I have thought of getting some goats to clean under brush and briars on a drainage ditch that is grown up and only has water in it when we get a heavy rain but dont think i want to go that far into fencing just that stretch of land.
95% of people who claim farm income on their taxes have other jobs and income. Most farmers are part time farmers. 50% of those claiming farm income on their taxes sell less than $10k. I know farmers that farm full time and their wives have jobs. That is a great way to get heath insurance if you farm.
Yes, farmers take vacations because farmers are not really only farmers. They are really people that use farming as their side hustle. They have careers that are not farming careers. Stats on this are easy to find on farm service web sites. Farmers are really school teachers and mail men and welders and all kinds of other occupations. Now, I am a farmer too, with no farm income. I own a farm. I am retired from a life of work in western Oklahoma. Some time soon I hope to have a few cows. I have 110 acres with some grass, trees, a pond, and lots of wildlife.
Yes, farmers take vacations because farmers are not really only farmers. They are really people that use farming as their side hustle. They have careers that are not farming careers. Stats on this are easy to find on farm service web sites. Farmers are really school teachers and mail men and welders and all kinds of other occupations. Now, I am a farmer too, with no farm income. I own a farm. I am retired from a life of work in western Oklahoma. Some time soon I hope to have a few cows. I have 110 acres with some grass, trees, a pond, and lots of wildlife.
I grew up on a farm. We milked cows and raised mostly hay and feed, and a little wheat. Mom worked, Dad milked cows and did the farming. My brother and I helped some. We were both hiring out for any kind of paying labor we could get. I got paid well for hauling hay. Not so well for fixing fences and driving tractors.
I have never been far from farming but after high school not very involved in farming.
I have never been far from farming but after high school not very involved in farming.
Retired farmer and rancher here.
Tried livestock for a few years. Market sucked and lost a ton of money. Farmed wheat on 980 acres forever before retirement and leasing for cash rent 7 or 8 years ago.
Worked at the power plant with tons of overtime so sometimes farming took the back stage as the power plant paid much better and the land was paid for. Off time spent restoring old farm implements one could buy for pennies on the dollar to work with. Yeah, it took me days vs hours that some could do with new bigger equipment, but I made money because 1/2 my crop wasn’t going to payments on equipment.
After dumping the cattle, vacations were easy to take. Always a dead time between planting and harvest especially for winter wheat.
Tried livestock for a few years. Market sucked and lost a ton of money. Farmed wheat on 980 acres forever before retirement and leasing for cash rent 7 or 8 years ago.
Worked at the power plant with tons of overtime so sometimes farming took the back stage as the power plant paid much better and the land was paid for. Off time spent restoring old farm implements one could buy for pennies on the dollar to work with. Yeah, it took me days vs hours that some could do with new bigger equipment, but I made money because 1/2 my crop wasn’t going to payments on equipment.
After dumping the cattle, vacations were easy to take. Always a dead time between planting and harvest especially for winter wheat.
Excellent points here! I have found this to be true with the majority farmers I’ve known/delt with
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When we got our goats I was worried about them getting worms since everyone said they were prone to that. The fella that cut our hay the first time told me he saw some sericea lespedeza in the hay field. I'd never heard of it so he showed me what it was. He said it was considered by lots of people to be an invasive plant...but then they found out it's a very effective, natural anti-parasite treatment for goats and some other animals.
We have an area behind the house that's covered with the stuff and the goats love it. When they don't get out to graze in that area I frequently cut some up and feed it to them in their pen. They eat as much as I bring them. So far we've not had a single problem with worms in our goats.
When we got our goats I was worried about them getting worms since everyone said they were prone to that. The fella that cut our hay the first time told me he saw some sericea lespedeza in the hay field. I'd never heard of it so he showed me what it was. He said it was considered by lots of people to be an invasive plant...but then they found out it's a very effective, natural anti-parasite treatment for goats and some other animals.
We have an area behind the house that's covered with the stuff and the goats love it. When they don't get out to graze in that area I frequently cut some up and feed it to them in their pen. They eat as much as I bring them. So far we've not had a single problem with worms in our goats.
You keep them in a good dry lot and that exponentially helps keep varying worms down. Growing up we ran between 600 to 800 Roping Calves every year. An old man that flagged the ropings told my dad that trick and WOW how it improved the calves health! And spraying the pens down helped.
The man explains the Lespedeza is spot on! We kept goats around in all our feedlots and pastures with cows, they are Weedeating MoFos!
True. Dad was an accountant full time and I worked the farm. Mom was a housewife and helped Dad during tax season.
One way for a farmer to take all the vacation the family wants is to rent the land to an operator through a management company. When my mother passed, my sister and I inherited some Kansas crop and pasture land. We converted all of the suitable pasture land to production acres. After a few years, we decided to let Farmers National Company manage it. The fee is reasonable: $600 yearly base and 10% of all income. For that, they find/manage a contracted operator, replace them as needed (just happened), pick the best lease terms (we do 1/3 crop share), advise on farming practice, deal with the paperwork for government contracts and insurance programs, provide all accounting needed for tax preparation, and market the grain. Worth every penny to me! Overall, my sister and I split about $25 to $70 of net income/acre/year depending on yield and grain prices. One is not going to get rich at that rate and it would take careful management by an operator to survive on twice that, as they pay for the equipment and fuel costs.
Given the right property; perhaps one with a home-site for the owner and some areas of wooded draws and a pond or two for family hunting/fishing, and the majority suitable for pasture or production, rent or crop share from on operator could cover the mortgage payment or a fraction of it. And, the owner could vacation - as long as somebody is taking care of any animals.
Given the right property; perhaps one with a home-site for the owner and some areas of wooded draws and a pond or two for family hunting/fishing, and the majority suitable for pasture or production, rent or crop share from on operator could cover the mortgage payment or a fraction of it. And, the owner could vacation - as long as somebody is taking care of any animals.
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Hate to say but she’s kind of correct. Really depends on what your doing. If you’re watching wheat grow then probably not. If you’re running livestock then probably not. Especially if to running a keep and feed then moving them on it takes a lot of time and care. The guys I know do it, Sikes putting eyes on them twice a day and dealing with problems you can’t predict. Worming, other injections, calving, feeding, if not grazing but feeding in the winter, getting them out of harmful situations like tangled up in fencing etc. Just seems there always something to do with cattle everyday. May not take all day but the supervision alone is everyday. Go talk with some cattle ranchers in your area.
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