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Am I The last generation to farm ?

olgentdc

olgentdc

Well-known Member
Location
Harrison County , Elizabeth Ind 47117
It was a pleasant enough day Yesterday.But My Kids had indoor plans after all this miserable weather , I would think they would jump at a chance to kik up their heals outdoors ? I have been trying for years to get My Children to bring the boys to the farm to see things and be a part of it in hopes of inspiring the farm gene in them . They Do Come to help with firewood and other things ,and they perform dutifully ,and we have never had a bad day when they were here .i always make a point to show them the newborns and tell a story or to . Sadly They are always ready to go back to their home in the burbs . They are book smart and straight A students , so ,why should i complain? , You Are Right . They are are not much for sports, And , what is missing that mischief of energy that i had for chasing a rabbit and catching tad poles and walking the creek that i had at that age. the adventure of canoeing the creek. or getting the boat ready for the river, or for that matter helping get the tractor fixed .My sons and daughters All say I gave them a perfect childhood that they are most thankful for , but they dont want to live way out here. I always Told Them Some day I want To build near the pond, And Let Them take over everything including the farm and This big House . It will Be theirs. .. I was Always hoping that They would relish the Farm and all the joys of it.But i am not seeing it.
 
Times change. Instead of having to find things to do inside in bad weather in the 60's we had TV. Now they have cable or sat TV, high speed internet and cell phones. They don't have to get wet or dirty to experience things.

Now? How often have you commented on poor crop prices or how hard you've had to work? They can make 20 times the money and never break a sweat.

Been like that for a long, long time. Kids figured out that if they go to school they don't need that farm.

Rick
 
It?s the same here,our oldest loves tractor work but not interested in milking cows or feeding calves. He?s working on a multi thousand cow farm in Alberta doing feeding bedding and helping move cattle and loves it. To be honest with our farm debt and beginning consecutive year 5 of depressed milk prices were not able to pay an extra salary had he wanted to farm here.Our two younger kids hate the barn and we don?t have near enough land to cash crop. Our milking herd is leaving in 3 weeks and I?m going to work elsewhere minus 45 head of beef we?re custom raising for a hobby. My wife started a new job in December. We?re keeping our land paying off our farm debt and hopefully going to have way less mental stress and time to enjoy life for once. We?re one of the lucky ones where we don?t have to sell everything to pay off the farm.
 
I wish as a boy my father would have gotten a basket case Farmall Cub with a couple implements. I would have been jumping to go out and get it fixed up to use. And what about after you get it up and running or even restored? Then you get to go out and do all the farm stuff with YOUR tractor that you can do ANYTHING you want with. You can go mow some pasture or plow some ground or cultivate a garden patch or let your imagination roam on uses.

It?s about incentives. If the TV has a show on that they like then they will stay there and watch it. However, if there is something at the farm that is fun to them they will be more motivated to go out and do it.
 
Seems vertical integration and govt regulations also are kicking the farmer out of the farm.

My wife?s nephew chatted with me for a couple hours yesterday. Enjoyed it, he is a very smart kid. Pretty balanced politically and economically for his age. He is a city kid of a town kid.

We were on FaceTime, of course.

He?s looking forward to self driving cars, he doesn?t understand why anyone would want to drive. Total opposite of the ?American Graffiti, mindset of the 1950s into the 80s, man get a drivers licence as soon as possible, gain some freedom!

He?s really smart, but he is struggling to find a job that he feels is compatible with his goals in life. There is no value in just working, one has to find the proper job or not work at all. He would love freelance type work, but hard to jump in be motivated.

He has a very laid back view of things, it?s hard to find any passion or anger or any such in him.

His hypocrisy in life seems to be he wants to extract everything from the internet for free, but he would love to make his living by monetizing working for people through the internet. If it?s not free to him he will find ways to get info and software and content for free. But, he wants to make his living from those same places.

An interesting view.

He is just so book smart, but struggles to be equipped to apply that knowledge.

An interesting study of the future generation. A lot more grounded and far less demanding than we think we hear from them, but certainly a different view and different goals than our older generations had.

Paul
 
.....in the 60's we had TV. Now they have cable or sat TV, high speed internet and cell phones. They don't have to get wet or dirty to experience things.....
Click to expand...

The sad thing is that they think they are experiencing things when they see them on YouTube or whatever, but the reality is they are just being spectators. Spectating and experiencing are not the same thing.
 
If I was to ask you, did you inspire a love for those things in YOUR kids? Or did they mostly see the work side of the farm? I don't think we always realize what we are doing when we are raising our own kids. Either way, you set them free in the world and they come back...or they don't. Worrying about it won't make it happen. My kids love farm life. Making kids love things is a lot like farming. Plant a seed in their minds, culture it and help it grow. Pray you don't have a crop failure. :)
 
I'm a small timer. I just have 25 beef cows. Dad has 50. He stopped milking about seven years ago. I always enjoyed farming. Still do today...when it's in your blood it's in your blood. There were headaches for sure...stuff always breaking, milking before school, helping out even when the wife isn't so happy about it. My uncles always were helping on the farm when I was a kid. I loved being around them. They are all pretty hand fellers as is my dad. I'll likely be the 4th generation to run the farm in a few years. I built a house just down the road. Dad gave me a 40 actually. However, that will likely be the end of it. My two boys really want nothing to do with farming. They help out if I need them to, but never would volunteer to help on their own. It's a different time and the future isn't in the small farms unfortunately. They'll likely earn double my salary some day and that is the way it is i guess. When we were young and bored we couldn't wait to get in the woods and make forts or play war or whatever. Now if it isn't on a some device...it ain't no fun in their eyes. It is what it is as they say...
 
I don't think it's specific to farming. I owned an industrial construction company and have three boys, non of which was interested in the business. All to often a next generation is somewhat pushed into taking over the family business when they aren't interested and it quickly fails. Kids are all different and interested in different things. My boys are all far better off than they would have been taking over the company as none of them had a real desire to run the company. Than being said, I have no doubt they would have soon failed.
 
I ask myself that same question. Our three children are long gone. I'm hoping to hang on long enough to give a grandchild a chance to see if they want to take over.

I'm the 6th generation to farm on this road. Unlike most of the others, I had nothing given to me. I wanted the rural/farm/independent life style so bad, I sacrificed to start out with nothing, to have what I have today. I'm sure part of the reason my offspring are all gone is experiencing that struggle!

I also ask myself what I would advise if there was interest. Maybe encouraging a youngster to farm is bad advice!

I still believe owning a chunk of ground, and being able to grow something [plant or animal] is important. So, again, I hope I hold out long enough to at least give someone the chance.
 
I will likely be the last in my family, sad but that's the way the times are. I am 4th generation here. If any of my daughters marries a guy who has interest it may continue but that doesn't seem likely to me at this point. I doubt I will still be doing any farming when and if grand kids come but who knows.
 
When they were kids did you let them have things that were their own and not part of the farm in general? My grandfather gave each each of use grand kids a cow the day we were
born.it was our cow we got the money from the calf when it was sold,had our own bank account.I was interested in all sorts of poultry when I was young growing up I raised and sold
chickens,peafowl,guineas,quail,pheasants,etc Did pretty good off them especially the Game Chickens.Money I made was mine to bank or put back into other projects.Bought my first
item at a local auction when I was 9 years old.That instilled an interest in farm things for me,my sister other on the other hand couldn't wait to get off the farm,brother
was somewhere in between.So it goes I guess.
 
Once the next generation is middle aged with their own careers, homes and families in far off places, it's not realistic to expect them to have much interest in "Dad's Farm". That is especially true if they have never been allowed much input in the farm and were only "hired hands " or "unpaid labor". Getting a grandchild established in farming without their parents being involved in farming is a very long shot at best.
 
As a side note to all the responses.
I wonder how it factors into the equation that all our kids and grand kids have had drilled into their heads from the schools that the world is ending in 12 years ?
 
Well olgentdc let me say you didn't do any wrong. I went out of my way to encourage my son to have an interest in the farm/land. For years it seemed he could care less. As he gets older he has shown an interest in things. It may be that your sons have the mindset that you will always be there and nothing going to ever change.

I told my son when I'm gone whatever he decides i know will be the best.
 
We are, gonna try and make a few more years to Medicare. Our arthritis and back trouble are getting the best of us. No sons our youngest daughter has expressed interest in farming especially on the days when work isn't going so well so that's not happening. We've got a few young gentlemen in mind and would like to help out the right guy. We're going to farm this year next year at this time we may be retired from farming.
 
I told the old man to stick it. He said I would see the day I wish I had not said that.Well I am now 80 years old and I am sure I did the right thing for me. I had a very good and happy life and retired out of the Teamsters Union with a very good income and a nice home and a new car all paid for and life is great. While the old man did have his farm paid for I still think he spent his life in hell truing to keep it going and doing all he could to make me and little brother hate it. I don't regret a thing today. .Scovy
 
I?ll be the last. I am in my mid 40?s, have no children, and my two older brothers are so far removed from the farm. My niece knows she will get the joys of doing what she needs to with this machinery and such. I think selling off and seeing someone farm my land will kill me so I?m gonna farm it until I fall over in the field. I don?t know how my parents and their parents moved off the farm, but they did.

I see some young kids with wealthier parents set up a farm and start out. They have been eager and well accepted into the farming community here, but their gut instincts just aren?t there for crops and machinery. I know that we all made rookie mistakes but when the times are this hard and they lease a new combine each year those mistakes add up and overwhelm pretty quick.

I was at my annual farm profit meeting this last week. He did a text in poll of the farmers there: who will retire in five years, who will go in 10-15, and who has more than 15 years. 80% of those who responded had less than five years left in their farming careers. I know some of them and they are in their mid 80?s. I know I won?t be in this earth when I am that age at the rate my body is going.

I hate like everything that farming is going the way of corporations but times change. Lots of people still love the land - there are just lots more ways to express it now days than sitting on the tractor for the months of May and June.
 
On both my mothers side, and my fathers side, and including my parents, our family has farmed. Through my fathers mother?s family, I can trace farmers all the way back to 1682 in PA. Followers of Willian Penn. On my mother?s side, back to Norway, where a cousin same age as myself has a dairy Goat herd. That is a long line of farming families, am I the last ? My oldest son is 32 in three weeks time, and is home on the farm with me, we have a few milking cows. Two younger boys never had the desire to work 7 days a week for the kinda return you get from farming, so they work for two different feed companies, one drive a truck doing delivery, the other is a warehouse man.
With the rapidly changing world of agriculture, turning its back on family farms in favour of large corporate style farms, my son and I could easily retire the farm together in 10-12 years. I hope this is not the case, but you cannot live on hope and good will alone, family farms need to have profits, not just cash flow. Time will tell, life holds no guarantee, perhaps things will change. I am still optimistic. Bruce
 
(quoted from post at 18:32:06 03/11/19) As a side note to all the responses.
I wonder how it factors into the equation that all our kids and grand kids have had drilled into their heads from the schools that the world is ending in 12 years ?
Click to expand...

I've never heard that. And I've never told my children or grandchildren anything like that. Nor has anyone I've ever known.
 
I have much the same thoughts. Kids live close, but do not seem to want to take the reins. I have a grand son that is 18 months and a Grand daughter on the way, maybe I can hold on for them.
 
Mike ..... quite a side note for sure. So the schools (I assume you mean public schools) are teaching the kids these days the world is going to end in twelve years? So your reasoning for kids not being interested in farming because it's all going to end in a big bang down the road a bit? Never heard of such a claim in all my life. The odd goof ball teeing off on the subject but never heard that schools are teaching it. Where is this all happening might I ask?
 
I really wanted to farm but am the oldest of 6 brothers and our parents were "share croppers" who never owned any land. So none of us brothers became bonafide farmers. Parents never encouraged us toward farming as it was really impossible without tremendous sacrifice. I'm the only brother who got a 4 year engineering college degree. Still love agriculture and anything about it, but one thing I never had to do was worry about the "bottom line" of a Family Farm. Just thinking about that today stresses me. And I'm well beyond retirement age.

So really this thing of "Last generation to farm" has been happening all through history and no doubt will continue. But the scale and timing seems to be accelerating.
 
It's all part of the plan. Soon only 2% of the population will live outside cities, and they will be slaves to the corporations. Why would anyone want to live without computer games canned TV fast food. Everyone knows food comes from mcdonalds or grocery store.
 
Don't count on it - but things can change. How old are they ? I've seen people turn 40 or 50 , and get suddenly burned out on city life. Urban crime rate is often a factor also.
 
I guess I am lucky. All my children are interested in farming. My oldest son has been farming full time on his own now for 30 years. My younger sons started farming more seriously about 4-5 years ago. All of them but the youngest have off farm incomes. The youngest takes care of two hog finishing barns as his additional income source. One is running a repair shop. My second son is a division manager for a company. The middle son feeds cattle on three farms as an hourly employee. My daughter would be called a hobby farmer but is raising her kids while building a beef cow herd.

My kids always where given something for their labor on the farm. This might be pay if the job they were doing directly generated income for the farm. An example was small square bales when I was selling them. Often their worked earned them an percentage of some thing. An example was my sons usually did a lot of feeding chores. They got a percentage of the profit of each pen/lot they feed on a regular basis. By the time they were teenagers they had crops and livestock that was totally their own.

I think several things cause there to be fewer next generation farmers.
1) Economics. Most farm operations can not support multi-families.
2) Kids treated like salve labor when they were younger. Kids need to be kids.
3) Parents that refuse to give up any control to the next generation.
4) Parents that do not have a plan for working the next generation into the farming operation or any farming operation.
5) Young adults need to have an opportunity to build assets when they are younger. If your 70 and your kids are 45-55 then it is too late for them to "buy in" to any farm operation.

Toughest thing I have ever done was to move off the home farm and give the majority of the day to day control to my sons. It had to be done if they were going to gain the experience they need to be successful. I still have veto power over any major financial plans/moves but the day to day operation is up to them. The youngest is 28 and the older ones are just under forty. My oldest is 50 but he has a separate operation. We shared equipment for years and some joint ownership of major pieces. So I have had two basic "plans" to get my children involved. with the oldest it was help him get started and grow while we also grew our business. With the younger ones it was help them grow on their own and grow the farm so the combination can support them at a respectable level.

Guys a farming operation is going to have to grow to support the next generation. There is no way for them to get started if the assets/income/profit are not growing. If the farm is only making $40K to support a family then it sure is not going to support two on $20K each???? Not with the cost of living being what it is today.
 
I have a lot of friends and relatives with kids in many different schools and I have never heard of this twelve year deal before.
 
I am the third generation and last of my family to farm. Both of my sons have no interest and earn more than I make farming and they have full benefits with much less risk. Both have college educations and good careers.
 
(quoted from post at 17:12:08 03/11/19) I guess I am lucky. All my children are interested in farming. My oldest son has been farming full time on his own now for 30 years. My younger sons started farming more seriously about 4-5 years ago. All of them but the youngest have off farm incomes. The youngest takes care of two hog finishing barns as his additional income source. One is running a repair shop. My second son is a division manager for a company. The middle son feeds cattle on three farms as an hourly employee. My daughter would be called a hobby farmer but is raising her kids while building a beef cow herd.

My kids always where given something for their labor on the farm. This might be pay if the job they were doing directly generated income for the farm. An example was small square bales when I was selling them. Often their worked earned them an percentage of some thing. An example was my sons usually did a lot of feeding chores. They got a percentage of the profit of each pen/lot they feed on a regular basis. By the time they were teenagers they had crops and livestock that was totally their own.

I think several things cause there to be fewer next generation farmers.
1) Economics. Most farm operations can not support multi-families.
2) Kids treated like salve labor when they were younger. Kids need to be kids.
3) Parents that refuse to give up any control to the next generation.
4) Parents that do not have a plan for working the next generation into the farming operation or any farming operation.
5) Young adults need to have an opportunity to build assets when they are younger. If your 70 and your kids are 45-55 then it is too late for them to "buy in" to any farm operation.

Toughest thing I have ever done was to move off the home farm and give the majority of the day to day control to my sons. It had to be done if they were going to gain the experience they need to be successful. I still have veto power over any major financial plans/moves but the day to day operation is up to them. The youngest is 28 and the older ones are just under forty. My oldest is 50 but he has a separate operation. We shared equipment for years and some joint ownership of major pieces. So I have had two basic "plans" to get my children involved. with the oldest it was help him get started and grow while we also grew our business. With the younger ones it was help them grow on their own and grow the farm so the combination can support them at a respectable level.

Guys a farming operation is going to have to grow to support the next generation. There is no way for them to get started if the assets/income/profit are not growing. If the farm is only making $40K to support a family then it sure is not going to support two on $20K each???? Not with the cost of living being what it is today.
Click to expand...

Great post JDSeller. You stated a bunch of reasons I believe are true.
 
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