CWB and Young Farmers

[Lifer]

What do you know about the three farmers at the C to C that were board supporters.

[booboo04]

To seed, spray, and harvest 6,500 acres it takes $1,000,000 in inputs and payments with approx. $2,500,000 capital investment. We all know that a 26 year old can't get that kind of money on his own.... No bank will lend $3,500,000 on a promise to pay it back. So parents do this for their kids, and are happy that the kids make it on their own some day. I know all this because I am a 1st generation farmer and financially I did everything on my own. But even I got help.... without my free education in farming from my ex-wifes father, I would not have been able to start farming in 1997 at the age of 37.

I am so lucky that lentils came along, I have seeded almost half my farm each of the past 4 years to lentils. I did this by expanding from 1,300 acres 4 years ago, to 6,500 next year. Without the good years I would be 1,300 acres. Freewheat... Keep going you will do it. To every other young farmer do it however you can, just remember your parents. I do, when I was 14 my father taught me how to make money with cars, that knowledge has remained with me to this date.

Another asset is education, without my Bachelors of Applied Science in Engineering I would not have had the money to start farming.

To anyone who mentioned BTO.... Just skip his/her posts, that person just wants to piss you off. To all the good guys... Thanks for your posts.

Finally, as a first generation farmer, I too feel I can do better than the CWB. And to all those who think Viterra or Richarsons are the bad guys.... If we only knew Who really does the selling for the CWB anyway. If we only knew????

[lakenheath]

Booboo - Read carefully....

Farmer D - 26 year old farmer cropping 7,500 acres on family farm. Progressive farmer. Very involved in management aspects of the farm.

Did I say he built the farm? Did I say he got a $2.5 million dollar loan from the bank?

No, he farms the family farm with his dad.

My simple point was that there are young farmers out there that are actively farming for a living that do not support the CWB.

That was my point.

Man you guys that think you are such self-made hard workers sure have to blow your horn loud and tell everyone how you did it. You worked so hard and all these other guys are just the silver spooners.

What's with the big chip on your shoulder? I hope to pass a debt free, successful, well managed farm on to my son one day. He'll have to go and get and education like I did, but the farm will be ready and waiting for him when he is done. What is so wrong this that?

If you have a farm that is 6,000 acres and your inputs and payment at $1,000,000, I really think you should evaluate your situation or go back to making money on cars!

[booboo04]

Good points Laken, I did not mean to piss you off.

Not sure why you say go sell cars.... $1,000,000 over 6,500 acres is only $150 per acre... I expect a lot more in return.

I do tend to blow my own horn, but I just want people to know that farming can be done without money from your parents.

Thanks, and you have a good post... I just got off topic a little.

[freewheat]

Hey lakenheath, I am very calm. I have no little man syndrome. I guess I forgot to mention, I am not jealous in any way, and I really don't want 6000 acres. I'm just pointing something out. I also wish you could hear my voice read my post back to you. What is typed down is not necessarily in the tone you may reckon it to be in. I meant absolutely no offense, I know you can't all be farming 5-10 grand acres or you'd have no neighbors to speak of.

I am also sure that my area is an anomoly in the prairies, in that I can stand on the end of my drivewayand count 13 farmlights within 2 mile radius. For some reason here a lot of young guys are farming. As well, I don't care if you have all the equipment in the world, you can only farm so much here feasibly. I'd say 4 thousand would be the max without major time constraints due to wet springs, wet harvests etc. Most guys here farm 2 to 3 with many 1's with a few in the hundreds. I would say thinking about MY neighbors, does not necessarily hold true to you or yours.

But one young punk who has been set up nicely by his daddy, once teased me. He was in shock that my swather had no steering wheel, hydrostatic, etc... Little bugger has no clue. And that goes for most of 'em. I got my first 4 wheel drive tractor in 2009, and my first air seeding unit the same year. After 18 years of cropping because I actually paid for my own way. As a side note of interest, I put most of my first crop in at 16 with money I gleaned from a trapline I ran the previous winter. Kinda unique entrance to farming I would say!!!LOL

Just some perspective, I hate to come across the wrong way,but some guys have no clue is all. A few do have a clue, and these guys are grateful, and I am grateful to them.

But what hurts most is that it is hard to have a buddy to talk to and be friends with when they have everything or lots handed to them. Its kinda hard to explain, but when your not in the same leaugue in that area, it is hard to "click". I have lost two friends who became rather arrogant and snobbish once they started cashing in on the previous generations wealth. I am hurt by it, but when all they talk about is what they are buying next for iron, curl and skidoo all winter, and they know bloody well you are in the fight of your life to get the next crop in, it is difficult to get together and find common ground. I raise hens for eggs etc. and they don't get me. They used to, but they no longer do and it hurts. I feel like a wierdo in my own area because of their attitude towards me cuz I'm backwards...

I sometimes feel like this on agriville, which is where I come to vent sometimes, especially when guys are pre-pricing commodities, buying options, and fertilizer, etc. I wish I were there, and I strive to be there, but rare is the young guy anymore who has milked cows, fed pigs, and hunted for meat, and so I just feel a lack of understanding sometimes.

Anyway, no harm done man. Lets get rid of that friggin' wheat board, eh?

[lakenheath]

Freewheat and Booboo - I hear you guys and I appreciate where you come from and your perspective. It is easy to lose sight of where a guy comes from. It is a shame that anybody that has found success in business or farming (be it self-made or fell on their lap) should look down on others.

Not to get techinal and argue, but remember in a 20 mile radius there is just under a million acres. So, the 6 young farmers mentioned farm only 3% of the area. Not too outlandish.

Salutes to you two and the boots to the CWB!

[farmaholic]

Freewheat

Where there is will and determination there is a way. When you reach your goal/s you will appreciate it even more. Set small goals, reach them then set some more. Do what ever it takes, just like it sounds what you are currently doing...........

[bucket]

You can win the game with base hits more often than with homeruns.

Pretty deep thinking hey?

[ALLFARMER]

I know what your sayin Freewheat I started the same way as u with nearly nothing. My mom and dad took out a loan that I used to put a downpayment on my first quarter and I made the payments on that M&D loan.... so did my M&D set me up? They both lived in town and didn't have a farm of their own. It kind of a tough question. My neighbour his dad waited a year for him to get financing on a full section...sold at fair market value, no one else was offered that land so??? This guy say...and he believes it....dad never helped him. Also he says he just bought a bunch of dads old machinery at the auction. Yet I hear from another guy mom and dads name was on the cheque that paid for that about 200k??? So Agriviller's Who started with nothing...Did I.... How many married guys stated with zero really and truely zero The number of 30 somethings with 5000 acres and who were married...that meaning somewhere near normal I bet is somewhere near 1 in a million

[Ron]

A shortcoming of this forum is the lack of
Private Messages. Not to shit on someone
but to discuss common situations or offer
insight from past experience without
public scrutiny.

From a small self made? farmer to another

[Ron]

To all of you that doubt some of these young farmers getting to 6 or 7000 acres I think we are missing a bit of history to know the full story. At least I would like to know how much they started with and how fast they expanded.

Anyone who starts with bit of cash and credit can crop a 1000 plus acres 5-10 years ago. With good management and a bit of luck, grow good crops and start to revolve the revenue. In a matter of 5 years some of these guys CAN get to the acres they run and be successful.

As somebody mentioned, many have started out with some type of help from ancestors and some are being setup by a successful farm run by the parents - So what. We all can choose how to run our own ship.

If they brag it up, that is unfortunate but my advice to anyone is steer clear of their dust and worry only about your own operation.

And Freewheat, its like the turtle and the hair story, you have the drive, dedication and determination. I think you will get there in the end.

[smallguy]

Freewheat

Holy crap,after reading your posts, i thought it was me writing them 10-15 years ago. Hang in there i think you are on the right track to making a go of it. One thing I want to mention though, is that the first thing that come to mind when this post first started (nothing wrong with it) is how many of you saw what happened in your area, like i did in mine. Some of those farms, (here they were 2000 acres and higher),when daddy finally retired, within 2-3 years the farm was finished. By finished i do not mean broke, i mean that if it involved only one son they found out that when the cheap labor was gone, the extra load of decisions, hired help, and sometimes the financing was to much to handle by yourself. Again freewheat, the size of some of those farms, usually involve more than one person doing the work. Even though we hear of these 10-12 thousand acre farms, if it involves 2-3 family members, and a hired man or two, then freewheat you may not look as classy in size, or machinery, but i can bet you that you are working alot harder as a sole owner, operator than they are.

[hobbyfrmr]

Freewheat, I farm about the same as you and, thank God, my wife works. I suspect the economies of scale are working around here. I have 3 neighbors over 20,000 acres the largest guy is 50,000.
smallguy, In farming, working harder does not mean more money. Usually, it means there is time taken away from kids.

[hedgehog]

hey freewheat, i know where you are coming from, i am surrounded by old money.
they all say i should get the scrapman in, but i say im still using it all.
you forgot one category of farmer though, below the guy who started with nothing.
That is the guy who inherited a substantial overdraft, a rundown,rented farm ,obsolete equipment and parents without pensions.
its called pushing sh*t uphill, and it happens in scotland all the time.
Trouble is, you dont realise the trouble you are in till its too late to choose another career.
who said life was dull!

[freewheat]

MAN do I appreciate knowing there are
some who know what I mean. Thanks for
the kind comments.

Saskfarmer99, you as well. I guess to
farm 10000, the land has to have come
from somewhere, and here it has never
happened. I had issues getting to 1500
both in land availability and credit. I
have no idea how some guys go so big so
fast without outside cash.

The one thing you said I wonder about
though. You said we can all choose how
to run our farms. Obviously you have had
some good farming years and good for
you. But when you have no family
backing, and you have a few crappy
years, you are no longer in control of
snot.

I look forward to dry conditions, and a
return of my areas historically
productive status. It sucks to see class
1 land not grow crops, and to have some
guys ask WTH we keep trying to farm
swampland for. I look forward to
"drought". I want 2001-2003 back!!! LOL
I'm sorry this may mean pain for some of
you, but the dryer the better for HERE
at least.

Bottom line, I came in last night and
watched my four little beggars ( aged 2
to 7)run around and play, and laughed to
myself for a long time. It is priceless,
and something many men don't have. A
contentedness of family. DAMN I love my
family.

I'd rather be broke and have an awesome
family, than loaded and have no family
life or love to hand out and receive.
Like some of my neighbors. HMMM, Or no
time to share with the kids cuz that
chunk down the road that you HAD to have
is keeping you from them.