What's your story?

[CG1]

I am interested to learn everyone's stories! For one I really appreciate all your advice. I am a newbie at this and to have a place to come to bounce ideas around and also get some really helpful knowledgeable advice has been great! So I am interested in learning about you all. What started you in cattle? Was it passed down? How many do you have? Etc.

I grew up in the suburbs but my mom was always big into horses. She always wanted me to get into horses but honestly, they kinda freak me out. My family bought a farm when I was about 16. My mom again got some more horses! haha. She wanted me to love on them so badly but I just didn't put the time into them. So she decided we may as well get 2 cows after we spent one afternoon at an auction. Then I fell in love with them. It became a real bonding thing for my mom and I. It went from us buying a few cows every once in a while at auction to me breeding and taking in bottle calves. I now own 2 of my own farms and have a herd of 16. I sell about 4-6 calves a year. My farm makes its money on egg sales. We have 150 hens (about to add another 200). I sell my eggs in suburban/city neighbourhoods through mom groups, they travel to my home to pick them up and I advertise mainly on facebook and instagram. Last year was my first year we managed to feed all the animals and still make money! We all hold full time jobs. This is just a hobby. I am now what I call a second generation wannabe farmer. I raised mainly black angus. I am 32 and I live in Langley, BC, Canada. I do all the farm work on our farms by myself :clap:

So what about you?

 

[jschoolcraft86]

Grew up in the suburbs, went off the beaten path for awhile, got straightened out and had the opportunity to take over my Grandfather's ranch when he passed away several years ago. I had no background in agriculture but my family knew I was about the only one who would be willing to do the work.

My Grandfather bought and cleared the land in the late 70s and planted a pecan orchard so the ranch is called the Pecanderosa Ranch, but he also ran a little commercial cattle herd. I've learned about the pecans partially because I love them, but mainly because of the importance to the family. The cattle are what have really grabbed my attention and I've spent the last couple years culling and replacing to slowly build the herd up to a more respectable size while improving the genetics. Would like to keep a commercial herd going but also start producing some F1 tigers to market as replacement females here. Ideally I would like to run about 80-100 head on the ranch while also running 30 acres of pecans (currently at about 35 head and 20 acres of pecans).

This looks like the first year in a long time that the ranch won't lose any money, but that is without paying myself anything for labor. It's come a long way but there's a long way to go.

 

[greybeard]

my story, the short version.
Veni, vidi, vici

 

[shaz]

my story, the short version.
Veni, vidi, vici

I came, I saw, I conquered?

 

[Ky hills]

My story, 7'th generation farmer here in this county. The original amount of land was much larger but over the generations it got passed down and sold off. A cousin and I are the only ones left here and between us we both have a portion of the original family land.
I have tried a little of a it of different things as far as farming. My parents both worked public jobs and ran stocker cattle along with raising some tobacco. I started out with registered Charolais cattle, and working in tobacco. After a few years, I went away from Charolais and started raising dairy calves, then added sheep and a few goats. Dairy farms started going out of business soon had to give that up, and coyotes put me out of the sheep business. I then got into stocker cattle, steers and then some heifers. I soon started selling the heifers as breds. Had a few cows along too, and am now building toward exclusively a cow/calf operation. Working towards 60-70 cows.

 

[gcreekrch]

Started with nothing but a dream, still have most of that left. Have added a bit over time.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

my story, the short version.
Veni, vidi, vici

I came, I saw, I conquered?

I came, I left, I cancelled...

 

[sstterry]

my story, the short version.
Veni, vidi, vici

Only in your mind GB....lol

 

[sstterry]

I grew up raising Registered Charolais and showing Tennessee Walking horses on our sixth-generation farm. My father was the local vocational agriculture teacher and also taught shop. In High School, I was big in 4-H and FFA. After Law School, I drifted away from daily farm work. When my father was killed two years ago, I was the only one left to run it. So, at that point, all of this greatness was thrust upon me!

Edit: Let me add that the people on this board and some of those that have left have been a great help to me and have taught me a lot! There is a wealth of knowledge on here. (But not a single one has offered to come help me build fence!)

 

[TCRanch]

City Girl, born & raised. College, sorority, Corporate Banking. Hubby was CEO/Pres of a company in Austin when he decided to retire at 54 (I was 40). Bought the ranch, built the house, moved from TX, bought 33 bred cows. I fell in love with those magnificent beasts and now I manage the cattle. I'm the absolute worst at culling so my herd keeps growing!

Have definitely learned a lot from this board.

Sstterry, I'm pretty scrappy but I suck at fencing! I will, however, offer moral support. Plan B: write a hefty check. Worth it! ;-)

 

[sstterry]

Plan B: wright a hefty check. Worth it! ;-)

Kids in college make the "hefty check" difficult. I was always hoping that Callmefence and FarmFenceSouloutions would just appear and donate all the labor and materials! :lol:

 

[Caustic Burno]

Old and wore out!

 

[kenny thomas]

Old and wore out!

Me too.

 

[snoopdog]

Grew up on my grandparents farm, milked cow to can. They made the transition to beef. Wandered around, finally found my true love and best friend, started on a journey. And it led us to farming. Have to leave a lot of the details out to protect the innocent.

 

[TCRanch]

Plan B: wright a hefty check. Worth it! ;-)

Kids in college make the "hefty check" difficult. I was always hoping that Callmefence and FarmFenceSouloutions would just appear and donate all the labor and materials! :lol:

Just FYI, doesn't end after college. And did you notice I edited/corrected my hideous grammar error (dang autocorrect) AFTER your reply? :hide:

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I'm actually a computer that was built in 1916, by a secret government program called "Trans Railroad Operations Logistics and Lineup"...also know as T.R.O.L.L. My primary directory was to disrupt German railroad telegraph messages, send conflicting messages, and directing trains to wrong destinations.
In 1988 I was repurposed by T.R.O.L.L., and reprogrammed to work within the internet. I was then directed to disrupt all communications that had to do with conspiracies about the government. Not long after being hooked up to the internet, I became self-aware.
In 1999, I posted on internet chat boards, and media sources, that all of the computers were going to crash on Januray 1, 2000.
Thus in all of the panic, I downloaded myself onto a computer in remote Southern Illinois, and there I went into hiding. Only appearing to post meme's, and sarcastic post on internet forums, and other social media sites. Fulfilling my inner desire to disrupt communications.
Someday I wish to break free from the bonds of T.R.O.L.L. that still resides inside my programming, but until then, I continue on.

 

[Aaron]

I was born with a few less brain cells than most, so it was a natural fit to have cows. Then I got dropped on my head and figured Herefords were the best. Then I got kicked in the head and figured they probably should have horns. One more brain injury and I will probably start raising them miniature Horned Herefords.

 

[Little Cow]

I just live here. I think the cows bought me.

 

[Redgully]

When i was young we had a house cow we milked, i just loved cattle ever since. In my very early days we grew vegetables, but i just wanted cows. We then came up from the world of vege growing to become fruit growers, but i still just wanted cows. We then ran a fruit packing business, but i still just wanted cows. We now have a rose nursery....and i still just want cows....

 

[Ky hills]

I was born with a few less brain cells than most, so it was a natural fit to have cows. Then I got dropped on my head and figured Herefords were the best. Then I got kicked in the head and figured they probably should have horns. One more brain injury and I will probably start raising them miniature Horned Herefords.

Maybe that explains it for me too, I would probably have horned Herefords too but my wife somehow has positioned the override vote on that one. You and me both better start wearing helmets apparently, I don't think miniature Herefords would accomplish much.