In the next 20 years, 70 percent of all privately-owned farms and ranches in the US will change hands.
Some will just be sold, others will be left to family members, mostly the next generation
of rancher.
To train the next generation we start them young, and that's why we give thanks to
kids and cows, on Our Wyoming Life.
Farming and ranching isn't just a profession; it's a way of life.
Its getting up early and working late, often in weather or conditions that no normal person
would choose to work in.
Rain, snow, bitter wind and scorching heat may slow you down, but it can't stop you
from getting done what needs done.
The next generation of farmers and ranchers face plenty of challenges on their own.
Only 1% of working Americans claim farming as their occupation and over the next few
years 240 million acres of farm and ranch land are expected to change hands.
With a majority of farmers and ranchers in the US over the age of 55 many of them may
not have heirs that are interested in taking over the family business, millions of acres
up for grab by large corporations.
Even if a farmer has and heir that that is interested in carrying on the family business
we still have challenges such as inheritance tax, low prices and high overhead to deal
with.
New farmers and ranchers are quickly becoming a very rare thing, the number of entry level
farms has fallen by 30% since 1987 and new farmers only make up 10% of farmers and ranchers
today.
Beginning farms and ranches face even more challenges than hard work, the capital is
often lacking and the scale of an operation you need to turn a profit is often impossible.
There are programs in place to help you and we will talk about them a little later.
We were lucky, Erin's stepdad has owned Wyoming ranches for generations.
When we left our corporate office jobs to come back and help when he got sick, we landed
in a situation that neither Erin or I had ever even dreamed of being in.
Gilbert helped us get started, he taught me what I needed to know and what he didn't
teach me, I went out learned on my own.
When he passed away, we were thrust into the fire, either get burned or figure out a way
to put it out.
When we had kids, we decided that they should know the value hard work and early on we started
trying to give them some of the values and dedication that Gilbert tried to teach us.
I'm gone somedays from dusk till dawn, there are days I don't see the kids in the morning
and get a passing glance at them at night, but we hope that they learn that the reason
behind that is to give them the life they deserve, to put shoes on their feet and clothes
on their backs and food in their stomachs.
A big part of that learning process is getting the kids out to do chores on the ranch, and
when they were old enough, they started doing them.
Still we have to pick and choose the chores they can do, I'm not going to expect a 6-year-old
to go out and fix fence alone, or a 4-year-old to go push cows into a corral.
But there are plenty of chores they can do.
From letting chickens out of the chicken house in the morning to putting them in at night.
Gathering eggs everyday and making sure the chickens have food and water.
Mackenzie: If we see a chicken sitting on eggs and she won't get off that means she's
broody.
Broody means she's going to sit there and she's going to wait for some eggs to hatch.
She's gonna be a mom.
Mike: Soon enough the chickens will become our first stand alone kid run endeavor on
the ranch as we hope that they will be able to run the whole operation, from feeding to
washing and packaging eggs.
Another project that the girls have this week is going to the neighbors house and taking
care of their dogs while they are out of town for thanksgiving vacation.
Mackenzie: We are getting food for dogs because Gary's gone, he's on vacation for Thanksgiving.
Mike: They also get to check on the pigs, making sure they are ok.
No, they cant lift a 50 lb bag of pig food, but for the little ones checking animals is
the first step on the ranch that leads to connection to the animals and land that will
hopefully grow into something that makes them better people.
In addition to pigs but they also check on steers and heifers, cows and bulls as well.
They even like to check on and feed the barn cats making sure they are probably the best
taken care of barn cats in 20 miles.
There is no guarantee that any of our three kids, Mackenzie who is 6, Grace who is 4 or
Lincoln our 2-year-old will have any interest in continuing the family ranch when they grow
up.
Honestly, we don't plan on putting any pressure on them to do so.
They may leave for college and become whoever they choose to be but there is the chance
that they will come back and help carry on a family tradition that we hope will be around
for many, many years in the future.
It's a gamble, everyday around here, and even our kids learn that there is a segment
of the population that either can't or don't bother themselves with where their food comes
from or the work that goes into it.
The flip side to that are people who are concerned about the future of farming and ranching.
People who want to help and know the importance of what we do here on the ranch, a thing that
sometimes we even take for granted.
Its true, before we started doing these videos we knew there was a disconnect between the
producer and consumer, but we had no idea how many people were out there, just like
you who want to bridge that gap.
It's easy to get wrapped up in your own life, your own personal little bubble and
ignore what happens outside of it.
Not a day goes by that we don't get an email or a comment asking us how to become a rancher
or farmer, how to get a job as a ranch hand, or just get invited to a local ranch or farm
just to look around.
Its not going be easy to become a rancher or farmers.
Go talk to your local Extension Office, Farm Services Office and USDA office.
They provide resources and knowledge that new farmers and ranchers will have to have
in order to be successful.
Hands on experience is an absolute necessity in agriculture.
Reading a book or even watching a video can help but the reality is you are going to have
to get your boots and hands dirty.
There are farm and ranch jobs out there.
Look in local farm and ranch groups on Facebook, visit your local feed and ranch supply store,
talk to people that work there.
If you're serious about beginning a career in agriculture it can be done.
Small family farms and ranches are going to save agriculture if it's going to be saved.
But big changes are coming and it's going to be even harder tomorrow than it is today.
So, with Thanksgiving behinds us we give thanks to the kids and the cows and all the ranchers
and farmers all over the world, that feed us 3 times a day.
We also give thanks for you, for being here with us, following our life and hearing our
message.
Its not enough to save the land, we also need to save the people that farm it.
Have a great week, and thanks for joining us, in Our Wyoming Life.
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