Old folks should chuff off.......

Bury the Trash · May 2, 2021

Goweresque said:
Sadly I don't. But I do know I'm not planning on being anything other than a dog and stick farmer by the time I'm 60. Get the whole place sorted over the next decade and rent it out at some point, and let someone younger take it on.

I guess it could make your decision easier, maybe, not having them to consider passing on to.
Whereas with sons and daughters, how long does one wait to give them chance of 'taking it on ' if at present they are ' into other things. ' and one does want to give them chance if at all possible as one was once given the chance iyswim.
Also if its been a challenge, I fact right blooming difficult struggle at times , then one would really like someone close to have the benefit ( such as it is) of that

Dead Rabbits · May 2, 2021

I know more elderly guys who would love to have a younger person on their place than I know cranky old curmudgeons who want to be left alone to run it into the ground. It’s tearfully sad at times talking to these farmers about it.

I guess it’s up to an owner what he wants to do with his property but so many don’t want to see it in houses or snapped up by a big operator yet they lack the ability or skills to bring anyone in. Or they just never find the right person. It’s an uncomfortable
So it ends up in houses or one field of a big farm and they go to die in the old folks home.

Another thing is if you want to transfer your farm to someone you probably shouldn’t wait till you are 70 or 80. Inter generational transfer of farming knowledge is taken for granted by so many but is crucial in agriculture. Go to school all you want but it’s learned on job ultimately and having someone who has seen decades of winters and is able to give advice is invaluable to making a new venture viable.

There ain’t no more farmers kids coming, they are largely all gone. Most new people in farming will not be coming from a recent farm background. Let’s not all forget that farms are best suited to being run by a family, not a publicly traded company. Most farmers want to leave the land better than they found it, whether it’s for their kids or not it’s a point of pride. A company where nobody sees it as their own only looks for their quarterly earnings report.

A beautiful thing about farming is that there is no lying. At the end of the day the land and the livestock always tell the truth. A liar is always found out no matter the justification used.

toquark · May 2, 2021

I spent most of my youth wistfully envying those who inherited when I was desperate to farm but had parents who didn’t.

Having bust my ass working to be able to afford 20 acres and a few dozen sheep, I realise now I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I could and probably will scale up a bit with rented ground but I’m very relaxed that farming for me will always be a part time enterprise.

Crucially though, it’s my part time enterprise which I established. I don’t envy the ones who inherit empires and have big shoes to fill. Those who want to do it will find a way.

Grassman · May 2, 2021

I have a few police friends. All retired or retiring at ridiculously early ages.
And after a few months they are bored and go and get another job or business.
One set up farming on a small scale till he was in his 80s.
I'm afraid a lot of farmers would be totally bored if they had to retire very young.

Dead Rabbits · May 2, 2021

7610 super q said:
........and let the young guns have a go with their " new " ideas, Joel Salatin books , Nissan Navare pickups full of leccy fencing gear, lavender soap niche markets, PYO quinola , and carbon sequestering dung beetles.

Or......

Let the doddering old fools potter about till they want to retire, and get your own chuffing mortgage and buy your own bit of chuffing land.

Discuss.

What would you like to see happen to your place?

Joel salatin books are the main reason I’m in agriculture. Likely solely responsible for more people joining agriculture in the past 2 or 3 decades than any other person in this country.

Derrick Hughes · May 2, 2021

Bury the Trash said:
I guess it could make your decision easier, maybe, not having them to consider passing on to.
Whereas with sons and daughters, how long does one wait to give them chance of 'taking it on ' if at present they are ' into other things. ' and one does want to give them chance if at all possible as one was once given the chance iyswim.
Also if its been a challenge, I fact right blooming difficult struggle at times , then one would really like someone close to have the benefit ( such as it is) of that

I have 7 kids and not one of them want to farm atm
If I did not enjoy farming and all the other stuff I do I would probably pack it in , but when are you supposed to get old ? , feel old ?
I suppose bitterness makes you old

Chae1 · May 2, 2021

Dead Rabbits said:
I know more elderly guys who would love to have a younger person on their place than I know cranky old curmudgeons who want to be left alone to run it into the ground. It’s tearfully sad at times talking to these farmers about it.

I guess it’s up to an owner what he wants to do with his property but so many don’t want to see it in houses or snapped up by a big operator yet they lack the ability or skills to bring anyone in. Or they just never find the right person. It’s an uncomfortable
So it ends up in houses or one field of a big farm and they go to die in the old folks home.

Another thing is if you want to transfer your farm to someone you probably shouldn’t wait till you are 70 or 80. Inter generational transfer of farming knowledge is taken for granted by so many but is crucial in agriculture. Go to school all you want but it’s learned on job ultimately and having someone who has seen decades of winters and is able to give advice is invaluable to making a new venture viable.

There ain’t no more farmers kids coming, they are largely all gone. Most new people in farming will not be coming from a recent farm background. Let’s not all forget that farms are best suited to being run by a family, not a publicly traded company. Most farmers want to leave the land better than they found it, whether it’s for their kids or not it’s a point of pride. A company where nobody sees it as their own only looks for their quarterly earnings report.

A beautiful thing about farming is that there is no lying. At the end of the day the land and the livestock always tell the truth. A liar is always found out no matter the justification used.

Brilliant post!

Sums things up really well in my opinion.

I like the bit about the land and livestock telling the truth.

J 1177 · May 2, 2021

Dont wish the old buggers away, wish mine was still here.

Y Fan Wen · May 2, 2021

I seem to have been handed all the breaks. Joined Dad after college, just when he'd bought another farm so plenty of work for us both. Got on pretty well together. Got shouted at when I made errors due to inexperience, handed on the financial reins when I got married. Insisted on my making time for wife and child instead of working 7 days 52 weeks and neglecting them. He and mum lasted into their 90s and he was at my side constantly until the last few years.
The last couple of years I've been reconciled to carrying on myself until I can't and then selling up as the little one had made his own career in his own speciality.
Earlier this year he announced that he was going to go from full time to part time and spend half the week on the farm. That is what has been happening this last couple of months and we are learning to work together. I anticipate us going through one or 2 yearly cycles for him to get his eye in and then hand over and become what Dad was and hope I last as long as he did.
I have no worries about handing over finance as the little one has handled an inheritance he got 5 years ago very well indeed.

jellybean · May 2, 2021

Dead Rabbits said:
I know more elderly guys who would love to have a younger person on their place than I know cranky old curmudgeons who want to be left alone to run it into the ground. It’s tearfully sad at times talking to these farmers about it.

I guess it’s up to an owner what he wants to do with his property but so many don’t want to see it in houses or snapped up by a big operator yet they lack the ability or skills to bring anyone in. Or they just never find the right person. It’s an uncomfortable
So it ends up in houses or one field of a big farm and they go to die in the old folks home.

Another thing is if you want to transfer your farm to someone you probably shouldn’t wait till you are 70 or 80. Inter generational transfer of farming knowledge is taken for granted by so many but is crucial in agriculture. Go to school all you want but it’s learned on job ultimately and having someone who has seen decades of winters and is able to give advice is invaluable to making a new venture viable.

There ain’t no more farmers kids coming, they are largely all gone. Most new people in farming will not be coming from a recent farm background. Let’s not all forget that farms are best suited to being run by a family, not a publicly traded company. Most farmers want to leave the land better than they found it, whether it’s for their kids or not it’s a point of pride. A company where nobody sees it as their own only looks for their quarterly earnings report.

A beautiful thing about farming is that there is no lying. At the end of the day the land and the livestock always tell the truth. A liar is always found out no matter the justification used.

I can identify with the content of this post. I am in my 70's and still farming single handed, albeit only 100 acres. We have often discussed how we could get a younger person involved but when you look at the facts why would anybody want to do that. The money we live on would not be acceptable to a younger person and we would have all the legal and insurance hassle of another person on the farm so I think I will just carry on until I feel I physically cannot do it any longer, in the meantime getting rid of anything non-essential and tidying up the farm so that I am not too embarrassed at the final sale.

Overby · May 2, 2021

As with most things there's a happy medium or compromise in most instances I would imagine. If the younger generation work alongside the older one and prove themselves, why would there not be pride in the older generation ceding some power happily and watching their offspring thrive (hopefully)?

One thing that boils my water is the amount of old farmers who inherited / got a start early in their life but refuse to allow the next generation the same chance. I have personal experience and it's absolutely pathetic.....most of these types are sheltered little dweebs who've barely left their own postcode but dogmatically cling to their own sense of importance and seem to thrive on misery. I'm not sure what they think will happen when they eventually do roll a 7?

I hope to include my kids all their lives, hopefully educating them along the way (not saying I'm anything special, but anything I learn I'd like to think I'll pass on) and will feel immense pride in giving them some rein when the time comes.

Equally, I don't think age is as much of a factor as people make out. I know plenty of 60 somethings with far more get up and go than many in their 30s and we're all going to be a lot fitter for a lot longer going forward. Age is immaterial compared to actual fitness, mental or physical.

7610 super q · May 2, 2021

Dead Rabbits said:
What would you like to see happen to your place?

Joel salatin books are the main reason I’m in agriculture. Likely solely responsible for more people joining agriculture in the past 2 or 3 decades than any other person in this country.

I want to see it ploughed up with elderly blue tractors for decades.

Dead Rabbits · May 2, 2021

Derrick Hughes said:
I have 7 kids and not one of them want to farm atm
If I did not enjoy farming and all the other stuff I do I would probably pack it in , but when are you supposed to get old ? , feel old ?
I suppose bitterness makes you old

Does not have to be your own offspring ya know

Lowland1 · May 2, 2021

Dead Rabbits said:
What would you like to see happen to your place?

Joel salatin books are the main reason I’m in agriculture. Likely solely responsible for more people joining agriculture in the past 2 or 3 decades than any other person in this country.

The best thing for me has been my wife working alongside me she comes from outside farming although she was working in her own veterinary practice. She has brought a lot of new ideas in because she is always asking questions and she does a lot of reading and research which has brought a lot of benefits to the farm. I’ve stopped doing things because it’s how I’ve always done it and now think a bit more. Whether bringing in a youngster or in our in our case someone from outside I think there’s a benefit.

bobk · May 2, 2021

Derrick Hughes said:
I have 7 kids and not one of them want to farm atm
If I did not enjoy farming and all the other stuff I do I would probably pack it in , but when are you supposed to get old ? , feel old ?
I suppose bitterness makes you old

Sign of a misspent youth .

Dead Rabbits · May 2, 2021

jellybean said:
I can identify with the content of this post. I am in my 70's and still farming single handed, albeit only 100 acres. We have often discussed how we could get a younger person involved but when you look at the facts why would anybody want to do that. The money we live on would not be acceptable to a younger person and we would have all the legal and insurance hassle of another person on the farm so I think I will just carry on until I feel I physically cannot do it any longer, in the meantime getting rid of anything non-essential and tidying up the farm so that I am not too embarrassed at the final sale.

Nothing wrong with that. My “generation” has a lot of negative stereotypes said about them and the thing about stereotypes is some are accurate.

Young people aren’t hungry enough, too many still on the tit. Soft times make for soft people. We also have access to a direct portal into others lives showing us that ours isn’t good enough and we need more(TV but more effectively social media). Never existed before and it hasn’t been around long. What are the consequences of that?

Lowland1 · May 2, 2021

jellybean said:
I can identify with the content of this post. I am in my 70's and still farming single handed, albeit only 100 acres. We have often discussed how we could get a younger person involved but when you look at the facts why would anybody want to do that. The money we live on would not be acceptable to a younger person and we would have all the legal and insurance hassle of another person on the farm so I think I will just carry on until I feel I physically cannot do it any longer, in the meantime getting rid of anything non-essential and tidying up the farm so that I am not too embarrassed at the final sale.

This is a problem to me I believe that younger people who want to farm will do it for a lot less than you think if they can see a future the saddest think for me is seeing smaller farms swallowed up by bigger enterprises because they need a few extra acres to justify their new Fendt etc young people can work for less if they see it as a start.

Bury the Trash · May 2, 2021

Derrick Hughes said:
I have 7 kids and not one of them want to farm atm
If I did not enjoy farming and all the other stuff I do I would probably pack it in , but when are you supposed to get old ? , feel old ?
I suppose bitterness makes you old

Out feeding sheep earlier comevout on to thd Road and there was a chap 8n his 50' s 60s' he had just stopped at the bottom of the hill to switch on ( or something ) his E bike

before disappearing up the ( not steep ) hill ......

(I could do with a hobby to be totally honest.....) and the thought at the time occurred to me that I could take up cycling

Northeastfarmer · May 2, 2021

bobk said:
Sign of a misspent youth .

He can’t of had netflix

suffolksmallholder · May 2, 2021

I'm leaving my children to decide what to do with the place. I listen to them. Ours can stand on its own, just. Up to them to expand or leave as is. I don't have a lot of ground but what I do have is easily managed, well fenced, in good condition, no FP's and I have super neighbours all round. Their choice to run it in wild-life or 'oliday mode or raise some livestock or simply have a pleasant local job that pays the minimal outgoings and continue the transformation from not a lot to quite a lot. I'd love to buy more land and probably could, It's been offered sub £10k, but I'm not willing to sit on a tractor all day and not knowlegable enough to be at the forefront of growing pulses or specialist wheat for baking so I'll just stick with what I know and enjoy the little things like The Pin Mill or The Medway or The Thames Barge race.

plus offering 'oldies' advice to the next generation

Ah, and working part-time in Ipswich which puts a huge smile on my face.
SS

Old folks should chuff off.......

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