(quoted from post at 23:10:18 05/15/23) I hear ya. Sounds like it's happening all over.
Where I live, none of the young farmers (anyone under 60 that is, LOL) want anything to do with an antique tractor. An old tractor to them (as in one they might still have an interest in), would perhaps be one from the 60's. Maybe not even one of them if they don't want anything old around.
It's like it's 'un-cool' to have anything old around. Everything has got to be as new as possible to be a cool cat. And that's just thier mindset and attitude. Anything not relatively new and used frequently, is just taking up shed space in thier mind. No need to have it around.
I kind of don't understand it. I know most of the young farmers in my area have dad's and grandpa's with lots of money. And maybe that explains the new everything. But it just seems like for them, it's either new everything or they'll do something else other than farming. Like, it's more of a gots to be that way, instead of a just nice if it is type of thing. Like as in, they not doing it if it's not that way.
Maybe things will change when hard times hit again. And that might not be to far off. Interest rates are creeping upwards, and it looks like 4 dollar corn is on its way back for new crop. Cattle are good right now. But that entails work. Something the young folks seem to be allergic to. They'd rather tear up thier pastures and have a bunch acres of farm ground. Thats kind of been the way of it around here anyways.
I know you can't just take 1940's equipment, and farm modern day with it. But gosh, it's just sad to basically see zero interest in it. Not even as a collector piece, conversation piece, yard art, heritage, history, or something. But most young guys have no interest in it at all. Alot of it being liquidated with nobody to buy it up. In many cases, it's being liquidated by the same young guys that have no interest in buying it. As in, getting rid of dad and grandpa's stuff that they don't want to have around anymore.
It just is what it is I guess.