General
What's the best farming advice a previous generation gave you?
Maybe the best farming advice in general works, but it's cool to hear advice from your farm's previous generations.
I'd say for me it is "Never forget about management. Sometimes you have to work smarter, not harder. Find what makes the cash flow work, then stick to the plan" Not necessarily a perfect quote but something like that.
There's got to be some really good quotes out there from Grandpa (and Grandma). Let's hear **!
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“Don’t let your wants get away from your needs”
Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.
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Farmers rarely go broke because of the bad years. They go broke paying for what they bought in the good years.
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Don't worry about the good years they will take care of themselves, try to minimize the bad ones because it might take years to recover from...
MoreYou make a decision, then you make it work.
My Mentor told me, "You make a lot more money in your office seat than your tractor seat." This isn't what I wanted to hear, but have found...
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Good one! Would you mind giving some examples of how you’ve found this to be true?
Livestock is also deadstock.
Something well bought is half sold.
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Weight, grades, and money; three things easy to keep ahead on if your ahead, three things easy to get behind on, if your behind.
When I started farming I always talked to my neighbor for advice which was more of a grandparent to me than a neighbor and more often than n...
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Keep the cows.
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The best thing you can put in your fields, is “your shadow”
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The good years will break you before the bad ones.
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So true!
"It takes money to buy whiskey"! - Meaning have some cash around
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My grandfathers quote pertaining to my pending career in farming, "Don't do it for the money". I sure wish the grumpy tool was here now, co...
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My grandfather always told my dad "never farm anything you have to feed" he said it about cows, but my dad applied that to catfish when it b...
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I never knew my Great Grandfather but reading his journal I am pretty sure he had a good attitude, more often than not the first thing he wr...
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Great point!
Great post, love the reminder
Take care of your soil. Once it is gone you never get it back. The best info lately is realizing the benefits of cover crops and no-till.
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Don't trip over a dollar to pick up a nickel. Pick up the dollar and make ten.
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"Farming is the best job or work you can ever have.......IF YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK." That came from my dad in 1994. I was 17 years old. M...
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Don't make your debts in good times and try to pay them off during the bad times
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Again I don't think some folks listened to this advice.
Build and maintain strong working capital.
"Live below your means." from my neighbor, landlord and friend ***********. It is the problem with the whole country and many farmers right...
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A farting horse will never tire. A farting man you should not hire.
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Take care of the land and it will take care of you.
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"If someone ever offers you a mint or a piece of gum, take it" haha
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I was told to always focus on your own stuff and don’t worry about what the “neighbours” have.
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"A stitch in time saves nine"
When you get knocked down get back up and dust yourself off so someone else can knock you down again. Grandpa.
The generation before me never gave me any advise. Only told me I couldn’t make it and tried to make it so I couldn’t get any land to use. ...
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My dad is 92 and still giving good advice, I’m 57 and sometimes I still listen.
Some of his nuggets are:
It is your “young” money that count...
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This best I read so far and agree with it!!!
When laying on your deathbed no one says "I wish I would have farmed more, instead of spending time with the family".
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I didnt get any, other than,"get in a different profession". We dont farm enough to matter however for me its about letting my kids have the...
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Only 3 pieces of equipment make you money - a good planter, sprayer, and combine
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Pay more attention to your spending in good years because you might not be able to afford some of those commitments in bad years.
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It looks to me that there are some that didn't adhere to this advice!!
Even in a very wet spring my grandpa would say always plan for a drought, and I have found that to be true. Cant predicted the weather, and...
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“Be married to your wife, not the farm”
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Perfect