Should I take over the family farm? Please advise

[svenlylethor]

Hey everyone!

Hopefully this post won't take too long. I want to explain my situation and ask for everyone's opinion about taking over my dad's farm.

I grew up on a 200 acre farm in Utah. I've always loved farming and it was a huge part of my upbringing. Over the years my parents have started selling some of our farmland due to our city growing (we had 3 different plots) and we currently have a 60 acre farm and about 20 acres of other land we lease nearby.

Over the past 8 years my dad's health has steadily declined. Luckily I was able to help him in my earlier years while I was in college so I did the majority of the farm work when he was sick. I later got a degree in business and have since moved to the east coast for work. Although I like what I do and love living in a big city, I do miss having farmland, a truck, open space, etc.

Things have now really gotten bleak for my dad. He won't be able to farm for the rest of the year now because of an ankle injury (he's selling the cattle now and will lease the land to our neighbor) and part of me thinks about moving back. I mentioned this to my parents and although they're supportive, they aren't sure if it's the best idea. Here's why:

-I'm very international and have friends from all over. I speak multiple languages and if I move back, I won't have as many international friends.
-They don't know how much longer they'll have the farm (They may sell out entirely in 15-20 years)
-They aren't sure I'll find a job that makes me happy that will be close enough to the farm (we are an hour from Salt Lake)
-They think I won't like having a full-time corporate job and then taking care of the farm on the side.
-They don't think I'll make any money farming or that it's too much work for so little pay.

Although I don't think I'll like living in Utah as much, I do have friends and family there and I could probably find a good job not so far away from the farm. This is what draws me to the farm:

-I miss having a farm, working with my hands, and seeing the fruits of my labors
-I have no upfront costs with the farm. We have all new tractors, farm equipment, and trucks with plenty of money in the bank. I wouldn't have to buy new equipment for a very long time.
-I will be close to home and will be able to watch over my parents (especially my dad) in his latter years.
-I see an opportunity to make money doing something I like. (I'll explain in detail below)


My dad and the vast majority of the farmers in my area may be good at farming, but I wouldn't call them business savvy or progressive in their thinking. Don't get me wrong - they're all great people and I don't want you to think I'm talking down on them or any of you for that matter. I've been thinking about selling alfalfa (possibly weed free or organic) or even selling organic beef/poultry on the side. I want to create a professional website that educates the buyer about the variety of alfalfa I use, organic farming, or the beef that I have but it also makes my farm look much more professional than everyone else's. I've already researched the other farmers and have found a couple of websites in my area but they were all junk. I'm certain I could get the vast majority of the web traffic in my area for alfalfa/organic farming if I created my website.

I know that selling weed-free or certified organic alfalfa is much harder, but the profit margins are much higher than what cattle have been for my dad and I'd only be working for 5-6 months out of the year in the summer as opposed to feeding cattle day and night all year round. Plus sitting in an $80k air conditioned tractor with an MP3 player and touch screen computer isn't all that much hard manual labor if you ask me. :laughing: Has anyone switched to selling organic/certified weed free hay? Is it worth trying?

So what do you guys think? Do you think I should move back home and take over the farm or should I just scrap the idea, turn away from farming, and pursue a corporate career? (I've also thought about getting an MBA and have interviewed with the big tractor corporations in the past so those would probably be the other paths I'd choose if I didn't move back home)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Coyote machine]

You have to do what's right for you. Seems like you have choices. You could likely succeed at farming, and enjoy life with your parents during their remaining years. You could also get an advanced degree and keep the life you know now. Your decision.

 

[super55]

This is what I do when I come down to decisions that I can't decide.

I will put down the pros and cons of each option on a piece of paper and than number them 1 to 3 based on priority. Then I will try and look at things objectively. You are fortunate that you have a lot of options with your education and the farm already being established. Plus you have the know-how to market your product so there's a good possibility you would be very successful at farming.

Is this place likely to see urban sprawl in the next ten years or so. Is the farm going to get swallowed up around you by development? These are all questions you need to ask because you are making a life decision which is never easy.

I work internationally as well and dream of someday hanging this all up to eventually go and start my own little farm. For me it's really not an option at this time. Start up cost, loss of income, benefits and retirement has pretty much committed me to my work at this point in my life. My parents are getting up in age and I watching my kids grow up through a webcam which is not how I ever envisioned how my life would be but on the same token I am making enough so that someday I might be able get a small retirement and be able to move and get my small farm make a small supplemental income to help pay the bills and finally spend the rest of the years of my life doing what I always wanted to do.

If I were you. If you love farming and can get established pretty easily and make a comfortable living off it I would do it and never look back. Farming is running a business which you have the knowledge to do. You have marketable skills to fall back on if it doesn't pan out. Speaking multiple languages and being tech savy is a huge plus.

 

[Tomtint]

It is a lifestyle decision that you need to make for yourself. A friend once asked me if I worked as much as I do because I wanted to be the richest guy in the graveyard. This alone made me think a bit different about what's really important in my life. If your international friends are real friends, living on a farm in Utah would not be a problem, many would likely be envious.

 

[rtimgray]

The other advice previously tendered is more detailed than mine, and I agree with it as well, but here's my opinion (since you asked!):

Without knowing a thing about you other than what is in your post, I would say probably not. If you really wanted to take over the family farm, you likely would have headed down that path already. Since you haven't, and appear to be successful in your other pursuits, then that likely wasn't your "dream" anyway.

If you have been unhappy/unsuccesful, that's a different story. A lot of time, folks will idealize the farming life, only to find out it really isn't as idyllic as they thought it would be.

No matter what you decide, I wish you and your family and friends good luck with it. Take care.

 

[Buppies]

There are lots of people in this world doing things they did not want to do or trapped in a job that was ill suited for them. Because you are considering this option there must be a reason for you to explore this in great detail. Some of the other comments have some great merit to them. Only you can make this decision. Either way can result in great rewards for you and those around you. Professional careers can be rewarding as well as farming. It appears you have given a lot of thought into this and your thoughts will lead you to the right decision. Good luck

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Go back to the farm!!!! It's in your blood and you will only be happy if you go back.

Do you have a spouse? Will the spouse go with you back to the farm?

 

[jlgurr]

Here's my first take on your situation... There was something about the farm or the location or the family that led you to leave in the first place. Is that something still there? If it is then you need to ask yourself, can I accept that 'blocker' to my happiness/satisfaction. In other words, if you left the first time because you couldn't tolerate long hours of work, are you prepared to accept it now. Chances are good the long hours will always exist and will wear you down again after the excitement of "taking over the family farm" has subsided.

On the other hand, have you followed a different career path and now found it unsatisfying to the point that you want to go back to something more familiar or more rewarding?

I didn't have a family farm offered to me but the glamour of the business world was appealing to me 25 years ago. Today my family means more to me and I would give just about anything to have more time with my dad before he departs.

May God bless you with the best decision!

 

[MotorSeven]

Tough call. Your heart is pulling you back, I say go with it and give it a try. Even if things don't work out, you know you gave it your best shot.

My dad died of a heart attack when I was 23 and 600 miles away at my first real job. Just when I was becoming a man and able to communicate with him on that level, he was gone. Living close to family can be tough, but the rewards out weigh the negatives....think about it.

 

[Western]

Good living or good money is what I see. I think you could have the best of both worlds with your networking and education, just have to find a way to make it happen. With your business experience, you should be able to refine the farm to a more profitable endeavor, dude ranch maybe?

Allot of people have world wide businesses ran from home.

 

[lockhaven]

why would you have to give up the international friends? Would a side source of income be making the farm available to foreign tourists wanting a farm experience?

 

[Western]

why would you have to give up the international friends? Would a side source of income be making the farm available to foreign tourists wanting a farm experience?

:thumbsup: Plus may have some write-off advantages

 

[MarkV]

I don't know Utah farming, I do know a bit about Ill. farming though. Most of the farms in my old home area are working 1000 + acres these days. Can an 80 acre farm support you, your parents and possibly a family of your own someday in a way everyone would be comfortable with?

MarkV

 

[RockyMtn.Hillbilly]

Sven, why not do both? You can live there on the farm, help out when you can, and once every couple months go travel around for a few weeks.
Spend time with family every chance you get. Many of us wish we could go back and spend time with our loved ones before they passed away. I really don't know my dad, but my grandfather has always been something special to me, yet I still lived a long ways off. He passed away a few years ago and it really hurts that I didn't get to know him better and spend time with him. Avoid that if you can.

Who's more important? Your dad or your friends? You can manage both, if you want.

 

[dmccarty]

Do you like, just stand or hate your current job/career?

Is your current job/career secure or shaky?

Can YOU make a living on the small family farm?

If the city is growing and planting houses on farm land, will you be able to grow the farm either by buying new acreage or renting?

Have you done a business plan on how you expect to make money on the family farm? The trend in farming seems to be for the farms to grow to giant size with medium size farms going away. Smaller farms are popping up with very specific markets like goat cheese making, CSA, farm tourism/U Pick Its, etc.

Will working the family farm be more or less stressful than your current job/career?

You said you don't really want to live in UT. Will the positives of moving back to the farm out weigh living in UT? Will you eventually regret moving back to UT?

What do YOU really want to DO with YOUR life? Think long and hard about that question.

The positives I see is that you want to farm and that your parents are going to need help.

It sounds like you are at a cross road in life with this decision. Take time to think it through very carefully. Whatever you do decide, do not ever second guess the decision. When you make the decision, make sure that you are as confident with the decision as best you can be, move forward and don't look back.

Later,
Dan

 

[forgeblast]

Tough choice, pro con list is a must. Can you buy the farm, let them live there and later on if you want move back?
I needed a few years away from where I grew up before I wanted to go back home. I am much happier returning on my terms, instead of feeling stuck or have never gotten out.
Business wise run the numbers, if its something you want to try/do go for it.

 

[MossRoad]

As they say, "God isn't making any more land."

Once its gone, its gone. 60 acres isn't very large. I don't know what the taxes are, but usually leasing it out pays the taxes. So you shouldn't have to worry about that and it will be there when you retire.

As for your concerns for your parents, well, that's between you and them. Do you want to be with them because you enjoy being there or do you want to be there because you feel its your duty as a son or is it some combination of both? Only you can decide what's right for you and them.

 

[gghb]

Morning

In 1976 I turned down my Grandparents orchard. They sold it and retired I started kicking myself about ten years later. probablely the only regret I have.

Greg

 

[svenlylethor]

Can an 80 acre farm support you, your parents and possibly a family of your own someday in a way everyone would be comfortable with?

MarkV

I'm still trying to figure how much I'd make on 80 acres. I look at selling alfalfa and I've done number crunching based on our costs to raise hay and since the land and equipment are all paid for, I don't have any payments to make and my profit margins are much higher. Now are my numbers right for the costs? Still deciding. I'd have to talk to a few farmers around the area to see how many tons of alfalfa they get per acre and figure out the costs more. I ask my dad about numbers but I think his estimations aren't right. I'd need to know exactly how much he's spent on gasoline, repairs, irrigation, spray, etc.

This won't be my main source of income. I would have a corporate-type job and then have the farm on the side. 80 acres of alfalfa with our equipment isn't very hard work in my eyes. I don't consider it work either. I think it's fun.

My parents sold land into the millions so I don't have to worry about them. My dad goes to the farm every day because that's all he's ever wanted. He could lose all his crops every year and he'd still do it just because it's literally the only thing he likes to do. That's also part of his problem. He's let the farm go to crap, his fields don't look very good, and he doesn't take care of his machines as good as he should. I've always been much more detail oriented on the farm... Always looking at ways to improve... Finding ways to make it easier to run the operation. Etc.

 

[svenlylethor]

Sven, why not do both? You can live there on the farm, help out when you can, and once every couple months go travel around for a few weeks.
Spend time with family every chance you get. Many of us wish we could go back and spend time with our loved ones before they passed away. I really don't know my dad, but my grandfather has always been something special to me, yet I still lived a long ways off. He passed away a few years ago and it really hurts that I didn't get to know him better and spend time with him. Avoid that if you can.

Who's more important? Your dad or your friends? You can manage both, if you want.

Very good point. I'd love to have a job that lets me travel here and there. With my dad there, he'd be able to help out on the farm as well so I wouldn't be alone. He does have a farm hand or two who help on the side but they never seem to do that good of a job. I'm much better at running the farm. My dad knows he can trust me on the farm, part of that was because when he would get sick, I'd take over the farm for 6+ months and the farm was much better after I was done taking over.