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Old 01-14-2014, 08:30 AM
 
399 posts, read 683,655 times
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ummm- I never said we were in financial distress. We have been very successful in that way.
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Old 01-15-2014, 10:46 AM
 
399 posts, read 683,655 times
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Originally Posted by StealthRabbit View Post
Highly probably you have bitten off a BIG chunk (very common) It is not 'little house on the prairie', unless you read between the lines. We all face hardship, as did they. Have you farmed in the past? Are you new to the area?(7 yrs) New to the industry?

I trust there is not intentional sabotage, tho that happens. You can only learn to play well together, and that is NEVER easy. While we as neighbors we are very helpful... we all have a policy to only lend equipment WITH an operator. Thus we share machines and our time. It is far better to run your own stuff, since you have to FIX it!!

and we all know we can fail / go broke, just as fast as the next (and last) guy! We do get together and plan work for our neighbors who are in hospital or 'broken' in some other fashion. Often rural churches do that. (Community Churches are better at it than 'denominational' / family churches). NO ONE (<5%) is churched in the PNW, (we_tside) so we just take it on as neighbors.

Re-evaulate your expectations, skill, and commitment. Fortunately there are lots of 'helps' for farmers these days.

Get with the Extension Service and look over your whole operation; especially the finances, cash flows, and investments. THEN make up a farm business plan that illustrates REALITY and determine if you can survive, or need to augment or diversify. Or SELL! I didn't farm full-time (after age 20), so I worked nights (40+ yrs) to support the habit. Including in a factory since age 15. I LIKE working nights. Very ez compared to farming + I have LIGHTS at work and sun at home! (and no bosses at night in my position )
'OCD' Bosses and farmers are not often a good match!

Many of my farmer friends worked at the State Penn on nights. It paid VERY well (and for good reason). I took the 'ez path'.

I don't consider it "play" when one's job or home are at stake. If one does not have good intentions with what they are doing, it is much more sinister than "play". And yes, sabotage WAS done.
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Old 01-15-2014, 01:05 PM
 
3,433 posts, read 5,726,363 times
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Originally Posted by purplepeach View Post
We bought into our farm in unfortunate circumstances- the owners son in law and the grandchildren had interest in purchasing this farm that was adjacent to the son in laws property. However, they would not/could not pay the asking price from the grandparents. So, we were definitely unwelcome here and bought the farm unknowingly to the family situation. There was one buyer before us who only lasted 6 mts before going under, we are the second ones to buy this farm. Alot of suspicious things happened here, then we got survellance cameras, which has helped. But I do not trust anyone anymore.

As far as family helping out- I want to add there are ways to help besides lending equipment. Help with picking rocks for instance, or emergency help such as when my husband was in the hospital unexpectedly and I had to milk and do chores ALONE, as my children were younger at that time (and my oldest son was away that night.)

As to your first paragraph................Yes, I do believe you were correct in suspecting retaliation.

To those that question your assumption, maybe they haven't lived in farming areas where feelings run deep from generation to generation.
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Old 01-20-2014, 10:03 AM
 
501 posts, read 1,293,212 times
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Originally Posted by purplepeach View Post
We bought into our farm in unfortunate circumstances- the owners son in law and the grandchildren had interest in purchasing this farm that was adjacent to the son in laws property. However, they would not/could not pay the asking price from the grandparents. So, we were definitely unwelcome here and bought the farm unknowingly to the family situation. There was one buyer before us who only lasted 6 mts before going under, we are the second ones to buy this farm. Alot of suspicious things happened here, then we got survellance cameras, which has helped. But I do not trust anyone anymore.

As far as family helping out- I want to add there are ways to help besides lending equipment. Help with picking rocks for instance, or emergency help such as when my husband was in the hospital unexpectedly and I had to milk and do chores ALONE, as my children were younger at that time (and my oldest son was away that night.)
I personally know of a similar situation in a neighboring area. Used to buy hay from them, so heard all about the inner family struggles between a a few family members over several adjoining parcels. Ugly, for the family members and for the guy who came along and bought one parcel, who had no clue of the hot tempered recent history of it.

In a case like this, you are very wise to be cautious on the trust issue. Wish you weren't in the middle of it, but also wanted to acknowledge that this sort of thing does happen.
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Old 02-08-2014, 01:11 AM
 
5,730 posts, read 10,097,082 times
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If you wish to have neighbors who are willing to help you, you must first be willingto help them.

Do this, and your issues will at minimum be much fewer.
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Old 02-08-2014, 08:46 AM
 
3,433 posts, read 5,726,363 times
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Originally Posted by Themanwithnoname View Post
If you wish to have neighbors who are willing to help you, you must first be willingto help them.

Do this, and your issues will at minimum be much fewer.

It's not that simple amongst real farmers. ( the OP sounds like a real farmer)

In my long life of farming, I have seldom witnessed farmers working together last for more than a couple years.

It seems it soon becomes a one way street where one farmer always expects help, but proclaims he is too busy when you need a hand.

I have seen this over and over and over.

Farmers are great in helping their neighbors in an emergency however, just not at other times.
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Old 02-08-2014, 03:45 PM
 
5,401 posts, read 6,483,050 times
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Yes, I find Teddy's experience accurate. I speak from ranching perspective which is slightly different than farming one.
There is always at least one family that wants to borrow your stuff, have you watch place, feed stock while they go somewhere, unload bales with your equipment, etc favors galore...then when you ask for a very small measure of return, they are much too busy, will be gone, etc. Or worse yet, you make mistake of letting them pasture stock or have hay & then not be paid ever for a serious dollar amount.
These folks seem to always have money to spend on many things but not their ag operation. It seems you are to supplement that for them.
So after numerous such experiences, we try to not get into these situations. If it is someone like & want to help out we will go do the work with our equipment--we will not loan out horsetrailers, bobcats, atvs, tools, and cool stuff from shop ever again to anyone, period.
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