A new life

[cowman]

Probably about six months ago I wrote about a friend who basically was broke due in large part to BSE. His wife left him and he was a wreck.
Since that time he sold all his cattle and just walked off the farm! He told his wife to deal with it! They are now doing the divorce thing and she has the whole shooting match up for sale. He expects to walk away from thirty years work with nothing!....And he couldn't care less!
When all this was happening he was very despondent and had no clue what he was going to do. He thought he didn't know anything but farming and cows. I talked to a few people I knew and the upshot was he got a job in a oil service company. He has done very well and the manager really appreciates all his various skills and his work ethic!
I just talked to him yesterday and he tells me that what he thought was a complete disaster has turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to him! He has money in his pocket and time to spend it! Has joined a divorce group and has an active social life! He says he never had a clue how good life could be!
So if you are in a situation where you can't see a way out, remember this, when one window closes, another opens and it might be just one hell of a lot better!

[charliep]

Sounds like a happy ending but I am sure there is a lot of fall out in these situations. Kids; farm that has been in a family for generations etc. Having money in ones pockets isn't much consolation if you have losts something you really care about eg: a wife !!!!!!!

[ALLFARMER]

2% of farmers a yr quit. Thats 10% in 5 years, this guy is not alone. Farming is a tough business and is increasingly not for everyone.

[cowman]

Well emerald I think he did lose something he cared about...his farm?
As for the wife...I think his attitude is good riddance!
If we keep losing farmers at 2%/year it won't be long until we have no farmers. Which I believe is basically true as you don't see many young guys around anymore?
The real scary thing is all these old fools over 60 still buying up land. Do they think they are going to farm forever? Or maybe stuff all that dirt into the coffin with them? Sometimes I think people need to do a reality check every so often?

[cowman]

The 'old fools' over 60 are not to far over the average age of a farmer in this country !!!

[cakadu]

Depends on what they are buying the land for, cowman. If it is on speculation, then it might be worth a whole pile more one day, especially if it is near enough to be eaten up by urbran sprawl.

The other consideration is that the only thing we cannot make any more of is land - that is a finite resource.

[cowman]

That is very true Linda. And hey, in a lot of cases they are the only ones who have the money to do it!
I guess what I was trying to say is when do people have "enough"? Enough land, enough money, enough cattle? Where does it end?
Why are some people driven to keep aquiring more and more? Is it because they are locked into a certain way of thinking and can't change?
I guess I just don't get it, but I always believed you have your kick at the can and then it is time to give the next generation a chance? Is that a wrong way to think?

[cowman]

Good points cowman. I have wondered myself why my neighbour who has just turned 70 is still calving 200 cows and owns over 3600 acres of land plus a huge grazing lease !!!!
I have found that the more you have the more stress you have worrying about how to manage it and hang on to everything in tough times !

[cakadu]

I would hazard a guess that a lot of it has to do with personality. Emerld, if that's all your 70 year old neighbor knows, then that's what he's going to continue to do. There must be some sort of payoff for him - it might be one that we never understand, but it makes sense to him.

Is it really any different than the fathers (and increasingly mothers) who spend 60, 80 or 100 hours per week working and never see their families and their children growing up? In many cases the workaholic doesn't need the money, but he/she still continues to work because that it is something that they get a payoff for.

Some people thrive on stress, whether it is good for them (or the people around them) or not.

Look at some of the contributors to this site who finally realized that they aren't going to work so hard anymore and miss out on what is really important - being a part of their kids' lives and their families.

I suppose it all comes down to what is important to you.

[cakadu]

How true, and how many dads have wished they could turn back the clock and take their kids fishing !!! Some of the older farmers that are staying in the cattle business and working far too hard, feel they have no choice at this point,particularly when their cattle herd was supposed to be their retirement.

[cowman]

Emerald: I actually never had a lot of use for my kids until they became adults! Horrible thing to say but definitely true! And somehow they think I am the cats meow!
Now I will admit I get a lot of delight out of my grandchildren...as long as I don't get stuck with them for more than a few hours!
Now I know that makes me look like an ogre or something but that is the truth. I just liked to work and make money and I still do! I like to work hard and play hard, unfortunately I'm not to good at playing hard anymore, but still not too bad at working hard(at least in my estimation!)!

[cswilson]

The way I look at it your kids will pick the home you end up in-hopefully a guy lasts that long so I spend all the time I can-maybe they'll even prop me up on the sunny side of the shed once in awhile. Guess I'm not afraid to be lazy seriuosly you only get one shot at your kids being young once you might as well make all you can of it.