cows or 3 dead calves and you already paid for the class. Alot cheaper and more effective than running out and getting a $70,000 loan so you can play weekend rancher.
This was the most challenging and eye opening course that I ever took, and has changed the way I look at ranching & business forever.
There is life time support after the class by other real world ranching peers, by the company and by the freindships you will make along the way.
You could puchase the book by Dave Pratt, the founder, entitled "Healthy Land, Happy Families and Profitable Businesses". Link: http://www.ranchmanagement.com/book/book.html
This book alone will give you a taste of what the school is about and the advise given within will make/save you potentially hundres of thousands of dollars over the span of a ranching career.
I'll bet alot of folks are going to poo-poo all over this post, but I'd be asking them if they really know the true cost of production, their true margins and if they are really making a profit after taxes, overheads, interest, fair wages, equipment costs, operating costs, depreciation and opportunity charges. Most places won't pencil out no matter what excuses they come up with.
I challenge you or any other person wanting to get into ranching or who wants to ranch and be able to quit their day job to look into this school.
Good Luck.
Bart VerEllen'
South Central Iowa
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Dave Pratt will be in Minnesota next week, doing a series of one day workshops, for a cost of $45 each, including lunch.
I understand that he is an excellent speaker. What do you think about Thief River Falls Aaron?
(This is NOT the week long class mentioned above.)
I understand that he is an excellent speaker. What do you think about Thief River Falls Aaron?
(This is NOT the week long class mentioned above.)
