Retirement Auction Season ?

[Stocker Steve]

We had two December retirement auctions last week. Very unusual in the north. Just not enough time this fall to fit them all in.

Word is that there is another round of small dairies going out next spring. Often they sell the cattle and the forage equipment, and then grain farm till the cattle check is gone.

Had a local finance guy tell me that people are buying beef cows because that is where the profit is. :nod: Are you seeing this in your area?

 

[Bigfoot]

Nobody ever retires here, they just pass it down. Evidently, nobody goes broke either.

 

[bball]

We had two December retirement auctions last week. Very unusual in the north. Just not enough time this fall to fit them all in.

Word is that there is another round of small dairies going out next spring. Often they sell the cattle and the forage equipment, and then grain farm till the cattle check is gone.

Had a local finance guy tell me that people are buying beef cows because that is where the profit is. :nod: Are you seeing this in your area?

Not seeing the beef cattle thing yet here, but there are quite a few guys going to fold up after 3 years of low crop prices and high land rents and equipment notes...at least thats what the talking heads at the coffee shop are saying.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Not seeing the beef cattle thing yet here, but there are quite a few guys going to fold up after 3 years of low crop prices and high land rents and equipment notes...at least thats what the talking heads at the coffee shop are saying.

Fold up like selling everything,

or cutting back by letting the overpriced rented land go and not spending the winter on the beach?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Nobody ever retires here, they just pass it down. Evidently, nobody goes broke either.

Then how do all the auctioneers, the appraisers, the realtors, and the bankers make a living?

 

[bball]

Not seeing the beef cattle thing yet here, but there are quite a few guys going to fold up after 3 years of low crop prices and high land rents and equipment notes...at least thats what the talking heads at the coffee shop are saying.

Fold up like selling everything,

or cutting back by letting the overpriced rented land go and not spending the winter on the beach?

Selling it all..we will.see what this winter and early spring bring.

 

[Bullitt]

We had two December retirement auctions last week. Very unusual in the north. Just not enough time this fall to fit them all in.

Word is that there is another round of small dairies going out next spring. Often they sell the cattle and the forage equipment, and then grain farm till the cattle check is gone.

Had a local finance guy tell me that people are buying beef cows because that is where the profit is. :nod: Are you seeing this in your area?

It takes a lot of work to run a dairy farm. And I can only imagine what it is like milking cows and working through the Minnesota winter.

I had a grandfather who grew up in North Dakota. He said they tied a rope from the house to the barn so they would not get lost and die in a blizzard. I do not want to live in a place like that.

It would be much easier to raise cattle in a mild climate. Maybe that is why they say, "Happy cows come from California".

 

[ddd75]

a huge grain farmer just sold out all his equipment here and said he was going to cattle. not sure if it was beef or dairy.

 

[Stocker Steve]

a huge grain farmer just sold out all his equipment here and said he was going to cattle. not sure if it was beef or dairy.

I am sure.

 

[Dave]

Here it seems like most dairy farmers who quit go to raising dairy replacement heifers. The grain farmers are all wheat. The ones wanting out went into CRP. I don't see any of those still farming quitting. The farmers in the irrigation areas just switch from to another, grain to potatoes, alfalfa, mint, all a bunch of other options. Very few farms for sale in those areas.

 

[OwnedByTheCow]

Yes, happening where I am here. We lost 20% of the dairies in my state from drought. Including the family farm. We sold all the milkers which included the last of what was my 4-H show herd (sad to see them go). Keeping the heifers and planning to purchase some beef heifers and a coop full of chickens and opening a farm store. Seems as though all the rich people have moved to the area so they have a couple more bucks to spend on locally sourced food.