Sold Out

[deff]

When my Dad retired back in 1974, he leased the ranch and cattle to my brother and I, carried the contract and sold us each parcels of the ranch that he had not completely paid off for the price he had paid 10 years earlier. The folks bought a house in town and my bride and I moved in to the ranch house. Dad would come out and help work cows, help us hay and since we were also a yearling operation back then, he would order buy steer calves for us at the local auction. When things went wrong and we were in a bit of a mess, he'd just grinn and say "that's not my problem anymore!". We went through a lot of lean years and likely would not have made it if not for Dad's help and support! With the exception of a few drought years when I had to find outside work to keep afloat, I was lucky enough to make my living on the land. My wife was a ranch wife and didn't have a "town job" until after the kids were raised. I intend to help out as much as I can, but I'm afraid that this next generation faces a lot more headwinds than we ever had!

 

[Puzzled]

My Ranch Too" by Mary Budd Flitner
I found it available on line.

 

[Peach]

Land is a solid investment. It might flood, drought out and blow away or not produce enough to pay it's taxes but it endures and they are not making any more of it. If you own it free and clear, handed down through generations, it is still the most enduring investment.

 

[jodywy]

I'm reading a book right now about a family ranch that has survived through the years and is still owned by the descendants of the original founder. It's called "My Ranch Too" by Mary Budd Flitner. It tells the story of them ranching through the years starting at the very beginning, 1878, up to the current times. I haven't read it all
yet, but she talks about how difficult succession was. "You can run this ranch like you want, after we are dead,
but we aren't dead yet."

Two son's doubled the ranch size buy doing a Paid for conservation easement and rolling in into neighbor property and doing a paid for conservation easment on that property.

 

[jodywy]

Land is a solid investment. It might flood, drought out and blow away or not produce enough to pay it's taxes but it endures and they are not making any more of it. If you own it free and clear, handed down through generations, it is still the most enduring investment.

was at a board of ag meeting Monday and Tuesday. Controlling cheat grass is cheaper to increase production rather then buying new land. One produce showed 66% cheat grass after control and 4 years later they had an 88% grass cover and only 4% cheat grass