The Million Dollar Misconception

I am a one man, started from the ground, 30 year old cattle producer that has worked his ass off for everything, I get so aggravated about hearing of this ranch has done this or that, and how productive they are, how beautiful their place is, or how great their 2000 head operation looks, well if you have a multimillion dollar owner or financial backer and money is no object then the options are unlimited and you can hire anyone and everyone to make that possible.  And that production sale you just had that grossed a million dollars to add to your already overflowing bank account!  Well let me tell you I’d like to see these same operations doing it at same level as I do with a huge debt, a dozen payments, and no money to run on some days.  My advice to you is when you can do this then, you have shown me an accomplishment, and you damn right I’m patting myself on the back cause I have to do it every day, I don’t have a choice!  If I want to stay in this business then that is my only option, keep pushing forward, and struggling...I didn’t have someone leave me a farm or a fortune in their will.  I was robbed of my family farm that I grew up on due to jealous family members, so if I wanted to keep my dream alive, I was forced to go out on my own and start over!  You wanna whine about stress that you have in your fairly normal simple lives, try juggling money every week to feed your cows , repair equipment, pay a little help here and there, pay rent on farms, and worry where you’re going to winter your cattle because all the greedy cattle corporations and big guys want to rent everything out from under you so they can control everything, not to mention busting your ass to keep each place looking nice so the landowner doesn’t jerk your lease because the neighbor offered him $10 more a year to rent it, or how you’re going to fix the broke down piece of equipment and just to simply try to stay afloat . To be a one man operation you have to love what you do. Its that simple. You have to have a love of the land, the animals, the sense of accomplishment when you bring new life into the world, get that 50 acres baled despite numerous breakdowns and disappointments in the weather, the constant unexpected emergencies that happen on a daily basis. But you persevere while the vultures (big corporate or endless financial support farmers) circle about you waiting for you to fail.I work daylight till dark each and every day to the bone and give up every pleasure in life just to succeed and devote my life to a lifestyle where in reality it is controlled mainly by the outside world so much like price of fuel price, cost of feed, cost of living, high interest rates (cause you have to borrow money just to keep the operation afloat), rent rates, fertilizer, repairs, etc. The list goes on!   I really don't want to hear about these corporate farms funded by millionaires that have not had to deal with these issues on a daily basis, that they do this or that because I don't care or really respect it in my eyes, there are some of us who have done it without any of their benefits so think about what these people could do if you gave them all the spoils that would be amazing and true talent and get over your very small anal problems you’re not battling to make it your just riding a wave.  So next time you go to buy a bull or heifer or show calf take this into perspective, are you supporting someone who your money means noting to and gets lost in a million dollar bank account, or are you supporting someone striving to make tomorrow better and that $2500 for a bull is going to help him put the fertilizer on his fields to make them more productive, or fix that ol’ truck he has to keep driving, or simply put a meal on the table for his family.  Those of you that read this that fall into the corporate farming category or that farmer that has been blessed by being born with the golden spoon in his mouth, or someone making sure your bank account is full, and the ones of you out there doing all you can do by renting every piece of ground around me or that is essential to keep me going, just so you can add another 200 acres to your regime.  Take a step back...it takes young people like me with initiative to keep the agriculture world going as the next generation of farmers and ranchers where is our future going to end up with people like you forcing us out?  Is it any wonder the average age of a farmer is over 60 years old?  Think About it!  For those others of you out there support those of us that care where our industry is headed because it’s our passion in life!

Been a very busy week around here at Mountain Top Angus.  Been very cold and very much like winter all around.  Temperatures reached the single digits a couple times here this week and made for any snow thaw to be practically impossible.  The road into the farm has become a solid sheet of ice and dangerous for any travel above regular traffic.  Took a mid week trip to Uhrichsville, Ohio to visit and make a few business contacts.  With the first of the year here and gone and a few bills due we decided to sort a few of the lesser quality feeders on Thursday and took them to the local sale barn on Friday; the steers topped the sale at $1.85 and the heifers outsold many of the steers there.    If you recall I said the road was a solid sheet of ice so we had to chain all 6 tires on the farm truck to get the cattle out to the main road where we backed up trailers and transferred them over to be taken to the Stockyards.  With the sale results I think it speaks volume about our program and reputation we are building in the cattle business. I just want to thank all our customers and fans out there because without you all we don't have a business., you all are what makes us successful.  On Saturday we made a trip South to Tennessee to deliver eight bulls to repeat customer, Zac Knowles and ZK Ranches of Springfield, TN to round out the week, special thanks to them for their continued and repeat business.  As I conclude this weeks entry I want to say THANK YOU to my crew at the farm Ervin, Wendell, and Larry Wagler for their hard work this week and helping bring everything together and make it all happen as planned, not to mention all the work and dedication they put in day in and day out...THANK YOU!!!

This is a small poem I wrote a while back in support of the americna worker!