Grain news. That guy is special

[freewheat]

The writer says it not me. Anyone read the grain news and that article about the 23 year old special super farmer?

They talk about how everyone else has parents to help them out but he bucks the trend and has had no help. He is 23 and farms 10 000 acres. Good for him, too bad this is a lie. He custom farms a fair bit. Guess I could add a thousand acres of swathing I did for a guy once to my land base.

Further in the article, slipped in there unassumingly is the fact that his parents helped him get a loan to aquire a custom hay business. WAIT, he had no help!! Further still, it states he rents his parents land. Wait, he had no help!! Further still, it states his parents are half the labour force. But wait, he had no help.

My point is again, why the vast embelishment, the praise, and the grovelling about some dude who says he had no help, but really did, farming 10 000 acres. I mean who cares? And he's taking that drastic risk of trying some soft white spring wheat this year, cuz its so proactive, and no one else has tried anything newish.

Wonder what he pays his parents for rent? Labour? Any other loan help? How did he "buy' 3800 acres in a few years with no help? i wonder if his parents land base helped at all. Oh, I forgot, the article plainly states he got no help. My bad...

Yeah I'm bashing a BTO, and it doesn't matter a bit, but these type of articles get me revved for some reason. I think its because they are grossly embelished, and farmers who are real life farmers, see through the crap.

Anyways, for any BTO's who sympathize with him, don't mind me, and I don't mean to be harsh at all. Just wondering if anyone read the article and noticed how "special" this guy was. Gee, I hope he's not on here. lol

Any ways, gotta go out and check eggs from my 12 chickens, cuz I'm not a real farmer, and havenothing better to do when Its 37 below. lol

This is a light-hearted post. If you could hear my voice as I re-read it, you would hear snickers, and chuckles, and lots of smiles. Just for those of you who sympathize, and may bash ME for being mean. I'm just saying.

[hobbyfrmr]

Freewheat, there was another post like this one, and one contributor said it best to "steer clear" of the others' dust. Not everybody is going to farm 10,000 acres.
I changed to organic farming, quit the elevators and coffee shops and I am really happy. I really and truly dont care what the others are doing. My job is to put food on the table, raise my children to be safe and aware of the world around us. I had a 2 hour phone conversation with a very, very big farmer in my area, very decent individual. The conclusion was, that, no matter what line of work you are in, or what size of industry, a person does not get rewarded for doing a bad job. That theme has never gone away. That is going to be difficult for the new generation of kids.

[northfarmer]

I read the same article, and agree for the most part...good on him, likes farming and is making his mark. Risk taking, leverage, help, long hours and luck all contributed. But like many media stories things are a little embellished. The only opinions that really matter are your own and those that really are close to you.

[$short]

Good for that guy. Hopefully he can keep it going. He is obviously leveraged to the max but so what? To the risk taker go the gains so they say!

[hobbyfrmr]

I just looked over my previous post, I was not bashing the young 23 yr old with all the acres, the intent on the last sentence is, that the younger kids (just out of school) in high school, have a different regard for work ethic, they just dont take any of that stuff as seriously.

[agstar77]

Must have found Alladin's lamp!

[grrrr]

I read that article as well. What gets me is that the industry doesn't think you are successful unless you farm 10,000 acres. I farm under 1000 and have been very successful doing it. I am over 50 and have no desire to farm more land. At the recent Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, while filling out one of the draw tickets that was also a survey of 2010 seeded acres, I said to my buddy, "If I tell them that I farm 20,000 acres, do you think I will have a better chance?" The answere is obvious.

[freewheat]

My point exactly. The article states, "he is something special". Well damn them we all are special. I don't fill in acres farmed on anything. I X it out and fill in "irrelevant", or who cares, ore does it matter for some reason?

I say like others do, good for him. BUT if you make statements that make very little sense in how you got somewhere, at least back up the statements. Statements like, my parent never helped me out. Later we read they helped him with a loan. 1 loan? 4 loans? How are we to know when it is written like that. For all we know he is as upset at the article as others are.

I'm glad there is diversity, and glad for EVERY FARMER STILL STANDING, as they have done something right.Singling out a guy cuz he is young and big, with a suspect article though makes me chuckle is all.

[hobbyfrmr]

I have basic training for trade show marketing/strategies. This does not always happen everytime, but, you can pick your winner. Its a method of (re)introduction to a customer you think qualifies for your product and you want to talk to again. You have a prize draw at your booth, you keep track of all conversations and details, the most interesting potential customer "wins" the draw. You get to engage with them again without making a cold call/follow up sales pitch. Basically the underlying rule is, you paid to present at the show, you paid for the booth, you want business leads, sales and a return on that investment. The door prize, or whatever you want to call it, is one strategy to lead into a customer who qualifies for your product. The absolute worst thing to discourage your business working trade show is, to sit there and read a book, totally disengaged with the people walking past. Second worst, two people in a booth conversing with each other with no regard for the public passing by. I think the poster with the CWB video t shirts would do very well at Ag trade shows in western Canada.

[dave4441]

You might want to reread the article guys. It does not really say he had no help, and it is pretty impressive that he farms 10000 acres by starting with a loan on a custom baling operation. Weather it is part custom or not, weather he has help (of course he could not do it himself) or not, it is still pretty impressive at 23. I suspect it was the writer's choice of words to call him special and bet he is taking a bit of ribbing by his friends at being called "special". And no, i have no idea who this guy is, never met him.

Are we still willing to jump all over success in this province?

[cropduster]

dave4441 LEFTOUT Gormley`s book is succinct about `the social gospel`.It will take another generation!

[BTOfarmall]

Where da Heck is dis guy Farmin' that much Ground at?????

That will tell all you's why he is farmin' so much land. Makes a BIG Deal wetter it ground wort $400 per acre verses ground wort $2000 per acre....


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