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Pittsburg, Kansas | That is what happened to us. Cost got out of line.
By then we were already 75% retired and traveling a lot. Three months out of the year. We had a foreman and office manager/accountant that handled all day to day decisions including managing employees, paying the bills, selecting hybrids and fertilizer, ect. Great crew.
One problem with great employees is they don't come cheap. We had way too high labor costs but my wife and I were basically down to doing almost nothing. I did odd jobs around the farm and still made major equipment selection. Which was another problem. I've always been a machinery nut so our equipment costs were not exactly cheap either.
Had we been making double digit returns we would still be operating a farm. Our daughter did a bang up job of overseeing and participating in the operation. She could have easily kept it running and was liked and appreciated by all.
But she was not a risk taker. For her to have become completely responsible for all the debt and cash flow would have given her ulcers and an unhappy life. On the "keeping everyone going and running smooth" she was top notch. She just was not a risk taking business person at heart. I kinda thrived on the game. She would not have, especially if it started struggling.
So we decided to just pull the plug. Had 50 years of fun winding it up, was surprisingly relieved after the six months of winding it down. No regrets.
Been a great ride. Still is!
Edited by John Burns 1/17/2026 15:54
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What do you really want out of ag?
