- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It's funny what you can do without, if you don't know that you're meant to have it.I've a number of mates taking on their parents farms this year. With all the baggage that goes with it. (Multiple tractors, endless buildings, ongoing contracts, important outgoings etc etc). Many get a decent push from their parents financially and/or with work. (Some don't.)
I didn't have this advantage and travelled round the whole country for two years before finding the farm best suited to my GOALS.
(ended up being 10 mins up the road)
But it means I get that clean sheet, can choose my investments and can put my cash in to something that actually produces revenue like cattle and not those horrible, smelly, shiny things that go brummm.
P.S.
GOALS are really important. We don't talk about them often enough. It has been an important part of both my personal and professional development process. Interesting mini project - Ask your farming friends (and yourselves) why you are farming and what do you want to achieve? It's not such an easy question to answer!
Agreed, the "set in stone" operations around here are all hand-me-down farmers too, because although they may have flash gear, they aren't actually making much for themselves.
I have a couple of old tractors that owe me about £4000 for the pair, and that's including repairs and maintenance over 3 years.
So it doesn't hurt them parked full of fuel and spiders so long as they go when they need to go!
They are family heirlooms so they would likely still be here if I didn't need them at all, which is about where it's headed in future.
It's really just because I have a tunnelhouse that means I can double-up with cattle over the winter, and the odd fallen branch that needs picked up.. otherwise we used much much more fuel being people than being in agriculture - my farm fuel for the year fits easily in two drums.
My goals are to be as unreliant on outside sources of energy as possible, to have a lot of fun, make a good profit every year and try to spread the faith as far and wide as I can.
Otherwise I may as well just take my money to town.