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Iowa | Worked harder than my neighbors, had hogs on three farms all outside, and cattle on two. Bought and paid for 4 farms while neighbors were in the coffee shop. Inherited nothing but a decent work ethic. Bought 2 farms in 1986 (perfect timing) that really got me going. Of course I had the down payments because I had 10 year-old vehicles and 20 year-old tractors. I remember one neighbor who had all new iron asking me how I had the money to buy the farms. (of course back then, when it looked like the farm crisis would never end, it took guts, too). It is easier to plunge when you have nothing to lose, as it was with me at the time.
Using those farms to earn a nice living now, but can't buy any more and pay for them with just hard work like then.
We figured it up a few times--carried over 100 5-gallon buckets of feed a day for at least 20 years. 24 sows in crates--carry the feed in. 200 pigs in a nursery--carried the feed in. 3 groups of gestating sows--carried the feed to them. New calves not yet on full feed-carried the feed in to them.
Of course 30A of oats, square baled the straw.
Pitched out the pens by hand.
Now I get shots in my spine every other month just so I can "kind of" function.
I'd go back in a heartbeat!!
(I still have lots of livestock in confinement)
Every moment was FUN (well maybe not thawing the frozen waterers), but we had a LOT of fun working hard and watching our net worth rise every year through hard work. | |
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600 acres and 40-50 head of sows
