Green Horn
- Thread starter hgbonz23
- Start date
back to the topic (sorry HB23).................but still related to my smartbutt hijack................when I did get work, alot of it involved ridin a fencin wagon, tractor or the like...I get the impression ("sit a horse just fine & strapt to the back of flesh & bone")yall are lookin at more of the cowboyin than the ranching. I'm sure most of the for-real ranchers on here are going to tell yall that there is a difference and you better figure out exactly what yall want first.
FWIW
FWIW
Cowboying and Ranching are not two sides of the same coin, although both have their challenges and respective rewards. If you want to ranch you do not have to own land (and may not even have to own cows). There are several successful operations I know of that started this way.
the_jersey_lilly_2000
Well-known member
hgbonz23 said:Wow, thank you for your wonderful feed back...I app. your honesty...tho not very encouraging...I'll take it if it's honest!
Would just like to learn the ropes, that's all...I don't mind a male helpin' me out a bit...I can take criticism...I was in the Army...that's all you get and most the time from men.I'm not sayin' I am tryin' to become the next leading lady rancher, just thought about becomin' a hand somewhere, pen rider, cattle chaser...just in love with the cowboy way. I'm broke now, and I have a husband...well sort of. ON THE ROCKS. Anyway, atleast I know I can get to point "in here" that's what I like!
Thanks again, ya'll are great.
Pen rider, cattle chaser. I'd suggest a job at a salebarn or a feedlot. But not many ranchers want their cattle "chased". I'm sure you didn't mean that literally, but if your serious in this business, one small comment like that could be the difference between gettin hired, or lookin somewhere else.
My comment on the physical aspect, wasn't necessarily meant as meaning a "woman's physical strength" but rather, there's many things that hafta be repaired, that I myself can't fix, for the simple fact that I don't have the knowledge to do it myself. Mr Lilly on the other hand, can fix just about anything that breaks down. I can fix fence, I can dr a cow....can I repair a baler? No...I don't know how, can I fix a tractor...a few of the smaller things I can handle......major break down, No I can't. Same goes with a ranch vehicle. I can manage a flat tire....changin the oil and filters...regular maintenance. But as far as fixin somethin when it's broke. No I don't have the knowledge. I'd hafta pay someone to do it for me, If I were doin this alone.
You mentioned you were married, but didn't say how your husband fits into the big picture of "ranching".
I don't think anyone's comments here are really meant to deter you from ranching, it's just somethin you don't wanna go into without knowing the full picture, so to speak. It's not all glamorous and just ridin your horse pushin cows. It's all the small day to day fixit's that make up most of the work on a ranch. We work cows three times a year. Once in the spring, once durin the early summer to work calves, then once in the fall when we sell calves. So ya might say three days outta the year, is when we have our "hands on" time. The rest is all just workin to feed em, fencing, pasture maintenance, etc. Plus Mr Lilly works a full time job, to pay the real bills. LOL I do most of the fence maintenance, checkin on em when we are calvin, pairin them up after we work the calves, and just keepin a general eye out for any potential problems that I can't handle on my own. Since this was "my idea" I feel an obigation to do these things, but I enjoy it so it's not really like work to me.
gcreekrch
Well-known member
HAY MAKER said:
You gotta look on the bright side Haymaker, at least you're not breaking anything down and having to repair machinery.
Blkbuckaroo
Well-known member
Well i'll throw two or three cents in here also.First if you want'a be horse back more then on a tractor say,find a cowboy outfit where that's all ya' do.Somewhere like Elko,Nevada or other places in Montana or Texas that have lots of country to cover and horsebacks the only way to do it.There's still a few out there.But if you're looking to be a hand on a regular family outfit,roll up your sleeves and have an open mind about things,cause like everyone mentioned, ranching in and of it self is a multi-facited career.One minute your moving cattle,or sheep,fixing fence,building fence,same for corrals,preparing ground for haying or any other crop grown,planting,harvesting,stacking,storing,feeding out,welding,moving snow,getting fire wood in,manure spreading,calving,lambing,foaling,running erands,paperwork,auctions,carpentry,irrigation,predator control,water monitoring,paying bills,lot of bills 
,keeping everything going smoothly,when mother nature and all the elements say otherwise.It's a glamourous life :wink: .The difference between a Cowboy and Rancher,well one of the differences is a cowboy works for a Rancher,they come and go like the seasons,many of them.They don't own the land,animals,and they don't pay the bills,so the can tend to be somewhat nomadic in nature.Where as a Rancher owns the outfit usually has a family to support is rooted and grounded to his land,makes the decisions that affect the sucess of the operation and it's longevity,pending any disaters and more laws and regs that make it almost impossible to break even.Take it from me,i work landscaping,start colts,snow removal,day work,firewood,and anything else that brings an income(legal of course :wink: )that allows me to continue in this ranching game i love,and at the end of the day i still have to come home and do all the above.Be open to the possibilities,know what your signing up for,and make sure your family will be as happy in your new conquest as you are,or it won't be very rewarding.Very best of luck to ya' 8) .
,keeping everything going smoothly,when mother nature and all the elements say otherwise.It's a glamourous life :wink: .The difference between a Cowboy and Rancher,well one of the differences is a cowboy works for a Rancher,they come and go like the seasons,many of them.They don't own the land,animals,and they don't pay the bills,so the can tend to be somewhat nomadic in nature.Where as a Rancher owns the outfit usually has a family to support is rooted and grounded to his land,makes the decisions that affect the sucess of the operation and it's longevity,pending any disaters and more laws and regs that make it almost impossible to break even.Take it from me,i work landscaping,start colts,snow removal,day work,firewood,and anything else that brings an income(legal of course :wink: )that allows me to continue in this ranching game i love,and at the end of the day i still have to come home and do all the above.Be open to the possibilities,know what your signing up for,and make sure your family will be as happy in your new conquest as you are,or it won't be very rewarding.Very best of luck to ya' 8) .Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Good post BBRoo but I'm tired just reading it. :wink:
Blkbuckaroo
Well-known member
Me too!And i left a bunch of stuff out :wink:Big Muddy rancher said:Good post BBRoo but I'm tired just reading it. :wink:
kolanuraven
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
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Blkbuckaroo said:Me too!And i left a bunch of stuff out :wink:Big Muddy rancher said:Good post BBRoo but I'm tired just reading it. :wink:
Plus, you forgot to mention BlkBRoo.....all this starts before daylight....and ends after daylight... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Blkbuckaroo
Well-known member
Amen sister,and without further ado,i'm off to feed and bring in some more fire wood.Then open up a bottle of Merlot.Membership has it's priviledges :wink: :roll: .kolanuraven said:Blkbuckaroo said:Me too!And i left a bunch of stuff out :wink:Big Muddy rancher said:Good post BBRoo but I'm tired just reading it. :wink:
Plus, you forgot to mention BlkBRoo.....all this starts before daylight....and ends after daylight... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
per
Well-known member
Blkbuckaroo said:
All those good California wines and you pick a French one? :?
SMN Herf
Well-known member
A lot of good advice given. One other thing to consider is to work as a vet assistant. You wil learn alot about caring for animals and you get a chance to see if you like doing it and you get a chance to visit lots of operations and see how various people do things.
Brian
Brian
MsSage
Well-known member
Are you willing to take the trash out, sweap the floors, mop, wash bottles, clean waterers, LOL good gawd sounds like a housewife.
Have you really thought about what your wanting to do? Do you have children and are they young? Forget spending any time with them. Hubby is on the rocks well might as well get the divorce going now cuz working on a ranch/farm it will do nothing but get worse.
Yeah I will admit I work on a Dairy but I prob spend more time "working" cows then some beef ranchers. But thats done everyday and afoot. Picking up calves, moving mom, processing the calf and getting her to eat. Our calves are about 40-60 pounds soaking wet and you will be when your done. There is ALOT of heavy lifting and hard work. Long hours and if your lucky you get one day off a week.
Being a hired hand is the low man ......you will get the sh*t jobs and the worst hours. It takes time and hard work to get the fun job of driving the tractor and skidsteer. Ride a horse hmmmm in the year I have been here I have seen horses used to move cows off the circles twice. They were used cuz the owners boys didnt want to ride atvs like Dad LOL
If you really want to ride and move cows try sale barn or feedlot but then not to sure how many are hiring right now.
Sorry to sound so negitive but just want you to see real life not some "idea" of ranching. If I had to do over not sure I would. I am thankful for all I have learned and can take my skills anywhere LOL but I am tired all the time, I have 2 herinated disks in my lower back, if I bend over wrong I drop things out of my left hand, I cant sit or stand for long periods of time (20 -40 mins) As shoer puts it I am all stoved up
Good luck in your search I hope you find what your really looking for.
Have you really thought about what your wanting to do? Do you have children and are they young? Forget spending any time with them. Hubby is on the rocks well might as well get the divorce going now cuz working on a ranch/farm it will do nothing but get worse.
Yeah I will admit I work on a Dairy but I prob spend more time "working" cows then some beef ranchers. But thats done everyday and afoot. Picking up calves, moving mom, processing the calf and getting her to eat. Our calves are about 40-60 pounds soaking wet and you will be when your done. There is ALOT of heavy lifting and hard work. Long hours and if your lucky you get one day off a week.
Being a hired hand is the low man ......you will get the sh*t jobs and the worst hours. It takes time and hard work to get the fun job of driving the tractor and skidsteer. Ride a horse hmmmm in the year I have been here I have seen horses used to move cows off the circles twice. They were used cuz the owners boys didnt want to ride atvs like Dad LOL
If you really want to ride and move cows try sale barn or feedlot but then not to sure how many are hiring right now.
Sorry to sound so negitive but just want you to see real life not some "idea" of ranching. If I had to do over not sure I would. I am thankful for all I have learned and can take my skills anywhere LOL but I am tired all the time, I have 2 herinated disks in my lower back, if I bend over wrong I drop things out of my left hand, I cant sit or stand for long periods of time (20 -40 mins) As shoer puts it I am all stoved up
Good luck in your search I hope you find what your really looking for.
jodywy
Well-known member
In my country you need to be a swather mechanic to raise cows. Then feed all that hay you put up all summer on top of 30+ inches of snow from late Nov to mid May.
The very pretty mountain Valley ranch is for sale. The one we looking at if this ever happens I get to become plumber for 38 miles of pipe and 40 tanks, and buy a little hay for a few winter storms.
The very pretty mountain Valley ranch is for sale. The one we looking at if this ever happens I get to become plumber for 38 miles of pipe and 40 tanks, and buy a little hay for a few winter storms.
WyomingRancher
Well-known member
the_jersey_lilly_2000 said:
:lol: You've touched on the 5% I'm not too good at :lol: . I'm definitely not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination
. Yes indeed, there are times when everyone needs extra help. Whether it be having to hire a mechanic, a lawyer, an accountant, a doctor... Unfortunately all this "help" costs money, and some people may be too remote to access it in a timely matter. It does help when you've got some expertise in your family and friends though :wink: . I'm not deterred from doing something because I don't have 100% ability...if that were the case, I'd probably not get out of bed in the morning . My motto is to go for it until you hit a wall, then turn...just be sure to keep moving!per
Well-known member
I'll jump in one more time. One important thing to remember. These things being mentioned are realities but don't let them deter you if this is what you want to do. The job is rewarding and you will never be accused of whining or complaining because... Farmers whine, Rancher Lament. :wink:
Faster horses
Well-known member
And, I must tell you...the ritual on here in a drought, is to run to the barn ...but you gotta be NAKKED!! :wink: 
Ya gotta watch Haymaker, he said it was dry, he mentioned 'raindance', but he left the important part out. :wink: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Ya gotta watch Haymaker, he said it was dry, he mentioned 'raindance', but he left the important part out. :wink:
:lol: :lol: :lol:Ya'll are so funny with your answers! THank you again, it means a lot to get so much wonderful feedback. I do know a little bit, I don't expect to be sitting on the back of my horse 100% of the time and whistling "Getta a long little dogie" !! haha... I just app. hard work, it's rewarding. I have a few ranchin' friends who live out in west Utah and then of course my family owns a farm in northern MO, been around it some just never the chance to be given. I do a lot of things now with my husband who trains cutting horses for a livin'. I'm up before day light and I have been since the birth of my first child, oh and i go to bed way after every one else...have been since the birth of my first! ha! I have always been a hard worker and trust me I have had my fair share of bumps, bruises, rope burns, caluses and blisters. Money is not a big issue, as long as my family has clothes on their backs and food in their bellies we are good!!! We are skimmin' by now, but I am not unhappy by any means!! I am actually enrolling in welding school this spring, just to get some other types of work under my belt. Anyways, Thank ya'll again for your input.
We are skimmin' by now, but I am not unhappy by any means!! I am actually enrolling in welding school this spring, just to get some other types of work under my belt. Anyways, Thank ya'll again for your input.Welcome to the board. I hope you got some insightful responses. I have only been on here a few weeks and it appears there are a lot of good people associated.
I grew up on a ranch in western Nebraska, but went off to get a degree in Management Information Systems. I really enjoyed my upbringing(for the most part) and had thought about staying in the industry in some fashion. The big hurdle I could never figure out how to cross was my parents took care of other peoples property. They didn't own any land of their own. So when putting pencil to paper and figureing out the finances, it was mathmatically impossible to purchase land, cattle, horses, equipment(haying, feeding, maintanence), feed, and fuel. I think if you had free access to Land or Cattle you could do it. If your folks in Northern MO were to retire and you could take over their land and raise cattle, I think that would be a no brainer. But in this economy, getting a bank to loan you enough money to purchase everything will probably be pretty tough. Then like other posts have said, the ROI is small to sometimes negative, so you won't be free and clear for most of your lifetime.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great life, especially when you can work with your kids and family towards one common goal. You get to interact with nature on a first hand basis. There are lots of long hours, but it doesn't seem to be such a big deal when you are putting them in for yourself.
Since there were 4 pages of response, I didnt' read them all. But did anyone suggest buying cattle and putting them out on shares? That way you can build your herd, run them on someone else's land, and maybe build some equity that way? Or purchase some good land and take in cattle on shares. Just thoughts.
Well my escape to Ranchers.net has to come to and end, and I must get back to working on this system. I am still hoping some big outfit will need a programmer to write some software for them, and also help out during spring and fall work. That would be perfect! (at least for me)
I grew up on a ranch in western Nebraska, but went off to get a degree in Management Information Systems. I really enjoyed my upbringing(for the most part) and had thought about staying in the industry in some fashion. The big hurdle I could never figure out how to cross was my parents took care of other peoples property. They didn't own any land of their own. So when putting pencil to paper and figureing out the finances, it was mathmatically impossible to purchase land, cattle, horses, equipment(haying, feeding, maintanence), feed, and fuel. I think if you had free access to Land or Cattle you could do it. If your folks in Northern MO were to retire and you could take over their land and raise cattle, I think that would be a no brainer. But in this economy, getting a bank to loan you enough money to purchase everything will probably be pretty tough. Then like other posts have said, the ROI is small to sometimes negative, so you won't be free and clear for most of your lifetime.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great life, especially when you can work with your kids and family towards one common goal. You get to interact with nature on a first hand basis. There are lots of long hours, but it doesn't seem to be such a big deal when you are putting them in for yourself.
Since there were 4 pages of response, I didnt' read them all. But did anyone suggest buying cattle and putting them out on shares? That way you can build your herd, run them on someone else's land, and maybe build some equity that way? Or purchase some good land and take in cattle on shares. Just thoughts.
Well my escape to Ranchers.net has to come to and end, and I must get back to working on this system. I am still hoping some big outfit will need a programmer to write some software for them, and also help out during spring and fall work. That would be perfect! (at least for me)