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Old Ranchers?

C

Cody-n-Nancy

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Joined
Mar 17, 2021
Messages
235
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.
 
I'm a hoping that THIS old rancher can stay on the ranch helping the kids out doing what little I can! Every year the work seems more physically challenging! I'm thinking that I may have a couple more calving and haying seasons left in me! We'll see..... I suspect that the hard part will be to get out of the way and give them the freedom to do things their way, right or wrong! I'm imagining a life that is a little more like helping the neighbors. When the bulls start fighting and knock over the fence, I'll stomp my hat and help with the cussing, but at the end of the day, I'll really just be glad that it's "not my circus and not my monkeys" !
 
Just quiting a sitting down is a fast way to die. One has to keep moving. There is a 93 year old lady here whose family runs a bunch of cows. She is out helping feed every. She claims she is just the gate openner but she is moving. When the cows leave the meadows for the hills she harrows all the fields. When they are haying she is the one who does the raking. Doesn't do the physical work but keeps moving every day.
 
I would rather die than leave my place. I'm only useful here.
I can think of a lot of drawn out horrible ways to die. Dropping dead in my tractor sounds like a blessing.
Haha I'm ready to drink the cool aid. Bring it on
 
I'm 84 and find new ways to do hard tasks every day. Walking up hills and stairs are slower, climbing ladders one rung at a time now. Youngen's no help they stare at the cell fon all day. Eat healthy and keep moving is the key
 
Grandma Ekker used to say "How old would you be if you didn't know how old ya are!" 😁
I see men and women who ranch on the desert and they are over 80. But they keep after it. Maybe not as fast and as hard as they used to but they keep plugging along. We had a sweet couple that custom farmed into their mid 90's. Sure miss them. When your health goes away it does force some into stopping.
To answer your original question though, they either pass it along to a willing member of the next generation or it gets sold. Selling out usually means sold off and developed. That's why there used to be over 9 million small farms and ranches in 1980 in the US and now there is a tiny shade over 2 million 😳😢
 
leanin' H said:
Grandma Ekker used to say "How old would you be if you didn't know how old ya are!" 😁
I see men and women who ranch on the desert and they are over 80. But they keep after it. Maybe not as fast and as hard as they used to but they keep plugging along. We had a sweet couple that custom farmed into their mid 90's. Sure miss them. When your health goes away it does force some into stopping.
To answer your original question though, they either pass it along to a willing member of the next generation or it gets sold. Selling out usually means sold off and developed. That's why there used to be over 9 million small farms and ranches in 1980 in the US and now there is a tiny shade over 2 million 😳😢
Click to expand...
Have had a realtor after this place for two years now for a fair bit of money. I told him I feel like Robert Duval sitting on the porch with my 12 gauge in the movie Second Hand Lions.
 

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