Wondering

[Wewild]

I remember my parents telling me that if they had not been on the farm with the milk cow, chickens, hogs and large garden, they would have starved. Well I'm just an old man now with a lot of lifes memories. And I am "Wondering what the younger generation is going to do" Just my two cents worth.

i am a 63 model but i listened to my elders. My grandparent lived on the farm. See my earlier post about my grandmother's thoughts about the great depression.

You made a great post. The younger the generation the more they seem to move more toward things that give them instant gratification.

 

[skyline]

I remember my parents telling me that if they had not been on the farm with the milk cow, chickens, hogs and large garden, they would have starved. Well I'm just an old man now with a lot of lifes memories. And I am "Wondering what the younger generation is going to do" Just my two cents worth.

i am a 63 model but i listened to my elders. My grandparent lived on the farm. See my earlier post about my grandmother's thoughts about the great depression.

You made a great post. The younger the generation the more they seem to move more toward things that give them instant gratification.

That is an interesting thought. What would we do if the economy hit the skids like in the 1930's? There's some young folks on here that could live off the land, but they sure don't represent the majority of young folks in the country. I don't know too many people younger than 40 that could put in a garden or butcher a chicken. Makes you wonder. I guess if they got hungry enough they would figure it out. Pray that the economy never hits bottom like that again.

 

[Wewild]

I guess if they got hungry enough they would figure it out. Pray that the economy never hits bottom like that again.

It will get to the sort of disorder that tears the country apart at some point. It may not be in my time or my kid's time. History shows that nothing stands till the end of time.... unless the end of time is around the corner.

 

[Jogeephus]

My head was so befuddled by perfume and gasoline fumes I could hardly see what was going on. Didn't have the responsibility on my shoulders as I do now. I wish I had paid more attention and had my priorities more in line with what really counted in the long run. The foolishness of youth.

 

[Tod Dague]

I relly didn't know where to put this question .

I was wondering today how many of the board member's have actually survived a bad recession messin with cattle like in the 70's.
The bottom completely fell out of the cattle market.

Not me. Born in '72. :tiphat:

 

[Calman]

Don't know much about the cattle buisness in the 70's but I can sure tell you some not so good stories about the trucking industry. Owned 5 trucks then.

Cal

 

[Wewild]

My head was so befuddled by perfume and gasoline fumes I could hardly see what was going on. Didn't have the responsibility on my shoulders as I do now. I wish I had paid more attention and had my priorities more in line with what really counted in the long run. The foolishness of youth.

Good post.

 

[llcupit]

Been there done that and survived. Didn't feed then and don't feed now. I feed hay, good quailty and fed the same back then. Have always kept mineral out year round. Talking about raising a garden or butchering a chicken, how many could smoke meat or can the produce out of the garden.
Better yet process and can that chicken or beef that was butchered. I could go on but have rambled enough.

 

[shorty]

Back in the seventies we were feeding steers, we didn't have any cows , when feeders were cheap we made money , but when feeders were high and corn was $3.50 or more we didn't.

 

[Caustic Burno]

The late 70s were hard times for me. I owned and operated my own construction related business, earned enough for me to buy a nice farm in the west. As luck would have it, Interest went to over 20% and money was so tight you couldn't afford to buy a box of nails. As a result of high interest, and very large amounts of money owed to me, and people filing bankruptcy on me, I had to sell the ranch and all livestock. When times got better, I was careful not to expand as before. As a result I operated small and never ever recovered. I survived, I never had a large debt load. I remember my parents talking about the Great Depression. Dad was born Jan 15, 1896 in Crocker Missouri. When he returned to Missouri after WW1 times were hard. He was the second born of 17. He moved to Tulsa, Ok. To work in the oil fields. I remember my parents telling me that if they had not been on the farm with the milk cow, chickens, hogs and large garden, they would have starved. Well I'm just an old man now with a lot of lifes memories. And I am "Wondering what the younger generation is going to do" Just my two cents worth.

My Dad was born in 1914, those men were cut from a lot tougher cloth back then. When Mom went to the store it was for flour and sugar, everything else came out of the garden or woods.
There was absolutely no waste of anything from hog killings to nails. I have straighted a many a nail.
We used to get excited when building fence if we had some new staples.
My grandson was over a while back and was total amazed in an old building I had tore down. I was pulling every nail and storing the lumber. He just couldn't get over I was straighting nails to keep, he said Pa you have the money to buy new ones why are you messing with the old ones. I responded for hard times son he never understood.

 

[CPL]

My grandparents were there. They didn't survive with the cattle, but atleast they came out still owning the land. ;-)

 

[kerley]

I never dreamed in my life time I would sit in front of a computer and discuss anything with anyone. This web has become a growing habit that I truly enjoy. Our children do not listen to us anymore. If I talk to my youngest [33] son he tells me to calm down. He just does not understand how hard life can be. Perhaps it is because he has never done without anything he needed or wanted in his life. As senior citizens we know to always have a way to go when times get tight. I don't think our children understand hard times. I look at the platforms of our leaders and it is scarey at best. Everything is based on taxes. Who is going to pay them when we have no good paying jobs for the average working man and woman that live from pay check to paycheck.Please forgive my mumbling. Just my two cents, Tom

 

[skyline]

My Dad was born in 1914, those men were cut from a lot tougher cloth back then.

My Dad was born in 1919. I've lost him and most of the rest of the extended family from that generation. Some of them were hard to live with from time to time, but I sure miss them.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

I'm too young to remember retty: but I know in '76 my Grandmother was killed in an accident and Grampa was very disillusioned by having to pay so much money to the Govt. after having spent a lifetime building the ranch. In 1980 all but a couple of head were sold off due to drought, again, I don't remember much but the place survived, more or less.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

Kids now steal and kill their own families for drug habits or to get their inheritance early.

Oh please! read a little history. Kids have been doing bad stuff since they were invented.

 

[rkm]

I'm one of the few on this board who never had a factory or office job. I have done nothing but farm ever since I graduated from H.S. in 1959. Purchased my dad and moms farm in 1963 and have never been debt free since. But when I started if you had a dream and was willing to work anything was possible. Seen hard times and good times. But I don't see how a young man with a strong back and a dream has a chance today.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I never dreamed in my life time I would sit in front of a computer and discuss anything with anyone. This web has become a growing habit that I truly enjoy. Our children do not listen to us anymore. If I talk to my youngest [33] son he tells me to calm down. He just does not understand how hard life can be. Perhaps it is because he has never done without anything he needed or wanted in his life. As senior citizens we know to always have a way to go when times get tight. I don't think our children understand hard times. I look at the platforms of our leaders and it is scarey at best. Everything is based on taxes. Who is going to pay them when we have no good paying jobs for the average working man and woman that live from pay check to paycheck.Please forgive my mumbling. Just my two cents, Tom

I have got one 35 that thinks everything is going to be easy. I told him he has never paced the floor wondering how you where going to keep food on the table. Wife and I were talking the other day when all we had to eat were Banny eggs Cheese and crackers. After about a week I said I was going to eat chicken I had enough. She said you can't we will starve to death.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

. I can honestly say I look back over the years and not one person I went to school with or who has followed us has been guilty of any of that stuff.

What does this mean - you don't know anybody now that has stolen for drugs or killed their parents for inheritance?

Just because you didn't know anybody then, doesn't mean it didn't happen - give me a year and I will find a story. It just seems worse now because it is in your face through the media. It happened then, too. People been doing awful things to each other forever.

 

[Caustic Burno]

. I can honestly say I look back over the years and not one person I went to school with or who has followed us has been guilty of any of that stuff.

What does this mean - you don't know anybody now that has stolen for drugs or killed their parents for inheritance?

Just because you didn't know anybody then, doesn't mean it didn't happen - give me a year and I will find a story. It just seems worse now because it is in your face through the media. It happened then, too. People been doing awful things to each other forever.

Cain slew Able and was banished to the land of Nod.
Whatsup is right though it is a lot worse today than even 25 years ago.
I remember a time you didn't lock your doors or pull the keys out of your car.
You did not fear someone was going to knock you in the head for 20 bucks to buy crack.
When I went to school if you had a vehicle it had a gun in because you were going hunting.
If you had a beef with someone you duked it out, it never crossed your mind to take a gun to school and shoot someone.
Kids are much more violent today.

 

[somn]

The way I understand it from listening to people who lived thru it and are still living one of the biggest differences in our local area is the amount of land under finance. In the 70's they said 80% of the land was under 75% finance. Land was as high or higher values than today in our area but today it is mostly in the hands of owners that have never heard the word debt. And most of it got that way when those people in the 70's filed on the land and land dropped to $700 an acre and the people that actually had money bought it up. Now any land that comes up for sale is either bought by those who bought the land at $700 and have made thousands off of it. So even now these high land prices again are being bought without finance. Americans may be in debt but in this area it seems to be better than before.