Downtown Shell Knob MO Come Visit! | He helped my grandpa run a general store/service shop in town until they closed up shop when the new highway came through
Then he was a hog/cow farmer/handyman (you need a corral built or your baler fixed) in the 80s who got into the meat extruding buisness because he had contracts with some large poultry plants for offal. He kinda got big fast and the companys decided vertical integration was a better idea. But thats neither here nor there and a story for another day. And some enviromental problems went along with that.
He went to work for the Missouri Department of Agriculture as an animal heath inspector most of the time I was growing up.
they fired him and now he is currently retired / works from sun up to sun down as my A1 empoyee.
He never lost the home farm, but had about 5 morgages on top of it for his buisness ventures so he had it listed for sale and sold off little peices of land and payed the interest and taxes until I was lucky enough to buy it . (all 100 acres of it)
(Kinda of a blessing he owed so much because the bank didn't want to repo it because they knew they couldn't sell it for what we owed so they kept working with us to pay the taxes and make part of the interest, other farms in the area with less owed than they were worth got repoed in heart beat by the same bank.
Thats why I can't argue the fact that "government never helped my buisness" Because I was the Kid in collage with a worn out pickup and some student loans who could sure get laughed out of banks when discussing buying my home farm for more money than I could buy the one across the street. I think the FSA guy cryed a couple times but he never laughed at me.
I will say Ben that life is good now. With a few good record breaking drought years im prob in about as bad a financial shape as anyone but I remember my dad pounding a sign in the ground that said "land for sale" road front, will divide" and in my head I was thinking wow, he honestly doesn't care anymore. And he turned to me and said "I know what your thinking son but what else am I susposed to do, I figured we can keep the house this way" And then we went home and mom gave him a list of the collection agencys that had called just like every other night.
Also my mother has been a retired school teacher/librarian (thank the lord for government jobs ehhh) for 30 plus years so we never went hungry or lost power or anything (ok they did shut our power off twice but for kids thats fun, its like camping in your own house ) Sorry for the rant, I have the greatest parents/family in the world.
BUT, im afraid I have known plenty of men/familys that have used most of there life up trying to pay for a little piece of land, and what do they get in the end besides older and some rich greatgrandkids when they sell it. But it seems like every farm kid i know that puts the farm behind him because he doesn't have any land/operation ends up having a nice family and a payed for 40 acres with a nice house and fancy little garage/shop, and some classic cars and he travels and watches football on Sundays and goes to the lake and enjoys life.
Grass is always green ehh. im sure they go to bed every night wishing they were a farmer. |
Dairy Dilemma advice-young guy starting out
