afwdwfan
DIS Dad #460
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2010
- Messages
- 14,164
Andy...I thought farming was your work...what do you do? For some reason I had it in my mind that you run your own farming business
Well, it is kind of complicated. I do farm, but I've only got about 225 acres of crop ground and to be able to make enough income to do it "full-time" I'd probably have to have at least 1000 more acres. I work at a local grain elevator as a grain merchandiser for my full-time job.
That said, my dad and uncle both farm full-time with no other jobs. My cousin is very active on the farm as am I, and he has a younger brother who helps us out, but doesn't seem as interested in the farm as his brother. Right now it is essentially a situation where my dad, my uncle and I each own certain pieces of equipment and pool equipment and labor together.
Dad just turned 60 and has had some heart problems in the past and had been limited in what he could do at various times in the past (right now, he's actually healthier than he's been in several years). My uncle is a few years younger, but the last 5 years or so, he has had numerous health issues resulting in surgeries and hospital stays. My cousin, who just graduated HS, and I have been picking up a lot of the workload when one of them is gone. The workload I tend to put in on the farm is full-time, while the income I earn from it is more like part-time. Honestly though, I truly enjoy it, and would much rather be doing those jobs than be stuck here at my desk all day. My cousin is getting a taste of the real world now that he's graduated HS and will be attending school this fall to become a mechanic for John Deere. He had to start working today at the local John Deere shop, so since we're both gone during the day today, my uncle has been given permission to start doing some farm work. He hasn't been in a tractor all spring by dr. orders, so hopefully today goes well for him. When he was cleared after his eye surgery last fall, he tore a hole in his pickup truck bed with a backhoe, so hopefully he really can see this time.