As long as there is land there will be somebody caring for it. Things have changed so much during my life time. Grandpa could make a living weaning 400 pound calves off of his 200 cows and pay land payments. You cannot do that since land has gone up 1000%, wolves are eating your would be profits, the neighbors have all sold out to subdivisions, the environs are watching your every move and sueing at the drop of a hat. The family farm can only support so many, and at the inflated land prices, you cannot get bigger, brother is the golden child so I left. I refuse to give up, this is all I have ever cared to do. Got to the end of grad school with a Masters in Animal Nutrition and I had offers that paid well to get a PhD with a good guy and a guaranteed job for wifey. All I could see was once I have that piece of paper, we would be stuck in a college CITY forever. Don't be so fast to criticize Corps or out of state owners, they want people like us to take care of their land for them because we know how. That is why most of the people that I went to grad school with are running ranches. Are they not families? The ranch to our north is the same as this one, hunter bought and paid for but leased out to a FAMILY to run cows on. The family ranch will never go away, the ownership of the land is changing. We cannot buy land at $500 per acre, where it takes 30 acres to run a cow but we can lease it from someone and make it. Unlike the normal person, even ranchers, we grow all of the food that we can, it just takes some effort from us. We just spent 4 months of time working with our wonderful FSA to secure loans for this lease. That stupid a#####e had put into our budget $48,000 for our personal living expenses. They are suppossed to be there to help the "family" ranch stay in business. If I lived on 48K a year you would be seeing me at the NFR for all ten nights eating lobster. I better shut up now but I am going to leave you with this poem.
Why I am a Rancher
A friend of mine stopped by the ranch, out from the city for a day,
I was just finishing up the chores, and feeding my cows some hay.
First thing he asked me, "why do you work so hard, why do you do this you fool,
You don't even use the degrees you have, from all those years in school.
Why every time I see you, you're working at that or this.
You never have time for any fun, something you surely must miss.
You need to come with me, and go back into the city.
What you're doing here for money, quite frankly it's a pity.
I can get you a real good job, with pay that's really high,
With days off and benefits, and there will be nothing that you can't buy."
You just listen to me, and I'll tell you just what living in these hills is all about.
That's when I told him so that he could maybe understand,
Wealth Yes all these things you tell me are true, I said, that I'll never doubt,
isn't just something that you can hold within your hand.
Yes we do work hard, sometimes way past dark thirty,
And yes some days can be ugly, and well some, their just not pretty.
Yeah, it would be nice, not to worry about paying bills and such,
But I love being outside, and working with the animals too much.
There's a thousand mouths awaiting, every morning to be fed,
It's a very humbling feeling, without you they'd probably all be dead.
There is a simple satisfaction, working with animals and the land,
Good ole Mother Nature, she at times can be so grand.
Out on this ranch, I have the privilege, of working with my wife and kids,
When we were working cows yesterday, you should of seen what the youngest did.
Her and that old cow horse, they cut that cow just right,
Put her where she belonged and closed the gate up tight.
That girl had me so puffed up with pride, I could hardly speak,
Had to ride away, so she wouldn't see me wipe a tear off my cheek.
Poor kids, they have to ride that bus, a little over an hour to get to school,
And being this far out, they don't get to do all the things that are cool.
Funny thing, their friends from town, they all want to come out here,
They get to play with all the animals and see the elk and deer.
On second thought, I guess my kids aren't that deprived,
They get to experience real living, not TV, and they know how to ride.
Now many people will tell you, never to work with your spouse,
And I will have to admit, sometimes I can be such a louse.
Cause sometimes working with cows, they don't follow directions all that well,
They can be quite dumb, and they can even make some people yell.
But being in the calving barn, bringing a new calf to life,
The only one I want next to me has got to be my wife
You know, this is a hard life, wouldn't trade it for anything here on earth,
it's all of the simplest things that give this life it's worth.
Like eating foods that were grown, nurtured from your own hands,
Seeing the rains, watching the green grass, grow upon the lands.
Sometimes it is so hard, you feel like giving up,
That is when you need some little thing, like a Corgi pup.
Oh, look at that sunset, all red and blue and gold, now coming into place,
You should see it from the back of a horse, with a cool breeze upon your face.
Listen to all those birds singing and hear those coyotes howl,
Being able to listen to the cows bawling, and the plain silence, just as well.
Sit on the back porch with your wife, and listen to those owls hoot
Being able to look up at the stars in a clear night sky, you see, to me that's real loot.
Well friend I guess you should be going, get on back into town,
Stop in again, should you happen to be coming around.
Oh, and thanks for reminding me of all the wonders I have witnessed,
And for all that have been given me, I am most surely blessed.
By the way, as for money, little am I worth,
But with real riches, I am the richest man on earth.
there are so many people kids included that would love to have the chance, too many of the kids that have grown up on the ranch want something different. Son wants to come home to the ranch now that he has seen boot camp as does others in his platoon. JB is right about the kids need to go out and make their way so they see what they have and where they came from, there are so many kids that want the chance and never get it. I got it, I will not squander it. Probably the best thing that has happened to me in my life is my granny running me off to make sure her golden one got the ranch, it made me get what I have by hard work and determination, JUST GIT HER DONE.
Many of the family ranches out our way are giving up the ghost and selling out to real estate agents who are only interested in sub-dividing and making a bundle!!! Too often, kids leave the ranch, head off to college and realize there are "easier" ways of making a living....ways that include health insurance, paid vacations, paid holidays, weekends off, retirement plans, etc. etc. etc!! Out of 21 kids in the hubby's family, only 3 are still involved in agriculture!! The others left the ranch and did not much look back! How very, very sad!! 
