What happens to old/Senior ranchers that, for whatever reasons, can no longer do ranch work? Working a ranch is mighty hard work, unlike sitting in an 8-to-5 office using a computer all day. I know there are both ranchers and farmers that never stop working and end up being found passed-away on the ranch somewhere or on a tractor in a field. I had a farmer neighbor that died on his tractor in the middle of a field. His daughter found him slumped over the steering wheel.