For those that have quit farming. what was deciding cause?

[turnkey4099]

In WI, we lost about 700 dairy farms last year and the nation lost about 3000. A small farm has a hard time making money.

Well...that many small farmers quit or went under but the same acreage is still being farmed. The writing was on the wall already shortly after WWII - get big or go under. Dad was determined he could make a living on 160 acres and he stuck it out unto 1954. Kept food on the table but that was about it.

 

[ovrszd]

I壇 say keep doing whatever you are financially and physically willing and able to do. My father lived to be 94, and he never moved into assisted living. He let a neighbor use his farm and fields for free in return for keeping the place up. He lived independently until the last eight months of his live, and he passed away in the recliner chair in his own living room.

It痴 your life - your choice.

I'm with Terry. Very good advice and my plan to the letter in luding 94. That's my end goal.

 

[atsah]

For the past year several family and friends have suggested my quiting and retire .
Retired from power company 25 years ago and returned to where I grew up . Rebuild the fences, bush hogged the acres. and leased to neighbor to raise cattle.
then tornado 2008 took away the barn/tractor shed including 30 acres old oak timber. took a few years to clear the stumps and move the large rocks to gullies .to improve the grazing area.
Several years drove neighbors cattle truck hauling cattle and rebuilding tractor's .

Consider my health still good for the age of soon 84 and not ready to sit on porch twiddleing my thumbs.

So my asking what caused your quiting let some one else do the "needs to be done."
ken

Ken, if you are able to do something, keep doing it. Assisted living and nursing homes are good places to stay away from if you're fortunate enough to do so. Anyone that can stay in their own place until death is lucky. I visit relatives in assisted living and nursing homes every week and I sure hope I'm gone before I have a room in any of those places. The day I die is when I will stop trying to do what I can do..

I have seen healthy people stop doing things they can still do because their children or close family talk them into not doing things because of fear of what might happen. Anything can happen to anyone at anytime, I don't worry about what could happen, if I did, nothing would get done..

Staying healthy, active and keeping a positive attitude is what I try to do..

 

[Big Barn]

Staying healthy, active and keeping a positive attitude is what I try to do..

The ONLY attitude we should all have!

 

[bcp]

Bruce

 

[Ken]

Health mostly is good and active in our church, Several years worked with church-building group similar to Nail Benders , then Hauled dairy cattle from farms shutting down . Usually with bankers sitting in a group checking off each sale.
Became to depressing to watch knowing it wasn't the dairymans sale but family incouraged.
Have cleaned uo the place removimg the old equipment at junk price. gave away most of the tools in shop .

Electronic test equipment scrapyard doesn't want. Placed a 14' trailer filled with items marked free and only one stopped to look then drove off before could get shoes on to talk with them .
The small B&S, Clinton, Kohlar and Kubota engines and spare parts hauled to scrap yard.

Wonder what another 10/20 years will be like with the younger group not willing to learn mechanical or electrica repair skills.

kenl



.

 

[BRMyers]

Health mostly is good and active in our church, Several years worked with church-building group similar to Nail Benders , then Hauled dairy cattle from farms shutting down . Usually with bankers sitting in a group checking off each sale.
Became to depressing to watch knowing it wasn't the dairymans sale but family incouraged.
Have cleaned uo the place removimg the old equipment at junk price. gave away most of the tools in shop .

Electronic test equipment scrapyard doesn't want. Placed a 14' trailer filled with items marked free and only one stopped to look then drove off before could get shoes on to talk with them .
The small B&S, Clinton, Kohlar and Kubota engines and spare parts hauled to scrap yard.

Wonder what another 10/20 years will be like with the younger group not willing to learn mechanical or electrica repair skills.

kenl



.

IN 20 years, a person that has mechanical skills will be making more than a doctor. Skilled labor shortage is hitting hard now, in another 10-20 years I can't imagine. The local fitter hall has entry level positions for people to come in and see if pipefitting (kids out of high school, college kids on summer break, etc.) is right for them, paying $19 an hour and they can only get a handful of takers. If you like pipefitting and then want to make it career, they move you into the apprenticeship program.

The electrical hall has a call out for 30 electricians, so far they have gotten 3 white cards (people with zero electrical experience).

The skilled labor shortage is getting worst.

 

[BrokenTrack]

For us, it is a little different than most. We are getting out of farming pretty much just to get out of debt.

I have (3) houses, and after taking a Dave Ramsey course this winter, we just decided to go 100% debt-free. We have a really nice house, barn, sheep, etc that I own outright, so after a lot of thought, realized for a loss of just a little bit of land and a house, we could use that money and pay off the rest of the farm which we do have a small loan on.

That still leaves us with a sizable farm, but we are not sure where to go from here. We might get into small grains, but are unsure. Any conversion to something else requires money, and with the sale of (2) homes, we will be debt-free, so I really do not want to start over in debt again.

In many ways, being-debt free is liberating, but the self-imposed rule also limits us on big ticket spending too.

I planned well, and am retired, so I have to do something I admit, but am not sure what at this point.

But I love my wife, and to give her a debt-free life is a gift to her that is really important to me. She is still in her 30's so it would be a lot of financially speaking; stress free years. Yeah it was humbling to move into a Tiny House, but now that we are here, we realize the closeness of the family is what is really special for us. And we trust the bible, and take heart in knowing God honors those who have a humble heart. May his mercy and grace help us as we navigate the next chapter of our 9th generational farm (est 1746).

Edited to say: Just for clarity, we are a full-time farm. Both of us farm this place full-time with no-off farm employment. Being 45, I cannot start collecting on my pension/retirement savings until I am 55 years old.

 

[shooterdon]

One question, what can you raise on 100k/acre land that would ever pay for it?

Pot...or poppies?

 

[Big Barn]

Pot...or poppies?

Pot is legal in BC. Because it is all grown indoors, the buildings are usually situated on industrial land with better infrastructure.