Will your kids take over.

[M-J-G]

Dont want my kids to have to work the hours i have done merely to make an average living

Do you resent those hours or do you like what you do?
I work a lot of hours, but I enjoy it, your kids might too

 

[Clive]

Do you resent those hours or do you like what you do?
I work a lot of hours, but I enjoy it, your kids might too

i enjoy it

but it’s selfish and probably not particularly healthy

 

[livestock 1]

One of my lads is here full time. He was pushed by Mother and me to get educated. He was always keen to farm and nothing would have stopped him. I try not to make it drudgery for him. He is a great asset. Things would be different if he wasn’t here I don’t think I would have as much on. I have another lad and lass younger not sure what direction they will go yet

 

[livestock 1]

Do you resent those hours or do you like what you do?
I work a lot of hours, but I enjoy it, your kids might too

I enjoy my work too. Don’t resent any of it but sometimes do wonder why we do it when making comparisons to others

 

[Fake it ‘til you make it]

When I first took on the tenancy here , upland farmers were well supported with all sort of schemes for cows, sheep but most importantly for the man doing the work. Nowadays the sudsidy is on the way out, big business has amalgamated unchequed for years so they have a stranglehold on all our businesses, government no longer cares about farmers only environmentalists and the media are working very hard to destroy the image of our once great industry.
Years ago I would have supported my lad into the industry but now he is told he needs another trade to run alongside a farm if he wants to take on the tenancy so he has another income stream. Which begs the question if farmers have to diversify or work off farm to survive ......why bother to farm. I will add that if I owned a large farm outright then I would be more confident going forward but I think small family units will be finished within 10 years.

Farming owned land part time alongside a full time job makes a bit of sense, in terms of keeping the asset in the family. I fully agree that trying to juggle a tenancy for a substantial farming operation alongside a career outside of farming is less attractive.

 

[M-J-G]

I enjoy my work too. Don’t resent any of it but sometimes do wonder why we do it when making comparisons to others

Just like me, but then I ask myself if I'd swap for a job in another industry, and I wouldn't.

 

[livestock 1]

Sometimes I think that we all have a view that what we do is very hard work because it’s long hours and we have to do things many would not.
Working as a plasterer or on an assembly line for 36 hours a week would be harder for me

 

[teslacoils]

I'll be honest now and say my daddy working 100hr weeks on the farm to build it up for us, with the best of intents, is probably what most put me off doing it.

If the only time you see your father while growing up is seeing him asleep in the chair; dragging you to the seaside as it pisses it down all summer; or when he takes you to market to sell stock for cashflow to get through to harvest, then don't be surprised if you child thinks "sod this for lark".

 

[Henarar]

No cos I don't have any.
Perhaps someone else's will take over.
In the meantime I wouldn't discourage anyone it seems to me to be a great way to live, I didn't really want to do much else,
I see lots of folk in their cars every day stuck in traffic trying to get to and from work and have no envy for them or their way of life

 

[Boysground]

Always told my kids to do what they want as long as they are happy me and Mrs Bg don’t care. Our daughter is steadily working her way to being a lawyer she has never wanted to farm. Son is a full on cow geek, currently working on a very large dairy in Canada but Covid permitting is coming home to work in the business this year, we have a plan that will keep him very occupied and improve what we do. He still has ideas of a masters degree which I would have no problem with him doing.

We were talking last night about the lack of respect for farmers in this country, last week he went into his local supermarket wearing his farm kit all with logos from the business. They gave him a free lunch in the cafe as he was helping feed the nation. Over here I often avoid telling people what I do and certainly go out of my way not to look like a typical farmer. This is probably what would keep junior in Canada and not come home.

We will just have to see

Bg

 

[Clive]

I'll be honest now and say my daddy working 100hr weeks on the farm to build it up for us, with the best of intents, is probably what most put me off doing it.

If the only time you see your father while growing up is seeing him asleep in the chair; dragging you to the seaside as it pisses it down all summer; or when he takes you to market to sell stock for cashflow to get through to harvest, then don't be surprised if you child thinks "sod this for lark".

same here

reason i had no interest in livestock was because I saw how hard my dad had to work, how hard it was to go on holiday or spend time with his family etc

 

[Spud]

I will add that if I owned a large farm outright then I would be more confident going forward but I think small family units will be finished within 10 years.

If I didn't have rent to pay, things would obviously be easier, but I disagree with your last statement - very often it is the large agribusinesses with lots of managers and high rent FBT land 'to spread costs' that disappear in tough times - family farms, particularly those bought & paid for and no employed staff can often weather the storms better than anybody.

As for me, I have two daughters, 10 & 13. At the moment, the youngest is the most likely to follow me, her sister more academic, never shown any interest. I used to get comments about my lack of a son, meaning I had no heir - nonsense, I have two heirs. It's never bothered me one jot, as long as my kids are happy and healthy doing something they enjoy, I'll support them whatever. If that happens to be farming alongside me, then that'll be a nice bonus. I'm one of the lucky people in the world that knew what I wanted to do from a very young age, some people still have no idea at 40, but it's not for everyone.

If I at 44 need my kids in the business to justify my decisions, then I'm making the wrong decisions.

 

[hally]

same here

reason i had no interest in livestock was because I saw how hard my dad had to work, how hard it was to go on holiday or spend time with his family etc

I think that’s the issue, I don’t regret the hours but around here the farms have very little labour due to the returns of the last few years, yet when I started all the farms locally had staff. Thereby the pressure at lambing/ calving is greater and there is no regular time off. Certainly the economics of employing staff on a farm nowadays is building up problems for the future. I have always enjoyed the job and wouldn’t do anything else but I can’t see a way forward for the next generation on smaller livestock farms, only a ball and chain so you would really have to love the job.

 

[Hilly]

I find the actual day to day work great quite happy , it’s all the bull sh!t paper work that’s been inflicted upon us after I started I resent , I hate it , all the talking about carbon and all rules regs years and years of uncertainty with brexit now subsidy etc been a thinker it wears me out

 

[hally]

If I didn't have rent to pay, things would obviously be easier, but I disagree with your last statement - very often it is the large agribusinesses with lots of managers and high rent FBT land 'to spread costs' that disappear in tough times - family farms, particularly those bought & paid for and no employed staff can often weather the storms better than anybody.

As for me, I have two daughters, 10 & 13. At the moment, the youngest is the most likely to follow me, her sister more academic, never shown any interest. I used to get comments about my lack of a son, meaning I had no heir - nonsense, I have two heirs. It's never bothered me one jot, as long as my kids are happy and healthy doing something they enjoy, I'll support them whatever. If that happens to be farming alongside me, then that'll be a nice bonus. I'm one of the lucky people in the world that knew what I wanted to do from a very young age, some people still have no idea at 40, but it's not for everyone.

If I at 44 need my kids in the business to justify my decisions, then I'm making the wrong decisions.

I was more thinking of the 1000ac owner occupied family stock farm tbh, no big scale arable around here but I get your point. My lad is very keen on machinery whilst my daughter is very good with stock so realistically would be a good team together but the spot wouldn’t be big enough for two families. My own family aren’t farmers so I do have some insight into incomes and non farming lifestyles and it is a bit of an eye opener, we just haven’t kept pace.

 

[johnb5555]

Seeing the hours my parents worked and myself, more organised now, was one of the reasons I never had kids.
Though I now find myself 2 afternoons a week with step grandson feeding pet lambs or playing pirates. He'd better not get farming bug I wanna retire healthy and see the world

 

[hally]

The big problem with having another trade alongside the farm, is the succession rules specify earning all your income from the holding to qualify .

Not to mention having to work on the farm for a good few years before you are eligible even to apply.

 

[Hilly]

I think that’s the issue, I don’t regret the hours but around here the farms have very little labour due to the returns of the last few years, yet when I started all the farms locally had staff. Thereby the pressure at lambing/ calving is greater and there is no regular time off. Certainly the economics of employing staff on a farm nowadays is building up problems for the future. I have always enjoyed the job and wouldn’t do anything else but I can’t see a way forward for the next generation on smaller livestock farms, only a ball and chain so you would really have to love the job.

Used to be 12 employed men up my valley in the 90s none now , each farmer on his own , it’s shyt now , used to be real characters and places were immaculate tidy etc .

 

[hally]

Used to be 12 employed men up my valley in the 90s none now , each farmer on his own , it’s shyt now , used to be real characters and places were immaculate tidy etc .

Yeah I served my time on a big outfit in the north east, there was a gang of us and good crack at bait times, nobody employed now, a lot of it carved up and rented off, landlords creaming off all the payments that were ment to support these rural communities.

 

[Hilly]

Boils my pee all the money is in arable and veg , they have easy land to farm easy job , livestock men have hard land and hard work and kept down like pesants .