just a question

[Brandi2005]

Hey everyone. I was just wondering-How did you get into the cattle/ranching business? (passed down ect.)

 

[Bez?]

I have family in the business - but we got ours the hard way - we bought it - no help from anyone.

Made every mistake known to man and then a few more.

We are getting by.

Bez?

 

[Anonymous]

cattle business has been in my family for 6 generations now...they was in the sheep business before that

 

[andybob]

First time round, started with livestock at school and built up the hard way including building our house etc, and put myself through college once the farm was turning a profit.
This time, working for a large farming company, and starting up in my spare time, have my mistakes behind me, but a bit slower with age!

 

[AngusLimoX]

I was retired and happy. Had a nice sailboat, golfed almost every day ( was an honest 7 ), owned rental properties and generally had it made.

One night I was alone in my SUV at a railway crossing and a bright light appeared in the sky. I can remember little grey men looking at me as I lay helpless on a slab in a room that reminded me of a hospital. Even though they did not speak out loud I heard one say " Let's see if they can survive without the power of reason, remove one half of the brain ".

I remember driving home that night, trolling through the suburbs with my garage door opener extended out the window, hoping to find my home in the maze of filing cabinets called urban living.

I remember my wife accusing me of doing tequila shooters at the 19th hole again.

And when I woke up the next day, I told the wife we were going to sell everything and buy a farm. Not just any farm, a BEEF farm!

I sold everything, moved here, and 6 months after we had our cattle - BSE!! Last year drought !! I own nothing now and don't answer the phone in case it's the bank!

I still blame the little grey guys, even though CB says it's my bad management!

;-)

 

[Mosho]

Started with 2 angusXholstein heifers which we bottle fed. We also fed holsten steers for freezer.
We moved from Birmingham, Al. to Fort Worth, Tx. for my husband to attend seminary. We moved to Lone Oak, Tx. to serve a church there and we bought 35 acres and grew a few cows. Sold them when we moved and at every church we served that had a patch of grass, we grew cows.
Retired from a large church in 2000 and moved to South Al. and we are living our dream on 80 acres with black cows and we are serving a small church in a very needy neighborhood.
Mistakes?? We make them every day I'm sure. :D :D

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

I have family in the business - but we got ours the hard way - we bought it - no help from anyone.

Made every mistake known to man and then a few more.

We are getting by.

Bez?

Me too! ;-) :cboy:

 

[VanC]

I was retired and happy. Had a nice sailboat, golfed almost every day ( was an honest 7 ), owned rental properties and generally had it made.

One night I was alone in my SUV at a railway crossing and a bright light appeared in the sky. I can remember little grey men looking at me as I lay helpless on a slab in a room that reminded me of a hospital. Even though they did not speak out loud I heard one say " Let's see if they can survive without the power of reason, remove one half of the brain ".

I remember driving home that night, trolling through the suburbs with my garage door opener extended out the window, hoping to find my home in the maze of filing cabinets called urban living.

I remember my wife accusing me of doing tequila shooters at the 19th hole again.

And when I woke up the next day, I told the wife we were going to sell everything and buy a farm. Not just any farm, a BEEF farm!

I sold everything, moved here, and 6 months after we had our cattle - BSE!! Last year drought !! I own nothing now and don't answer the phone in case it's the bank!

I still blame the little grey guys, even though CB says it's my bad management!

;-)

:lol: :lol: :lol:

I, too, had a little run-in with the little gray guys when I was in my early thirties. Twenty years later I'm weaker, turning gray myself, and my hair is falling out. I'm sure it's some weird side effect of one of their dastardly experiments. ;-)

 

[rkm]

Started with milk cows when I graduated from high school in 1959. Done that up until a couple of years ago when I sold the cows and gave the money to the bank. Been trying to build a beef herd. All I have to show for it is the feeling of accomplishment after a hard days work, the smell of new mown hay, the sight of a cow with a new born calf, a great family, and a $600 SS check. I'm richest man in the world.

 

[travlnusa]

I grew up dairy. After moving out, getting married, having kids, bought my own place. Started by buying holstein bull calves (back when they were cheaper than dirt). Raised them and sold them to retail customers. Cash flowed that out of my pocket. When income came in, invested in Angus.

We then sold the two Angus, rebuild almost everything that I thought I had done right the first time.

Bought back in, been adding since by keeping heifers, and will begin sending bulls to test stations.

I am amazed, after being raised on dairy farm, just how much I have either forgot, or never knew to begin with.

I live and die by the "search" tab on this site.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

My Grampa gave me and both of my sisters a heifer calf when we were born. He "bought" the ranch from his mother while his father was dying from a stroke (had been working it for years). His father homesteaded plus bought up several others. I spent some summers here and it has always been the place of my heart, but I was not raised here. We came to take care of him in his last couple of years and remain. It went to my mother and after she passed it is now in my father's hands. I work "for" him, but the reality is that he has no real interest and it is in my hands. I take care of 100 to 200 head that belongs to the ranch and have 20 - 30 of my own.

We are fairly disfunctional and I will likely be facing some serious bills when he goes (if he goes before me :shock: ) because we have done little to no planning. That is said as a warning to others to PLEASE TALK TO YOUR KIDS/FAMILY!!!!

 

[Limomike]

I got into this business due to uncle, and father-in-law. My uncle ran a diary for 30+ years, and I loved everytime I went to stay with him. My father-in-law, had a cow/calf business for over 20 years, which I helped him with, and now just took over for him. I will hopefully turn it over to my son or daughter someday.

 

[Diehard40]

my family wasn't really in the cattle business never have been. My Dad bought some land several years ago while i was in college and we put some cows on it and are still running them today. Well that has been around 15 years ago. Started out with a couple of Gert cows now have a mixed commercial herd and a handful of registered simmental.
Had a lot of help along the way from some folks that are by far more knowledgable than i.

 

[sidney411]

Just happened to marry a man who had cows, now I'm hooked for life. I personally own 3 cows, all the rest belong to my husband and his brother, although I do the majority of care taking around the farm.

 

[mnmtranching]

Herd # 1
I was just out of the Army doing carpetry work. The farm I grew up on [Fathers] was no longer being farmed. It had grown up into grasses and wild hay. I bought a H Farmall, a 7ft MM sickle mower, high wheel MM hay rake, a 66 NH baler with a wisconsin motor. In my spare time by myself made hay, I remember it as being a wonderful time.

A retired preacher was also living his lifes dream. bought 25 heifers [Herefords] and grazed them on his 40 acres. I got to know him as I spent the Summer working on his house.

The preacher would spend the Winter in Florida, and needed someone to look after the cattle. I had the hay and thought fun! All went well, in payment for hay and time I got my choice 6 heifers.

That was 74, I rented all the land then. Built the herd in 10 yrs to about 50 stock cows. Herfords and Shorthons]

I had a whole herd dispersal in 84. My residentual general contracting business was taking up all my time.

Herd #2

I knew what I wanted to do, sold the business in 95, bought land this time and here I am with 112 stock cows and having the time of my life. Not doing to bad, but 2 out of 3 years of bad drought is hurting.

mnmt

 

[farm princess]

I grew up in a small city/town and never knew/realized how much animals or farming took. Met my husband and moved to the country where nothing is close by except a gas station and basically learned all about farming (and I still am learning), but didn't have the calves til his dad got into a car wreck and we brought them to our place to raise them. Now I am learning something everyday about raising cattle and that it is really ALOT of hard work and time. Small mistake was raising a twin from the bottle (first calf) and hate to get rid of it.!!!

But I don't think I would change anything nor would I go back to the city.

;-)

 

[L Weir]

My dad was given our farm. He fatten steers. He got my sister and I into 4-H steers we liked showing we didn't want to stop so we bought heifers. Now my husband and I along with my parents and sister and brother in law live here with 15 beef cows and no steers to fatten. My husband and dad do the field work. I do most of the cattle stuff.

 

[got_cows?]

The in-laws have always farmed. My husband had had enough of farming by the time we were married. I had never come within a mile of a cow and had no interest.
Then the boys joined 4-H and wanted to show cattle at the fair. First we just bought a couple of steers a year. But that didn't last long because we wanted to determine the genetics and show our own stock. We've built a nice herd and we did it on our own. There have been times when I've been ready to pull my hair out but there have also been times that I felt I really made a difference.
Farming is a business but it is also a way of life. I wouldn't trade it for the city for anything.

 

[randiliana]

I have family in the business - but we got ours the hard way - we bought it - no help from anyone.

Made every mistake known to man and then a few more.

We are getting by.

Bez?

Me too! ;-) :cboy:

Same for us...

 

[Rookie]

I guess I be just lackin common sense :lol: