I Think I'm Done . . .

[Maple Leaf Angus]

We were just starting to get our feet back under us from the BSE thing and now we have a nasty drought going here in Southern Ontario. I have been dipping into the winter's hay pretty good the past few weeks and will have it fed out by the end of October.

I've had to buy too much hay the past few years with the drier summers we've been having. It's hard to compete in the hay market with the dairy and horse guys setting the prices.

I don't think that even my efficient Black Angus and baldies will winter very well on snowballs and buying that much hay just won't work. Cows are getting real cheap as many others are in the same jam. Lots of grass cattle are already hitting the sales barns.

There comes a time when a chap might be just as far ahead to fold the hand (Kenny Rogers comes to mind . . .!) and walk away before I have to run. I thinking I'll wean the calves a bit early and dump the cows. I guess we'll find out how good the CAIS program works.

There come a point where the hassles seem to outweigh the benefits. Time to move on.

 

[DJL]

So sorry to hear you're dried right out MLA. We are scary dry but do have lots of grass, so fire is our big worry. I hope you get a ton of rain soon, before you have to do anything drastic like sell off your cow herd.

 

[Goodpasture]

Sorry to hear that. It is always tough when a person is pushed out through circumstances. With the current real estate crash going on in the US, I see fellow appraisers with decades of experience quitting as well.

You have my condolences, I know how tough a decision this is for you and your family.

What part of Southern Ontario are you from? I had two years at Brock back in the early 70's.

 

[Maple Leaf Angus]

Goodpasture - We are 2 hours west of Toronto, or 1 hr. west of Kitchener/Waterloo. Brock is in St. Catherines which is about 2 hrs. south-east of us.

We can usually depend on good summer showers coming in off of Lake Huron, which is just 30 min. to the west. But not this year.

The strange thing about it all is that sometimes I get an incredible sense of relief when I think of not farming anymore. So, as much as I appreciate your condolences, I'm not sure that I see this decision as a negative. There has been so much interference, stress and angst in this business for the last few years.


But on another level, there is a terrible sense of loss, somewhat for me but even more so for the coming generations who will not have the opportunity to experience the farming lifestyle. Kids who grow up on the farm are hands down more productive, capable and responsible contributors to society. They have so many opportunites to develop various skills in an agrarian setting. Skills like problem solving, innovation and the opportunity for creativity. Not much of that required when one is flipping burgers at MacDonald's!

One hardly realizes all the implications of such a decision until it stares you right in the face.

 

[Faster horses]

MLA, I hope you know (and I think that you do) that when one door closes, another one opens.
Please know that I am sad for your circumstances and am thinking about you. It could be any of us in any given year, although that doesn't help your circumstances.

Keep your chin up and keep us posted as to what happens with you.
Best wishes from us.

 

[Jinglebob]

Sorry to hear of your troublers, but it sounds like you have a good attitude and that is the best thing.

When we bought out my folks we couldn't afford both the land and our own cowherd. I knew if I had the land I could always find cattle. Every time we start to re-build our cowherd, a drought or something comes along to change my plans.

Running other peoples cattle for cash has it's good points, but it was tough to watch a cowherd we had put our lives into go thru the ring. As it turned out, if we had tried to keep them we probably would have lost the whole ball of wax a few years down the road, so in hindsight, it was a good decision.

You'll get thru' this and look back someday and see the good in it.

Good luck in your future endeavors.