Life on the farm … Is it worth it?

[fjlip]

After walking thru AgriTrade, I don't think the problem is the price of the grain. They literally can't build shit big enough, overpowered enough, over teched enough, for any farmer. 85 companies willing to "help you with your data". Grain carts with 3 foot diameter augers. Add more fertilizer, SWAT map your fields, hire Decisive or 10 others to run across every acre not having a clue what they are doing, get a couple agronomists, get VT drive like an idiot, and why not an 800,000$ planter to plant canola because you can save a pound of seed.

If the race is to become the worlds most expensive grain producer, we are rock stars. Maybe the problem is a little closer to home.

EXACTLY, all gone to shit in last 50 years. NEVER F*CKING big enough, never enough land/iron, OMG what a shame...God dam the get big or get out mantra. Rural is empty, hope BTO's are happy NOBODY is anywhere near you. Real glad we are soon done because this is so sad.

[Guest]

But ...... there is still something i like about it
Especially when your out in a field on the spring and you can smell the dirt coming back to life
Or watching a new crop comin thru the ground
Could sell out here in a heartbeat but we are set up pretty good now and its kind of enjoyable
Enjoying our lifes work for a few more years and thatll be it
Hope we can sell the yard intact at the time , to a young fella , full of piss and vinegar
We work hard but its been good to us , cant lie
Sure feel bad for the guys that couldnt get done this year, it hurts , and it hurts all winter, been there to many times. Cant believe the rain and snow days some areas had
but you did your best , thats all you can do
Everyone gets their turn and mother nature proved that here in the NE this fall
She decided to give us a rare break , its luck and nothing more
Everyone works hard and goes any chance they get
Its luck , good or bad, plain and simple
Try and focus on the good stuff, numbnuts will pass
This useless entitled sask party will pass
Maybe someone like grant devine will come again and lead us out of this shitshow
A devine intervention if you will lol

[tweety]

Umm , our 40ft planter cost less than $300,000 , cost less than a single bid new air drill tank and can seed the same ac/hr as an 80 ft drill .
We seed canola , peas , black beans and soybeans with it .
Half the seed cost of virtually all those crops seeded with a drill .
Comes with auto individual row seed shut off and sectional liquid fert shut off .
Your a smart guy , think a bit

Talk about missing the point.

[farmaholic]

I am probably on the record somewhere on here stating I would probably be a nicer happier person if I wasn't farming. I know I personally told some of you that.
That statement wasn't always true in my career, when you're young and naive, ten feet tall and bullet proof, not averse to risk and high debt......what I call a high testosterone farmer, .....I was up to the challenge!

Fast forward 35, almost 40 years..... now old and hopefully wiser, wore out and prone, don't want to risk my own capital anymore for the risky fleeting returns, cynicism replaced alot of the blind drive to forge ahead no matter what. Jaded by "experience". Eyes wide open and dry behind the ears. Too soon old, too late smart.

The cynicism is well ingrained for very good reasons. For all the reasons the thread starter stated. The author's sarcasm, if that was indeed his intent, is only validated by the truth of the matter. Thank you for pointing it out.

I probably should have been cursing missionary instead of a fowl-mouthed farmer. At least as a missionary you know you're supposedly supposed to be serving mankind for little to no monetary return.

Scoundrels, knivers, scams and schemes, gougers, parasites, crooks......all more than ever. The weather is challenging enough without dealing with the aforementioned.

Remember...."wouldn't it be nice if it didn't matter". Yup, HillbillyWillie....it wouldn't HAVE to!

[HillbillyWillie]

Sorry if my first post was offensive but I think the question needs to be asked.
Everyone's in a different position and everyone has different reasons, like AgStar says.
But as far as I know, we've only got one life to live. And I personally don't want to spend the last few years of my life being stressed out and miserable.
I know a few guys who got out at the right time. Their families farmed for decades but they made the decision and pulled the pin.
I agree with Jazz. No one gives a shit about farmers. They care about cheap bread and inexpensive pork chops.
To me, our entire value system has been turned upside down.
Carbon tax on food production? I would have never predicted that one, but its what we got.
By the way SF, I know I'm not the most diplomatic guy and maybe I'm a bit blunt
Probably comes from being beaten across the head too many times.
But F*** Y** too for comparing me to assman and chucky cheese
Sorry you didn't get your crop off. If I was your neighbour, I'd be the first guy there to help you out

[grassfarmer]

.... cynicism replaced a lot of the blind drive to forge ahead no matter what...

Very familiar thoughts to me farma. To think I used to shake my head at all the old guys in agriculture that were cynical and somewhat bitter at their choice of occupation.

[Hopalong]

Have to wonder why they stayed at it if they did not enjoy it.
Maybe cases of saying one thing and doing another.

[parsley]

Life on the farm, is it worth it?


• there is no better place to raise children.
•there is nowhere you can find better neighbours.
• we are forced to save.
.•Farmer land-ownership Is a sure way to maintain a homogenous culture.
•Farming is interesting; oneness with nature.
•Farming provides a particulary wide selection of agronomic categories (potato, grain, livestock, etc); it also provides a wide selection of farming practices,
• land is a real asset. An enduring asset.
•there are only 127K Producers in Canada. Look at what they accomplish. I am so impressed.
•appreciate the rate at which farmers have embraced technology, education and skill.
•appreciate the general good-character of the farm population, itself.
•farming provides self-satisfaction.
• Good people are raised on farms. Think about that.

Is it worth it? Oh my. It is. Pars.

[grassfarmer]

Have to wonder why they stayed at it if they did not enjoy it.
Maybe cases of saying one thing and doing another.

It's not an easy thing to give up or get out of. Not like a worker at McDonalds that can quit on the Friday and start at Subway on the Monday.
Lots of peer pressure encouraging you to keep farming - to give up is to quit in the eyes of many. There is often an attachment to the land, perhaps multi-generational. You might be the last of a line of farmers, the first to sell out. Deciding to sell the farm is a big, complex decision involving lawyers, accountants potential inheritance squabbles and tax implications. There might be a farm sale to organize and if there is livestock that becomes more complicated. How does the ex farmer adapt to living in town, or even in a house with less acres around him to buffer him from neighbours? What'll happen to the farm dog and barn cats if you move to town? Are you ready to retire or are you looking for another job? Often agriculture is all farmers have ever done. It's often a love/hate relationship you might be glad to give up the stress of farming but have you something to fill the void when it's seeding time or calving time?

There are an awful lot of factors that make it just easier keeping on doing what you're doing because it's what you've always done and it's a lot easier than changing. The decision keeps getting put off for another day.

[fjlip]

But ...... there is still something i like about it
Especially when your out in a field on the spring and you can smell the dirt coming back to life
Or watching a new crop comin thru the ground
Could sell out here in a heartbeat but we are set up pretty good now and its kind of enjoyable
Enjoying our lifes work for a few more years and thatll be it
Hope we can sell the yard intact at the time , to a young fella , full of piss and vinegar
We work hard but its been good to us , cant lie
Sure feel bad for the guys that couldnt get done this year, it hurts , and it hurts all winter, been there to many times. Cant believe the rain and snow days some areas had
but you did your best , thats all you can do
Everyone gets their turn and mother nature proved that here in the NE this fall
She decided to give us a rare break , its luck and nothing more
Everyone works hard and goes any chance they get
Its luck , good or bad, plain and simple
Try and focus on the good stuff, numbnuts will pass
This useless entitled sask party will pass
Maybe someone like grant devine will come again and lead us out of this shitshow
A devine intervention if you will lol

Right about lots, and the NORTHEAST can really grow crops! All drier land farmers should desire our rich land with lots of moisture. You have it made! We are similar, agree the yard has value, hopefully someone needs it. Currently the WORK has never been easier, just the $ and cents are no longer fun for me.

[fjlip]

"Often agriculture is all farmers have ever done. It's often a love/hate relationship you might be glad to give up the stress of farming but have you something to fill the void when it's seeding time or calving time?"

That would be me, same spot on earth for 67 years...scary to stay and leave, one side has to win eventually.

[seldomseen]

I enjoy farming always have. Agree with what Case and Pars said. Would not trade for a job in town anytime.
Thankful I got the chance to farm!

[15444]

Very familiar thoughts to me farma. To think I used to shake my head at all the old guys in agriculture that were cynical and somewhat bitter at their choice of occupation.

That's what happens when your coddled and walk around with rose-colored glasses.

When your old man doesn't even give a shit whether your succeed or fail in life, you quickly realize that the rest of the world doesn't give a shit either! Makes farming a breeze!

[hobbyfrmr]

Reality check … we're all a bunch of nasty, cranky grain farmers. We hate the government, we hate the grain companies, we hate the railroads, we hate immigrants … ffs we even hate dairy farmers who are fortunate enough to get some help from government.
We're carrying too much hatred, too much debt, too much risk and we're not getting paid fairly for the grain we produce.
The whole world is conspiring against us, including turdo, ottawa, china, the united states, europe, chemical companies, seed companies, fertilizer companies, equipment manufacturers, the media, vegetarians, environmentalists, consumers, policy makers and climate change scientists. Even that naive and annoying 16-year-old girl from Sweden has become the target of our hatred.
Any way you dice it, it looks like we are screwed. So here's a solution. If you don't like your situation and its causing you too much stress, then sell out and let some one else deal with the misery. Most of us are sitting on hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars worth of real estate. If its so phucking bad in agriculture, then sell your land, get a job and live like the rest of the country — with a house, a mortgage, a vehicle or two, a paycheck once or twice a month, weekends off and no job security.
When I started farming, I don't remember any guarantees that everything would be perfect.
Being a happy hillbilly ain't easy nowadays. But being a miserable hillbilly for the rest of your life is even harder … it's also bad for your health and personal relationships.
So we can all make the choice. Stay in farming and make the best of it, or get out …
What's your choice?

A safe reliable supply of OxyContin seems to take the sharp edge off the world. Or a glass of red wine at dinner.

[furrowtickler]

Talk about missing the point.

Point is ???