Farming - a waste of talent

bob charles

yea or nay


its a question I ponder regularly when I met talented farmers

td5man

bob charles wrote: »

yea or nay

What sort of talent are you talking about?

jersey101

Id say your right on that. A lad in my discussion group milks a nice lob of cows has two daughters and a son but wont let the son work on the farm because he knows he's too smart for it. The lad is doing his 4th year of a prosthetic course. Brains to burn. If the father made him stay at home he'd be wasted

kevthegaff

I havent seen a talented f farmer yet:D

Conmaicne Mara

Nay, if the farmer is happy to farm.

On Countrywide this morning a man said that no one has any business farming if they don't enjoy it. There's the saying, that a person never works a day in their life if they enjoy what they do.

I say the person who works a job they hate is wasted.

whelan1

in the past many people where made stay at home to farm who didnt want to do it...

bob charles

whelan1 wrote: »

in the past many people where made stay at home to farm who didnt want to do it...

past, present and future. I would sooner sell what I may have amassed in years to come (if anything), than allow a niece or nephew the chance to farm it

td5man

You wouldnt be at it if you didnt like it.

whelan1

td5man wrote: »

You wouldnt be at it if you didnt like it.

true but i assume most people know someone who just doesnt want to be there

1chippy

Thankfully im way better at other things, however in the future hopefully i will be able to farm full time. it will be a huge pay drop, but the more mileage that i clock up the more ive found that its the simple results out of farming that i get my kicks from.

td5man

whelan1 wrote: »

true but i assume most people know someone who just doesnt want to be there

True but theres nothing like listening to cows grazing on a nice summers day .

moy83

Its only wasted talent if you're not happy at it the same as any other job . Fair enough the money could be made alot easier in different professions for someone with lots of talent but its not all about the money either .

kevthegaff

The one thing i like about farming is the diversify of tasks, your a jack of all trades-accounts, tasking, plumbing, treating animals, building, welding, haggling etc. No other business a person is constantly learning new skills. Even just reading the forum here between General Guntering to other issues you can learn anything

td5man

kevthegaff wrote: »

The one thing i like about farming is the diversify of tasks, your a jack of all trades-accounts, tasking, plumbing, treating animals, building, welding, haggling etc. No other business a person is constantly learning new skills. Even just reading the forum here between General Guntering to other issues you can learn anything

True most farmers can turn there hand to anything.

J DEERE

I'm in the States here for the last 12 months working on the buildings. On good money, have good job with good working conditions. Great quality of life out here and always money in my pocket. Start work at 7 and finish at 3.30. Home by 4.30 and free to do as I please. Complete opposite of when I was at home farming but a day doesn't go by that I don't want to be at home doing it

Damo810

It surely is an awful waste of talent!

kevthegaff

id say ill be milking outside the bucket after that photo:D

td5man

kevthegaff wrote: »

id say ill be milking outside the bucket after that photo:D

You can have woman i'll have the cow.

moy83

J DEERE wrote: »

I'm in the States here for the last 12 months working on the buildings. On good money, have good job with good working conditions. Great quality of life out here and always money in my pocket. Start work at 7 and finish at 3.30. Home by 4.30 and free to do as I please. Complete opposite of when I was at home farming but a day doesn't go by that I don't want to be at home doing it

What part are you in ? Is it more price work or day rate ?

Farmer

Farming - If it's good enough for Tony O'Reilly and Michael O'Leary then it's good enough for me

lefthooker

Of course our talent is wasted, put a farmer into the dept. and the SFP fiasco would be sorted out well before 16th Oct.

Seriously tho I'd rather handle my cows cattle and crops than have to deal with people

td5man

lefthooker wrote: »

Of course our talent is wasted, put a farmer into the dept. and the SFP fiasco would be sorted out well before 16th Oct.

Seriously tho I'd rather handle my cows cattle and crops than have to deal with people

Dealt with people for most of my life, got really fed up listening to crap.
Farming fulltime now and never see or talk to anyone except on here.

delaval

''My grandfather used to say that once in your life you need a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman and a preacher but every day three times a day you need a farmer''

Brenda Scholepp, writer and speaker

RobertKK

Farmers who concentrated on their farming during the Celtic Tiger period and didn't get caught up in the stupid stuff back then are talented.
I mean it was o unfashionable to be a farmer during the property boom, being a farmer was looked on as being backward and you must lack talent if you were "stuck" farming.
But now our sector is seen as a shining light and one of the saviours for the Irish economy.
Today on Radio 1 with George Lee, they said banks are lending to farmers because it is seen as a strong sector and "farmers have money".

I think you need a lot of talent to be a farmer, we saw what Mugabe did with the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe, he moved the white farmers off the land and replaced them with people who did not know how to farm, turned Zimbabwe from the bread basket of Africa to a basket case.
We shouldn't underestimate ourselves.

O.A.P

As said above you need to be a jack of all trades and master most of them to be a good farmer. Few have so much talent.

J DEERE

moy83 wrote: »

What part are you in ? Is it more price work or day rate ?

In New York, down in the city. Its day rate, was lucky enough to have a good contact here who got me into a union.

tommylimerick

interesting question if you are academically minded and are intelligent enough to qualify as a doctor or something like that
you should probably do that
i am 37 myself didn t get carried away during the celtic tiger and saved money
now i have minimum stock and have been making investments outside farming
great value to be had at the moment
dairy farming is going well at the moment but look at your balance sheet
average farm might have 100k in stock 100k in machinery 100k of milk quota
not to mention 100 acres at 10k a acre
that is 1.3 millon to acheive 50k to 70k of income
you dont have to be a accountant to see that you are not making big money
but i agree if you are happy doing it , it is a lot easier

keep going

bob charles wrote: »

yea or nay


its a question I ponder regularly when I met talented farmers

I usally find talented people do well out of farming, much the same as any other way of life.plenty of useless people in all walks of life

delaval

tommylimerick wrote: »

interesting question if you are academically minded and are intelligent enough to qualify as a doctor or something like that
you should probably do that
i am 37 myself didn t get carried away during the celtic tiger and saved money
now i have minimum stock and have been making investments outside farming
great value to be had at the moment
dairy farming is going well at the moment but look at your balance sheet
average farm might have 100k in stock 100k in machinery 100k of milk quota
not to mention 100 acres at 10k a acre
that is 1.3 millon to acheive 50k to 70k of income
you dont have to be a accountant to see that you are not making big money
but i agree if you are happy doing it , it is a lot easier

This is a really good point and it's what allows me to sleep at night. I bought land and used leased land to pay for it as purchased land will never pay for itself being farmed

manjou

Wouldent say waste of talent more like under appreciated as farmers are that good at there job that people have enough to eat and getting food for majority of people is easy.If farmers were to make as much money as other proffessions then food would have got scarce and expensive.Also ask hr people if a farmers child goes for a job they know they aare hard working and are able to adapt to any situation

bob charles

keep going wrote: »

I usally find talented people do well out of farming, much the same as any other way of life.plenty of useless people in all walks of life

and that leads onto the next question. do talented people make money in farming - Im doubtful as new ideas, thinking are rearly rewarded

moy83

bob charles wrote: »

and that leads onto the next question. do talented people make money in farming - Im doubtful as new ideas, thinking are rearly rewarded

I think so , I see the smarter lads around here that got stuck in are mostly not stuck for a bob , and they are happy out . Whatever about new thinking alot of them would be thinking differently and thats often a bonus in any job

Mulumpy

I think the saying work smarter not harder is true plenty of top class small farmers squeezing every drop out of their farms while plenty of lads so focused on getting bigger and bigger would be better off staying in bed.

keep going

bob charles wrote: »

and that leads onto the next question. do talented people make money in farming - Im doubtful as new ideas, thinking are rearly rewarded

I know agood few lads that are making alot of money farming.they maximise whatever assets they have and know what works for them and are investing as wisely as they canboth on and off farm.as I've said before here during the boom I might have the impression there was more money to be made elsewhere but that was all false anyway.

onyerbikepat

I think a lot of farmers have it too easy. A lot inherit sizeable farms. Often over a million euros worth, just handed to them on a plate. If they had to start from scratch like most people in other busineses, I wonder how many of them would survive. They grumble about the price of land, but it's that which protects them from other investors, in the first place. In general, 9 out of 10 start ups fail in business. How many farmers go to the wall every year.

MRnotlob606

id love to be farming, i dont have the opportunity

1chippy

dairy farming is going well at the moment but look at your balance sheet
average farm might have 100k in stock 100k in machinery 100k of milk quota
not to mention 100 acres at 10k a acre
that is 1.3 millon to acheive 50k to 70k of income
you dont have to be a accountant to see that you are not making big money
but i agree if you are happy doing it , it is a lot easier[/QUOTE]

your 100 acres are your savings. how many people have 1 million in the bank. your land cost is the rental value of that land. your milk quota is also an asset (well for now anyway). investing in houses might seem great but its not much better if even than renting out a house. 200k tied up to get 100 to 150 rent per week then with bad tennants empty months, unpaid esb and gas bills, non payers and general maintainance there isnt much out of it either. At least with farming theres a sense of satisfaction to stand out in a field of your own with aspirations of what you will do and can do to improve whatever your at. Farming is hard work but i doubt theres many of us out there that would have it any other way.

Muckit

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

id love to be farming, i dont have the opportunity

Always opportunities if you want it bad enough. Uncle of mine that grew up in a village started with no land and now farms over 600acres, albeit not in this country. As I said, all depends how bad you want it.

moy83

Muckit wrote: »

Always opportunities if you want it bad enough. Uncle of mine that grew up in a village started with no land and now farms over 600acres, albeit not in this country. As I said, all depends how bad you want it.

I hope that man writes a book when he gets time , it would be an interesting storey to tell I'd say . Is it livestock or crops he went for ?

onyerbikepat

Muckit wrote: »

Always opportunities if you want it bad enough. Uncle of mine that grew up in a village started with no land and now farms over 600acres, albeit not in this country. As I said, all depends how bad you want it.

Tell us a bit more.:D Give us the country at least.

Muckit

moy83 wrote: »

I hope that man writes a book when he gets time , it would be an interesting storey to tell I'd say . Is it livestock or crops he went for ?

Well if he did bring out a book, he'd have to get someone else to write it as he's not hectic with pen and paper let alone a computer. He doesn't drink or smoke and is a total workaholic. He moved to a non English speaking country but that didn't even phase him as he just works works works and hasn't time for talking! ! When he's tired he goes to bed. Then up at 6 to do it all again.

He is a Livestock farmer, beef and milk. He sows crops for his own use. First year he moved out was first time he used a plough. Couldn't but be proud of him but even though l like farming l wouldn't swop shoes with him for any money.

moy83

Muckit wrote: »

Well if he did bring out a book, he'd have to get someone else to write it as he's not hectic with pen and paper let alone a computer. He doesn't drink or smoke and is a total workaholic. He moved to a non English speaking country but that didn't even phase him as he just works works works and hasn't time for talking! ! When he's tired he goes to bed. Then up at 6 to do it all again.

He is a Livestock farmer, beef and milk. He sows crops for his own use. First year he moved out was first time he used a plough. Couldn't but be proud of him but even though l like farming l wouldn't swop shoes with him for any money.

Fair play to him , did he have a family or did he head out solo ?

Muckit

moy83 wrote: »

Fair play to him , did he have a family or did he head out solo ?

He's good but he's not that good. True what they say 'behind every good man is a good woman'. Yes they've a family.

Conmaicne Mara

I'm guessing your uncle went to France Muckit

Dampintheattic

Farming is becoming ever more technical. Ever higher technical and management capabilities required to be successful. This trend is set to increase into the future.
Far from being a waste of talent, farming is becoming a source and reservoir of talent.

bob charles

Dampintheattic wrote: »

Farming is becoming ever more technical. Ever higher technical and management capabilities required to be successful. This trend is set to increase into the future.
Far from being a waste of talent, farming is becoming a source and reservoir of talent.

erra will you go away blowing yourself up:D, in reality we do 95% of the same thing day in day out which a fool could do. For the other 5% of the time you need the hamster to run the wheel a bit upstairs. There are some many people farming that could contribute so much more to the world if they werent stuck in the farming cycle. Many of course choose to remain

Qualitymark

Stephen Rynne talks about this interestingly in his fascinating book Green Fields; when the war was over and the country was won, he put away his gun and went farming. People were constantly coming from Dublin and asking him to serve in government and he said farming his land was the most important thing to do.
Most time in most jobs is hamster-wheel work. It's the intelligence you put into planning and experimentation and creativity and better ways of working that make some of that time different.
If you'd like to read Rynne's book, first published in 1938, there are a bunch of copies at good prices on abebooks.co.uk

Brown Podzol

bob charles wrote: »

erra will you go away blowing yourself up:D, in reality we do 95% of the same thing day in day out which a fool could do. For the other 5% of the time you need the hamster to run the wheel a bit upstairs. There are some many people farming that could contribute so much more to the world if they werent stuck in the farming cycle. Many of course choose to remain

A Super Bowl advertisement for Ram Trucks featuring excerpts from a Carter-era address to the Future Farmers of America Convention .



And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

His full delivery of those remarks against a backdrop of images honoring farmers:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GdR5TOhHJGM

bob charles

I saw that advertisement and considering the time it was shown it had some target audience, its was a neat bit of a creation

keep going

I try no to do much b###hing here but one thing that really ticks me of are comments like "he id be wasted farming" or"he s only fit for farming", and its usually its dump pricks that say it