I just gotta know. How old are we all? Kids? Grandkids?

[Partners]

I am 56, wife is 52(looks 25) two girls, 24 and 29..One Granddaughter age 2..She is the JOY of our life now..

[farmaholic]

Not bad Freewheat. I am 47 with three kids Girl(19), Girl(18), Boy(16-will be seventeen next week). Had a part time job after highschool in the city for 9 years but always farmed. Was encouraged to do some sort of post secondary but didn't want to and was given a good start farming. Not a large farm-2500 acres, none rented. I really do have alot to be grateful for.

[freewheat]

farmaholic, I do appreciate your
candidness regarding being given a good
start farming. It takes a real man to
actually come out and say it. So often
guys deny it, and it makes things look
worse to others. I have plenty of them
for neighbors!!! lol

My one neighbor talks of how tough it
has been while using pa's money to buy
machinery, etc...

[oneoff]

64 plus or minus a bit; but it has been mentioned I don't look bit over 65.

The ones I aspire to emulate are those in the 80's and into the 90's who still are lucky enough to have their marbles; and have long ago figured out the different ways the world and society might can best function.

Probably will never make it....but will never give up.

[bucket]

I am 48. Came back to the farm in 93/94. Was working as a mechanical engineering Technologist, still do occasionally. Married with two kids 12 & 10, started late.

Freewheat, you are a people watcher, very astute on your observations.

[furrowtickler]

Close, 41, 3 kids 12/10/8. Married 16 years as of tomorrow. Farmed Through voc ag all the way through 25 years now. Ups and downs in life and farming but family has been here just over 100 years. Intend on being here for a while regardless of ctv and mega farms lol.

[LEP]

Freewheat, you are good. I am turning 50 in a couple of
weeks.

I have owned cattle since the 70's and while I went to
college and worked off farm I used every holiday and
weekend to come home and farm.

I worked in the ag banking sector for 10 years as well as
farmed and quit when my third child came along and I
was farming as much as most of my customers. There
wasn't much of the candle left to burn let alone burning
both ends.

This is my 23rd crop and things started to get easier
about 17 or 18 years into farming.

My motto was don't buy anything you don't need, stretch
your equipment, don't take debt on anything that won't
make you money (ie kitchen renos and fancy half tons),
and keep some powder dry so that when an opportunity
presents itself you can take advantage of it.

OK what is your guess on Cotton? I would say late 30's.

Good post.

[ALLFARMER]

Congrats Furrow on your anniversary. People
who have been married over 10 years typically
know how to fix things, rather than throw them
away.

I am 38 started farming in 1996 married 11 years.
I have 7 kids 3 boys 4 girls.

Have built the farm with allot of off farm
income....working out. Certainly not a model that
would work for everyone but started in 96 with
$400 an today the farms worth enough to retire
with. So why do I continue to work??? I guess I
like to build things.

[oneoff]

Mom and Dad had a full handfull of kids. But they made sure each had the opportunity to get university educations; and it came from a half section of farmland and 30 to 50 cows. Also kids worked baling and hauling flax straw etc. etc; had 25 cent allowances and learned to do repairs and tasks on their own.
Ended up with less than two sections of farmland each; and paid for and shared every piece of iron without any irrepairble differences. Waited till could pay in cash; or else waited some more. Maybe tyhere is a perception that such operations are "large" farmers; but do the math.
As the realization sinks in that one is not keeping up with contracting, marketing and what new generations see as being priorities 90% of the land has recently been rented out to young and "smaller" relatively young farmers and wannabees. The top ten percent who produce 80% will probably continue to do with slightly less.
Given the historical fact of financial returns (as shown by Statistics Canada, taxpayer subsidies, off farm income and and Federal Income tax returns) would the agriculture "farming industry" and society have been better off if the blue prints for four wheel drive tractor and Class 6 to 8 machinery been destroyed? But that die and many others has been cast a long time ago; and I will not waste resources refighting past battles.

My interests now lie in electronics and wireless internet communications. Now that is challenging; and fields that feww seem to be working on for the neglected rural areas.
Certainly not municipal politics which is now securely in the hands of those with solely self interests and their supporters who have basically no information outside rumours that make no logical sense. May God or rules of decency help us all.

Started farming with a half section of Land Bank Land. Otherwise would have been in different occupation. Expanded slowly and paid asking price of sellers, that others had already rejected. Thus missed being caught with debt during 24% interest period; was fortunate Mother Nature looked favorably on SE Sask except for a couple of years ago; and family members basically ponded every nail, built every bin and poured every shovel full or yard of cement.
And whether we admit it or not, Sask has recently just become a part of the rest of the world economy and its inhabitants.

[oneoff]

Mom and Dad had a full handfull of kids. But they made sure each had the opportunity to get university educations; and it came from a half section of farmland and 30 to 50 cows. Also kids worked baling and hauling flax straw etc. etc; had 25 cent allowances and learned to do repairs and tasks on their own.
Ended up with less than two sections of farmland each; and paid for and shared every piece of iron without any irrepairble differences. Waited till could pay in cash; or else waited some more. Maybe tyhere is a perception that such operations are "large" farmers; but do the math.
As the realization sinks in that one is not keeping up with contracting, marketing and what new generations see as being priorities 90% of the land has recently been rented out to young and "smaller" relatively young farmers and wannabees. The top ten percent who produce 80% will probably continue to do with slightly less.
Given the historical fact of financial returns (as shown by Statistics Canada, taxpayer subsidies, off farm income and and Federal Income tax returns) would the agriculture "farming industry" and society have been better off if the blue prints for four wheel drive tractor and Class 6 to 8 machinery been destroyed? But that die and many others has been cast a long time ago; and I will not waste resources refighting past battles.

My interests now lie in electronics and wireless internet communications. Now that is challenging; and fields that feww seem to be working on for the neglected rural areas.
Certainly not municipal politics which is now securely in the hands of those with solely self interests and their supporters who have basically no information outside rumours that make no logical sense. May God or rules of decency help us all.

Started farming with a half section of Land Bank Land. Otherwise would have been in different occupation. Expanded slowly and paid asking price of sellers, that others had already rejected. Thus missed being caught with debt during 24% interest period; was fortunate Mother Nature looked favorably on SE Sask except for a couple of years ago; and family members basically ponded every nail, built every bin and poured every shovel full or yard of cement.
And whether we admit it or not, Sask has recently just become a part of the rest of the world economy and its inhabitants.

[oneoff]

Calling sumdum guy. I've ageed with you more often than not.

And I bet we can count on pars checking in soon.

[carebear300]

I am 60 years old. I have remained single all my life. Started farming in 1973 and have had my ups and downs but really enjoyed the challenges. I am slowing down now, since I am not able to hire reliable help anymore. Sort of hard to do but it has to be done before this beloved hunk of dirt kills me off and the government walks off with the fruits of my labores. No regret!!!!!!!