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Are Ranchers a dying breed?

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So what is the reason Edwards are selling out are they really selling out or are they just trying to clip a big coupon.Kind of like Hoff's did a few years ago.what a crock....
 
Hoff's did it because they had way too many cows and no grass left after so many years of drought. They dispersed all but a base herd and some bred heifers
 
Jake said:
Hoff's did it because they had way too many cows and no grass left after so many years of drought. They dispersed all but a base herd and some bred heifers
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That's not what their sale flyers said they were done going to retire blah blah blah.I know that it was during the drought but then call it that dontcry and whine so someone digs deep.
 
PureCountry said:
I'd like to throw in on this topic and just say that I don't give a dern about stats or trends. In my area, there are alot of small family farms. Out of 20 or so that I can think of quick, there are many with children, but only 3 with the youngest generation trying to takeover and make a go of it. And those 3 include myself. I'm a rancher and cattleman, have been all my life, that'll never change. I've also worked in the oilpatch since I finished school to pay for my addictive cow habit. But everything I've ever done has always been for the sole purpose of keeping the ranch, and improving it for my kids.

Yeah, it's a business. Yeah, it's gotta be profitable. I'm nobody's fool, and I'm not gonna stretch myself or the wife with off-farm jobs to the point where we're not doing a good job of raising our kids. They come first, and the wife now does her book-keeping from home, b/c we agreed long before we started havin 'em that we weren't gonna have 'em raised by someone else. The day is comin' in the near future (2 years) when I'll be able to stay home and ranch full-time. It's taken alot of change to turn our place around, but we did it. People criticized, scoffed and joked, but when they realized that our beef was going to restaurants and hotel chains while theirs was sellin' for pennies at the local salebarn with the border closed, they started lookin'.

You have to make a profit these days, that's a given. Our society won't change overnight to make it easier on farmers and ranchers, neither one, in Canada or the US! So you have to be forward-thinking, and maybe take the blinders off in some cases, to take a real hard look at what you're doin'. This Lonesome Dove way of life we'd all love to live settin' horseback all day doesn't come without a price and alot of hard work. But, hard work comes no matter how you make your day's dollar, so I'll make mine off the backs of my beeves, and keep workin' to ensure that my kids get a fair shake to do the same when the time comes. I love ranchin', and I'll give it up the day they spread my ashes across the Battle River Hills.

For any of ya who feel the same way, don't give up, even when things are lookin low. Where there's a will, there's a way. And the iron will of the farmer and rancher is what built these 2 friggin countries. One day, our work will be more than worth the while.

Have a good evenin'. :hat:
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Good Luck PC! :)
How are things looking in Canada nowdays in the cattle markets?
 
I probably don't have anything new to add to this topic, except one more voice "preaching to the choir". Every person I now know or ever met in this business has had a different approach to their unique challenges. A lot of the same stories with different twists. I respect every one of them for making it work. It seems like there are less people to do the work than used to be, but when you take into consideration how much more productive modern equipment and methods are I'm not really sure. I guess when it's snowin' and blowin' bad it would be better to have 200 cows to care for than 600, but one man can care for 600 most days faster and better than he could 200 a generation ago, which assumes a great deal in terms of the equipment you're making payments on. However if you are talking a 4020 right now, that same operation probably used an M or a 720 a generation ago.
More on the topic; instead of running ewes and raising chickens to buy the starter ranch, It's more like the outside incomes to support the leased ground and the share cows now. It will be real interesting to see what it takes to get started in 30 years. The main advantage then will be another generations struggles and experiences to learn from.
Yes ranchers are dying every day, but I also believe they are being born as well.
 
Haytrucker,

you are right on, we see constant improvements in feed handling so that it can be a one preson deal. Look at cattle handling equipment. Biggest thing I am seeing is a generation ago, Hydraulic Chutes were in feedlots, Period! More and more ranches are getting them now. And once they use one, they never want to do anything different. Gooseneck stock trailers are another thing that has significantly impacted how things are done,


PPRM
 
Thanks coulee-reese. Markets on calves right now are good. 700lb steers well put-up are bringing $900 Cdn. Bred cows are all over the board. Anywhere from $300-1300. If I had the money, I'd be buyin up some cows for sure. We've got the pasture for it.

Like I said before though, our calves go into a 'specialty' market, so when we wean in February, it'll be interesting to see how prices are. They'll be in that 550-600lb range, and I've already been negotiating with our buyer a bit. We also just made a deal with rkaiser on one of his Galloway herd bulls, so my persistence paid off. I've been buggin the hell out of him callin it 'my bull' for 2 years now, and he finally gave in. We're gonna take him to the Bull Congress in January together and see how much business we can drum up. Probably spend more sailin' with the Captain than we'll make, but you gotta have fun once in awhile. :wink:
 
I don't profess to be any smarter than anyone else but I have looked around for awhile. I appreciate the comments.
 

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