Do people think Ranching is easy? Check out what John Q Public thinks

[Smoke4320]

a jack of all trades , some luck , and some really good help (wife, hopefully some kids)

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Maybe he just wants to be a cattle Guard ? ?

[tygar]

Even though I've done little ranch work, it's painfully obvious that nowadays, if you're a small family operation, ranching has to be a labor of love, since if you divide up your net-net profits by the number of hours worked, you're probably lucky if you're making minimum wage.

Also, to most urban dwellers, ranching is just riding around on a horse all day long, when in fact much of it is repairing fences, gates, barns, trucks, tractors and other assorted machinery. Oh, and don't forget that because of the inherent dangers to people and livestock, you have to be a doctor and veterinarian too.

Yes it is. I've been lucky. Being in the military & being able to have small farms/ranches most of the time. Working full time, going to school, running a farm & bleacher butt from 3 kids keeps you busy.

Fixing fence cause of those dam angus & fixing fence cause of those gd dam angus & fixing fence cause of those bleep bleep angus, really sucks.

Really miss the horses & cows + a couple sheep & pigs. We talk about fencing some of our acreage frequently & putting some livestock on it. Then we think about it. Then we laugh about it. Then we forget about it.

But, I sure wish I could still ride, just to busted up. Rode my first bucking horse at about six. Had my Appy stud for 33yrs. Just loved that old horse.

Sure could use some of those Simental x cows throwing 100+lb calves now with beef so hi. Think the highest I ever got was $57 or 58.

Don't know how people can make it with pigs now (or for the last 30+ yrs) unless you grow your own grain. I had a farrowing operation & grain from the farmers went from $17 to $55 in less than a year & the price of wieners went up only $2 & grain never came down. Couldn't do any butcher hogs except for our own consumption after that.

But still miss the old farm. Best life in the world.

[starmac]

The simental crosses is some of the ornriest cattle I have worked, especially simbrays. gees I don't miss them.

[Three44s]

I am a rancher/farmer. We run beef cattle and run our calves out to yearlings. We raise more hay than we need and sell the surplus ....... mostly to horse accounts.


I have never tried to second guess how hard someone else works ....... it's none of my business.

Ranching and farming has gotten physically easier than it was several years ago. The mechanization has caused this.

The downside is the bureacracy!

It seems like every time you turn around ....... there is a new bullseye on your back.

The other scary thing is how few people know where their food comes from ........ there is always some ding-a-ling measure up for vote somewhere that threats the existence of agriculture and we are in the cross hairs again ....... and AGAIN!

What I would like is to take a nice long vacation and when the clueless folks run out of food .........

............ we'll ...... talk


As a fellow ag person ........ I really tip my hat to Dairymen ........ I simply could not stand the monotony!

I let our calves milk our cows ......... they like it that way and so do I!!!!

My fences are not torn down much by my cattle ........ rather .......... it's ELK and PEOPLE!

The elk are bound and determined to eat our alfalfa, in the field and the hay stack ....... and the people are not skilled enough to stay in the road!

Best regards

Three 44s

[Hardcast416taylor]

We were operating 3 farms totaling 600+ acres when Dad died. I was 13 at the time, my brother was 5 yr. older and just started in at MSU. Mom had a frail heart, but did what she could as did my 10 yr. old sister. We had 2 full time hired hands that both quit the next Spring - didn`t like a 14 yr. old as a boss. We milked 40 Holstines, had a swine operation supplying Farmer Peet packing and a lot of young cattle and crops land. I managed to stay in school besides running all 3 farms. I was smoking Lucky`s at age 15. Finally got 2 more hired hands that worked for me fairly well. By the time I graduated HS at age 18 my Mom had almost died from a heart attack and my sister hurt in a car accident. We square baled about 25K of all 3 cuttings, straw was about 11K or so. It was all handled by hand, no fancy machine loaders. Silage was another chore putting up, especially if it was muddy. A month after I graduated HS my Mom surprised everybody by announcing I was going to college and everything on the farm was being auctioned off and the 2 rented farms were being dropped! She cash rented the farm till 1990 when she died. I went 2 years in college till my money ran out, no scholarships, so I went into the job market and finally plumbing for the final 35 1/2 yr.before retiring in `03. Along the way I met a German gal that I married and we still are 46 years later along with 4 kids. We lost our Marine son 3 years back.Robert

[tygar]

The simental crosses is some of the ornriest cattle I have worked, especially simbrays. gees I don't miss them.

Yep but they throw big az calves that put on a bunch of weight & can go 1200+ easy in a yr. You just can't beat the leg they put under a calve.

I would use the angus bulls for open heifers, herford for cows & to cross the sims, or a sim bull on white face & a friend had a 1/2 sim bull that we would run. We always swapped bulls around. My angus to them for open heifers, & the sims would be passed around & we all had herfords. The white face calm them down a lot & soon they are all 50-50 or 25-75.

It is amazing how so many people havn't a clue where their food comes from. I swear to god some of them some of them think meat comes magically in packages for the stores.

Here's something to get your attention. One year I had 3 sets of twins out of a group of 26 second & third calf cows, all survived & did well.

Man, get some old country boys talking about livestock & it can really go on.

To make it part of CB, I have on occasion killed a pig or 2 with my .44 with 240 keiths.

[smokeywolf]

Hardcast416taylor, you and your family are the lifeblood of this Country. You, your family members and those like you are the ones who make this Country what it once was. It's a dirty shame the Gov't. jack@sses don't acknowledge that and put your/our interests above those of their owners.

smokeywolf

[762 shooter]

Most people think that other people have it easy. Most people think that others make more money than they actually do.

Onlookers tell me all the time that I have an easy job.

I tell them that I don't have an easy job, I just make it look easy.

762

[starmac]

I will admit I have an easy job, it just doesn't get much easier than sitting on your butt driving a truck. lol

[smokeywolf]

I will admit I have an easy job, it just doesn't get much easier than sitting on your butt driving a truck. lol

Maybe... But you have to put up with an awful lot of idiots.
Back in '74-'75, spent a year and a half driving a '73 Pete conventional and a '71 KW cab-over. Wouldn't want to do that now.

smokeywolf

[starmac]

Why do you think I choose to drive in Ak, not near as crowded, and natural selection works a little better here too. lol

[tommag]

Maybe... But you have to put up with an awful lot of idiots.
Back in '74-'75, spent a year and a haliving a '73 Pete conventional and a '71 KW cab-over. Wouldn't want to do that now.

smokeywolf

I have shied away from the post emissions (2013 and newer). If you drove a 2012 truck, you would be amazed! The first truck I bought was a 1977 international. There is no comparison between the 70's and today!

[shdwlkr]

Yep working with animals must be an easy job.
I remember a day like today rainy, cold and miserable day, we were going to get the mower, rake and bailer ready for haying. Well first the bull got out of his pen and went traveling, when I got him back, yes I did it myself, he liked me I fed him, talked to him and always made sure he had lots of water. Then the cows decided it was there turn to travel and messed up a lot of fence and yes we got them in and fence fixed. Soaked, cold and tired we went changed into dry clothes, had some hot chocolate and went back to working on the machinery. Came milking time and a thunder storm moved in and that ended the electric power so we milked 65 cows by hand, what fun, never saw my fingers so big in my life or hurt so much either.

Yep working with animals is fun, forget the manure spreader acting up in pouring rain and you are out in the field or up to your butt in snow, the gutter cleaner breaks so you get to shovel all that lovely stuff into the spreader, or the blower clogs so you have 80 feet of pipe to bring down and clean and put back up so you can finish unloading the truck, or the truck with a load of hay blows a few tires that now need replaced, or the brakes that suddenly don't work as good as they should and you are going down hill.

Getting up at 3:30am so you can begin milking at 4:30 am after feeding the cows and graining them, then cleaning the milking equipment, getting the cows out, cleaning the stall areas and still find time to eat breakfast and get to school on time.

Would like to have my own farm/ranch again not so much for the great income that goes with having one as much as getting back to the land. The smell of fresh cut hay, the full barn of good quality hay, the animals coming to see if you are going to drop a salt lick or not, the calves and the antics they get into, the sunsets and nights with no other lights around but those around the barn, house and shop area. The sounds of nature at both ends of the day.

Most of all I would like to end my journey in this life sitting in the seat some farm equipment instead of hospital bed or nursing home just waiting for the end to come and take me out of this miserable existence.

Don't forget everything you see in the store be it meat, fish, veggies all comes from the back of the store we don't need farms to produce any of these things, Heard a mother telling her kids this one day. Another weathered individual who was next to me said it never was that way when I was growing up. I returned that when I was growing up steaks were walking around the farm until we hung them up and gutted them and skinned them and ended up with either 2 halves of an animal or 4 quarters and I usually got to carry a quarter home to my folks if things were going good on the farm.

Yep farming or ranching is easy today you sit and watch tv, drink alcohol and ride in your convertible when the sun is out. The animals take care of themselves, load themselves onto the trucks, slaughter themselves and even rap and toss themselves into the freezer so you can go pick out what you want for dinner. No getting wet, covered in manure, dirt and sweat anymore it is all automated don't you know.

Yea farming or ranching is a whole lot easier today just ask Mr Bundy in Nevada

[tygar]

Yep working with animals must be an easy job.
I remember a day like today rainy, cold and miserable day, we were going to get the mower, rake and bailer ready for haying. Well first the bull got out of his pen and went traveling, when I got him back, yes I did it myself, he liked me I fed him, talked to him and always made sure he had lots of water. Then the cows decided it was there turn to travel and messed up a lot of fence and yes we got them in and fence fixed. Soaked, cold and tired we went changed into dry clothes, had some hot chocolate and went back to working on the machinery. Came milking time and a thunder storm moved in and that ended the electric power so we milked 65 cows by hand, what fun, never saw my fingers so big in my life or hurt so much either.

Yep working with animals is fun, forget the manure spreader acting up in pouring rain and you are out in the field or up to your butt in snow, the gutter cleaner breaks so you get to shovel all that lovely stuff into the spreader, or the blower clogs so you have 80 feet of pipe to bring down and clean and put back up so you can finish unloading the truck, or the truck with a load of hay blows a few tires that now need replaced, or the brakes that suddenly don't work as good as they should and you are going down hill.

Getting up at 3:30am so you can begin milking at 4:30 am after feeding the cows and graining them, then cleaning the milking equipment, getting the cows out, cleaning the stall areas and still find time to eat breakfast and get to school on time.

Would like to have my own farm/ranch again not so much for the great income that goes with having one as much as getting back to the land. The smell of fresh cut hay, the full barn of good quality hay, the animals coming to see if you are going to drop a salt lick or not, the calves and the antics they get into, the sunsets and nights with no other lights around but those around the barn, house and shop area. The sounds of nature at both ends of the day.

Most of all I would like to end my journey in this life sitting in the seat some farm equipment instead of hospital bed or nursing home just waiting for the end to come and take me out of this miserable existence.

Don't forget everything you see in the store be it meat, fish, veggies all comes from the back of the store we don't need farms to produce any of these things, Heard a mother telling her kids this one day. Another weathered individual who was next to me said it never was that way when I was growing up. I returned that when I was growing up steaks were walking around the farm until we hung them up and gutted them and skinned them and ended up with either 2 halves of an animal or 4 quarters and I usually got to carry a quarter home to my folks if things were going good on the farm.

Yep farming or ranching is easy today you sit and watch tv, drink alcohol and ride in your convertible when the sun is out. The animals take care of themselves, load themselves onto the trucks, slaughter themselves and even rap and toss themselves into the freezer so you can go pick out what you want for dinner. No getting wet, covered in manure, dirt and sweat anymore it is all automated don't you know.

Yea farming or ranching is a whole lot easier today just ask Mr Bundy in Nevada

That is a definite no shtr.

[Bad Water Bill]

I have shied away from the post emissions (2013 and newer). If you drove a 2012 truck, you would be amazed! The first truck I bought was a 1977 international. There is no comparison between the 70's and today!

The first TRUCK I drove was at N A S Oceana Va in 1956.

They needed someone to haul 10,000 gal of JP to the asreoplaines.

Had to get "another " license.

Got in the cab with the Sea Bee instructor and away we went down the dirt road.

After several stops where I must have ground off 5# of gear meat each time he decided I might not be the problem.

He climbed behind the wheel and finished up what I had started or helped along.

We walked back a couple miles to the office where I was given "another" license and the instructor got in a wrecker to tow the gas truck and all of the pieces of the transmission (they were generously scattered all over the road) back to the shop.

All the while I was walking back ,slapping swarms of mosquitoes,dodging hugh mud holes,sweating like a pig I was wondering how much brig time I was looking at for destroying gov property(just out of boot camp 4 weeks will do that to you) till we hit the office and another sea bee congratulated us for FINALLY putting an end to that &%^$ truck and the miserable ^&&$#% trannie.

Yup Big old floor shifter no power steering,AC or power breaks .

Do not hit those breaks very hard son or just a few gal of JP will come slushing out to give you a very refreshing shower.

MEMORIES of the good old days.

[shdwlkr]

Bad water bill
The first thing I ever drove was a farmall H that didn't fit my short legs well so the father-in-law went and drilled holes in the pedals of his farmall M that was on the place and put wood blocks enough on the pedals so I could reach them. That was my tractor for a few years until I began to grow some.

I was a runt and yes bullying was alive and well even 50 plus years ago. When I hit 15 I began to grow went from a little over 5 feet and 125 pounds to 5 foot 8 inches and 180 pounds the bullying slowed down some and in college it totally ended when I hit 6 foot 4 inches and 265 pounds. I was the smallest in height and weight among my friends at college. Military took me down to 175 pounds in 8 weeks and still had my height and enjoyed all the climbing they wanted us want to be airborne ranger types. I had to climb up on the pole tower to get a friend of mine that froze 40 feet in the air. He was short legged and the poles were a long step for him. I walked it backwards helping him get across. Got yelled at by the Major when I got down, but he was more pleased we didn't lose anyone on the confidence course that day. He also told me I was nuts to have gone after my friend, but I informed him leaving someone behind was not my style. Yes my friend passed the confidence course by following me through my second time of doing it. yes the old days glad they are in the past. Today you would never get away with some of the I did way back when.
My first truck was a '37 chevy 2 1/2 ton with 2spd rear axle that we would put way more than that on it when haying. then I moved up to the big truck a '56 dodge with 2spd rear axle and it would out run the '37 all day long and I could carry twice the load and did. Then I moved on to bigger trucks that had 18 wheels and whole lot more gears.

[smokeywolf]

Never hauled liquid; at least not in a tanker. Never got the endorsement to my license. The only liquid I hauled was in a 40 ft. box filled with little cans and bottles that had Michelob and Schlitz on the labels.

[HollandNut]

don't want no tanker , stick to my reefers and dry boxes ..

We hadda couple wore out Farmall H's and M's , big pulley on the side for the PTO to run the grainers and the like

47 or 48 GMC 2 1/2 ton with the starter in the floor by the gas pedal , is what I learned to drive in , old scoundrel probly wouldn't hit 50 mph tops , but it'd pull anything ya had a mind to hook to it ..

[shooterg]

A farm is a great place to grow up, but a tough way to earn a living nowadays. On 250 acres we had about all you could pack on it - with 1100 chickens Gramps useta pull the back seat out of the 50 Dodge and haul crates of eggs to local restaurants on Saturdays until he got a 1954 Ford truck, then put the seat back in so he could haul us to the Southern Baptist church he preached in on Sunday ! Useta could sell eggs/meat/jelly to the townfolk, no hassle. Now ya gotta have permits to breathe. Still have 80 acres of the old place, but it's woods and pasture and shooting range now !