How do you do it! Holy Cow send me your secret!

Jack of all trades, master of only one.  Enjoy doing what I do or I would not do it.  The days of spending multiple nights each week attending the kid's activity are long behind me and the grandkids aren't close enough to attend things regularly.  The main thing is to keep busy throughout your life.  It's not about being able to have the most expensive funeral.  It's about doing what you enjoy for as long as possible.

Earlier today I was chatting at the grocery store with the clerk who had no one else to check out at the time.  He just graduated high school and intends to attend the local community college for a couple of years.  Besides offering him encouragement to find out what his life's work goal should be, I explained a bit to him about the various choices that we make in life based on what is going on in our personal lives at the moment.  Make one decision, this might happen.  Make a different decision, a completely different life may be the result.  Good or bad, who knows, until it is too late.  I proveded an example of such a moment in my own life where taking the other fork in the road might have produced $4 million in higher income over the past 48 years.  But, I went on to explain that everything else in my life would have been different and I might be dead by now.  I might have had one child or I might have had a dozen with six different women.  Etc., etc.

@holy-cow So true. Oh but today was one that just gut punched me. However after a hard day then cranking up the smoker watching the kids play in the dirt and family just hanging out makes it all worth while.  I always tell people making money is actually easy. Saving it is the hard part. Do what you love and most things work out. It has taken me years to learn that. Now i am trying to get the balance of darm and surveying working. Of course i have 2 still at home so i am doing all that running around to camps and activities.  But i would not change anything for no amount of money. The last 6 months have been busy and trying to juggle all this has me making some of those choices we gave up several small fields totaling about 150 acres of hay. We are keeping some others even the wife said she wanted to do some just so the girls can help. We were discussing and she said she actually loved watching them galloping through the fields as well. Me I could listen to that rhythm of a square baler all day. I can remember hearing and listening to it as a kid riding on my grandpa’s lap. He had a old ford 5000. I reckon i will get reorganized and find that balance again.  I been looking for a few years now trying to find a JD 41 flex i need to make a good 4 row planter for sweet corn and peas lol. Everyone i find has been so rusted out it would not work. Have a good one. And hope the rain hits those beans. Just right.

Turn off the AC at home.

@holy-cow we run fans a lot. Old box fans and such. Yes ac and working outside do not mix well. I been down with sinus and such so the humidity doesn’t help. I never had a issue with humidity until i moved to colorado and worked a year and a half without returning to MS right outside of Memphis TN. My mom was injured and i flew home. I remember getting off the plane on the tarmac and feeling that humidity in august. When you are use to it not a big deal you don’t know anything else. I left Djibouti Africa and we had 130 degree days i saw birds literally fall out of the sky. I drank water all day and froze all night. Here we usually have milder weather in my opinion but this weekend has been tough. I have turned into a big wimp. All those years working in a room made me soft. Even the dog doesn’t want to go outside lol. He ran around on the farm and it took him about 10 minutes before we found him sitting in the pond.

Once I get through this whole licensing thing I been eyeing some breed-stock throughout kansas I want to bring into my herd. South east area and north west area and south west. Maybe i will be able to meet you one day. I am hoping i will have more acreage by then. A breeder out there I really want some of his genetics. A lot have had issues as you probably understand bringing those genetics east but I will try and get them much younger and hope to get them adapted before breeding. I have some New Zealand and Australian genetics so far and just keep playing around with different combinations. I need to get some show bloodlines in because the girls are wanting to do that. So far I have concentrated on genetics that work not show. Have a good one. Happy Farming. I imagine you could teach me farming and surveying for sure. 

I agree.  The man (Holy Cow) is a legend!!

It's the lead.

@jitterboogie How are you coming along? Still studying and preparing. Whereabouts are you working these days?

Here's the guy you want.

https://www.sekgenetics.com/

The video in the upper left shows the owner of the business.  A West Point graduate with years spent in Army Intelligence.  Left the Army to get his DVM degree then worked for the Army doing vet work.  In addition to the services mentioned, he has cloned calves.  His father was on Omaha Beach on the big day and survived, obviously.

@olemanriver

@olemanriver 

still in Colorado

busting time in the office and the field, and getting ready for the PS just to get it over with.

still need classes for the statutory process and the money to pay for them.

how you doing 

I always tell people making money is actually easy. Saving it is the hard part.

A~men

Ole Man River, I can relate.  Working full time, with a couple part time gigs, one kid still at home, and remodeling an old house.  Had horses growing up, so remember good times getting up hay.  My sinuses can't do hay anymore, but I miss the horses, even the work that goes with them.

@jitterboogie I am doing the same. Studying every chance i get and trying to teach myself civil 3d along with keeping things going with 3 crews. Then the farm and wrangling the kids around. I will be honest. If it were not for my wife i would have lost it a long time ago. She keeps me organized on all the camps and competitions and such the kids are doing. I woke up Friday started working from home and had a note by coffee pot. Don’t forget to get the x child to her horse show by 1200. Oh i would have totally forgot lol. It was on my calendar for work to be off by 11. I was spit shining her boots by 1130 lol. Well teaching her how to. Oldest daughter was braiding her hair and i was trying to get a last minute project out the door. You know the kind its a emergency project lol . Only emergency i was considering was if i don’t get my daughter to her show i would need emergency medical care lol.

@holy-cow oh wow.  I will check this out. I went to a seminar a couple years back to learn epd’s. So i have been tracking my herd. The association does it as well but they are in the beginning of that so not as accurate from my limited understanding. I was raised around cattle my grandfather and uncle both had commercial cattle.  Grandfather mostly flipped cows uncle was one who cattle buyers would say this is what we want to try to get to in. Body type etc. I remember watching a big big fancy limousine drive up when i was around 16 years old we were working cattle. This fellow got out in a suite and cowboy hat and walked up to my uncle and said mr Anderson we want you to develop something like this. My uncle said it will take 3 to 4 years but i am telling you are going to big and the cow calf operators will lose trying to keep that going. He had a old 83 f250 gas engine and we went to several auctions and brought back the new stock. As I drove as you probably know I wanted to drive. But he kept me in check at 45 mph hauling in that old truck. He had brangus angus cross adopt 70 30 and 80 20. The next cycle we added charlottes. Geezers those things can eat. Now i am trying to learn more through all the epd tracking and such. I am hoping by the time i kick the bucket i will have a nice herd developed for all the kids to have a start. I am still feeling out this breed. It works great for now very docile for the young girls. Easy maintenance. But i have a lot to learn for sure. I might cross them at some point with herford and the. To angus but who knows.

The secret Olemanriver asked about .............................................

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The answer is: "i have people for that."

Fellow yesterday was complaining about mowing his yard.  Told him I took a nap earlier in the day when the neighbor came over to mow my yard.  He wanted to know how I got that to happen.  I said, "Money."  I haven't mowed any of my yards in at least 15 years.  I have three people who mow yards who get the pleasure.  I can make far more money on this computer than what they ask to be paid for their time.  Work smart.

@holy-cow yeah. That is true. On farm especially making hay. I just hit rock bottom trying to find help to pick up small squares.  Last year i had 3 lined up because the wife and girls went to grandmas house. I had a small field and close to barn so I figured i would give them a try. Yes they never showed it was to hot. Finally got a phone call from one. I couldn’t even pay him to drive truck through field while I stacked and loaded.  Now it was hot one of the hottest weekends. Almost 400 bales later and one tired man i got the last stacked in the barn. I had tedded that morning then raked the. Baled. One of the larger farmers was harvesting across the road. Great guy he has some good help family. They called to get a few folks to come help but i was done by the time they arrived. I never knew until dark they had saw me and had help coming.  The owner of that farm said I needed to buy me one of those accumulators and bale picker’s. Only reason he has help its all old family and he could never dream of getting help around here much for that type of work. 400 small squares is not a lot but that day it was for me. It stormed for two days starting that night. Labor is my biggest challenge finding the help. I have said it before. My 8 year old daughter will work as hard as most teenager boys and I mean she will work. The 12 year old will as well but she doesn’t have that natural work ethic we have to push her a little sometimes. I have several small fields all within about 30 minutes drive. I can get 500 on a good cutting on some 200 on others. So its a logistical nightmare sometimes. I need another tractor but i like owning and not paying notes. So i have the one. Will get another just haven’t got the money all saved yet. I probably should stop making small squares and go to round bales but the small squares pay nicely for horse community. I just have to deal with the horse ladies that have been given a phd in hay from some youtube influencer.  That old jerry clower joke about the man buying a horse blanket comes to mind. Lol.  Same blanket just charge more.  But i am to honest and try to make a dime but not overcharge either.

@learner I called and spoke with my mom today. She reminded me that when i was doing hay my sinuses and allergies were so bad she would stuff my nose with tissue. I had not remembered all that. All I remember was counting that 25 and 50 cents a bale my great would try short changing me on lol.  We fed small squares to horses cows hogs. I remember when my grandfather got the first round baler. I was in high-school before he did that. I was like now what am I going to do to make extra money. And get my summer workout. I am trying to get a place ready now for my daughter a horse. Waiting on my brother as well to find and train the right one that doesn’t break the bank. Thats what he does for a living is start colts and manage a ranch. He probably knows more about cattle and horses than me. He worked on a feed lot for several years after graduating high-school Now very wealthy people fly him there places and he solves people problems but gets paid to fix horse problems. I admire him. Can you imagine being called to fix a horse and its some billionaire that has ran successful businesses and some country bumpkin now telling you the horse doesn’t have a issue its you lol. He has the patience of Job. We both road our hole lives coming up. I went into surveying and then military he just kept with horses and ranch hand. He is very business savvy as well. He just is a perfectionist so he is his own worst enemy. But one of the best at what he does.

@olemanriver,

I bet your brother has listened / read Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt books over and over. 

They are great and can be applied to not just horses but people, dogs, business, just about anything.

The owner of that farm said I needed to buy me one of those accumulators and bale picker’s.

You need to find a used NH bale wagon.  One man can pick up and stack in the barn, only need 1 tractor to do it.  Brother and I use one to put up about 10,000 bales of alfalfa per year, just the 2 of us.  We have 2, one is a spare, paid less than $4000 for them.  Accumulators require a tractor or loader to load a trailer, then need another loader at the barn to unload.  Ours are bigger than this one, but same principle.