What to do?

[cowperson]

Decision needs to be made when to sale out. Situation limited fencing, everyone involved over 72 and have health issues. Person that drove tractor and hauled cattle to market not able to operate either safely. Now what fencing is done by woman over 70.
Should sale out cattle and pay to bush hog fields. Renting farm out is not an option. Any opinions?

 

[coachg]

I'd vote time to sell cattle. Most stockyards will provide trailering to haul cattle to their sale . Then play it by ear . Why is renting out not an option ?

 

[cowperson]

No fencing. Really rough ground from winter feeding. Only get 25/acre/yr what I was told. Not worth the trouble of having people running around on farm and probably wouldn't take care of their cattle.

 

[chaded]

I guess you have answered your own question. As far as when to sell? Now is as good a time as any.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Sorry to hear of you selling out, but looks as if it should be done. Consider a couple things at this point. Possibility of a conservation easement or potentially enrolling the land into CRP with the USDA (FSA/NRCS). Those would be alternatives to just mowing the property all the time.

 

[cowperson]

Thanks everyone and thanks Mark for the conservation easement or CRP. If only I was young again.

 

[Travlr]

Decision needs to be made when to sale out. Situation limited fencing, everyone involved over 72 and have health issues. Person that drove tractor and hauled cattle to market not able to operate either safely. Now what fencing is done by woman over 70.
Should sale out cattle and pay to bush hog fields. Renting farm out is not an option. Any opinions?

Makes a guy wish he was 25 again... I'd love to be that age in these times with all the ag people aging out and farms becoming more available.

O'course I'd still be competing with developers...

 

[dave_shelby]

Might be too late for this, but also consider if there are some young folks interested in working with you all. I know of a few that would love to get started and have the work ethic and skills but are boxed out by cost of land. Local folk seem to only want to rent to established larger operators, most of whom are aging out themselves.

Otherwise if rent for hay. I agree with you, I've seen cattlemen beat the snot out of rented land.

 

[Little Joe]

No fencing. Really rough ground from winter feeding. Only get 25/acre/yr what I was told. Not worth the trouble of having people running around on farm and probably wouldn't take care of their cattle.

Draw up a good contract stipulating how you want things done and find someone willing to do that. As someone mentioned, there are lots of young people who want to farm but the opportunity is not there because when people get out they either lease to someone that's big or won't lease at all. This is why we are seeing such a shortage in farmers.

 

[farmerjan]

I would never put anything into a permanent conservation easement... some of the CRP programs and such that have 10-20 year type restrictions are okay, gives you options down the road...... but never ever into something so permanent that heirs down the road cannot utilize the land in other ways. Some of them here that had some farms put into things like that are so hampered with what they can and cannot do now, that the land is going to become an albatross around their neck for the future generations... I know one family that is going through pure he// trying to follow the restrictions and still farm the land and do things to make it more profitable so they can stay on the land.....

 

[greybeard]

I would never put anything into a permanent conservation easement... some of the CRP programs and such that have 10-20 year type restrictions are okay, gives you options down the road...... but never ever into something so permanent that heirs down the road cannot utilize the land in other ways. Some of them here that had some farms put into things like that are so hampered with what they can and cannot do now, that the land is going to become an albatross around their neck for the future generations... I know one family that is going through pure he// trying to follow the restrictions and still farm the land and do things to make it more profitable so they can stay on the land.....

One has to be very very careful regarding any govt program, especially if it's a program a govt employee recommends.

 

[moses388]

Now what fencing is done by woman over 70.

So what. Better than wasting away in a nursing home.

 

[gman4691]

Would simply maintaining and producing hay be feasible? At least it still provide some income.

 

[CowboyRam]

Dad first bought the farm when he was 69, almost 70, but then I decided to move here as well to help out. I guess one might say I was dumb enough to take over. Dad is still doing some, albeit he does it a bit slower, and I do most of the hard heavy work. He was out corrugating the other day until he backed into the concrete ditch and broke the corrugator. He broke the hitch where it attaches to the third point. I have called All States Ag Parts but have not heard back from them. They probably won't have one; the John Deere dealer found one for me, and it probably won't be here until next week. I hate this chasing parts when you have farming that needs done.

 

[Warren Allison]

Decision needs to be made when to sale out. Situation limited fencing, everyone involved over 72 and have health issues. Person that drove tractor and hauled cattle to market not able to operate either safely. Now what fencing is done by woman over 70.
Should sale out cattle and pay to bush hog fields. Renting farm out is not an option. Any opinions?

How many total acres? How much of the fence is bad?

 

[StrojanHerefords]

No fencing. Really rough ground from winter feeding. Only get 25/acre/yr what I was told. Not worth the trouble of having people running around on farm and probably wouldn't take care of their cattle.

The sad thing is that I wouldn't be inclined to lease a place like that. What inevitably happens is you fix a place up, get things straightened out and then one of the owner's sixty years old spoilt brats gets jealous and get's you booted off and your name run through the dirt. I am done with short term leases.
I think the best course would be to find some one who would lease the place for a ten year term in exchange for having new fences and taking care of the damage cause by the winter grazing.

 

[gman4691]

Dad first bought the farm when he was 69, almost 70, but then I decided to move here as well to help out. I guess one might say I was dumb enough to take over. Dad is still doing some, albeit he does it a bit slower, and I do most of the hard heavy work. He was out corrugating the other day until he backed into the concrete ditch and broke the corrugator. He broke the hitch where it attaches to the third point. I have called All States Ag Parts but have not heard back from them. They probably won't have one; the John Deere dealer found one for me, and it probably won't be here until next week. I hate this chasing parts when you have farming that needs done.

Been there, done that…and probably will again…lol