SageHill
Herd Master
Just startin' your Prime Years !! Welcome.
…when I’m sixty four.
- Thread starter Skiesblue
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murphysranch
Herd Master
I'm four years past 64 and just starting over to live the dream. I hope that the Lord gives me enough time to continue to learn and experience!
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Skiesblue
Herd Master
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I had a
I had a life course correction at 50. It happens. Awful at the time but ultimately the best thing that ever happened to me. Faith and persevere the gifts of choppy seas in later years. (perseverance)
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Mini Horses
Herd Master
Well, with being careful about stupid things, eating well and staying active most of us will continue to love our farms for a long, long time. I always think I'm doing ok, then something happens to remind me that I'm "ok" but NOT still 35 like my mind thinks....
Like my little dance with a 250# goat the other day. I was definitely sore muscled in a few places the next day but, hadn't lost the battle!! It did remind me that the next time he was on my dance card there would be more caution & a bigger stick in my hand.
so the morel of the story is think first, be prepared and don't be where you can't easily get away if need be.
64 has been in my rear view mirror for a long time
but I'm looking at 3 more years when I'll assess how many animals I want to deal with. That'll make me 80 and a nice time to decide about life. If all is well, I'll keep on 
...still in my prime time!
I just hope my darned fences hold up as well as me!
Like my little dance with a 250# goat the other day. I was definitely sore muscled in a few places the next day but, hadn't lost the battle!! It did remind me that the next time he was on my dance card there would be more caution & a bigger stick in my hand.
so the morel of the story is think first, be prepared and don't be where you can't easily get away if need be.64 has been in my rear view mirror for a long time
but I'm looking at 3 more years when I'll assess how many animals I want to deal with. That'll make me 80 and a nice time to decide about life. If all is well, I'll keep on ...still in my prime time!I just hope my darned fences hold up as well as me!
Baymule
Herd Master
WHOOP! Adventure begins!!
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Often, one of our homesteading challenges is that we start our adventures much later in life. Many starting out have a huge yard or a small farm but, quite often that is shared with full time jobs -- plus raising families. So for the majority of us, the time in life when we CAN full time farm/homestead is at our "retirement" age. For most of us it has always been a background dream, that we incorporate into the necessity of today's society -- work & pay bills. Let's face it, full time, as sole support of family, farms rarely offer financial accolades. You gotta love it to do it.
That being said...most homesteaders are in pretty decent physical condition since they've been hefting the physical work for a while.
But accidents and health issues can limit us. That's when we contrive ways to work smarter, use equipment, slow down so we don't overwork, package smaller loads and otherwise -- make work a little easier to do. It's a lifestyle. There are benefits...often financial by raising healthy food for ourselves and family. It's work but, I personally enjoy it - most days . What I hear A LOT is that they want to be self supporting of their needs and, if raising livestock is involved, would love a method to offset feed costs.
So what has been a consideration, a compromise, a better method for those still working at it -- compared to those youngins doing it? What issues have you had to overcome and how did you?
That being said...most homesteaders are in pretty decent physical condition since they've been hefting the physical work for a while.
But accidents and health issues can limit us. That's when we contrive ways to work smarter, use equipment, slow down so we don't overwork, package smaller loads and otherwise -- make work a little easier to do. It's a lifestyle. There are benefits...often financial by raising healthy food for ourselves and family. It's work but, I personally enjoy it - most days . What I hear A LOT is that they want to be self supporting of their needs and, if raising livestock is involved, would love a method to offset feed costs. So what has been a consideration, a compromise, a better method for those still working at it -- compared to those youngins doing it? What issues have you had to overcome and how did you?
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Skiesblue
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Well said!
Mike CHS
Herd Master
I haven't looked at new threads in a while, and just saw this one. I was 64 when we bought our place and I was fortunate enough to still be working a very good job that allowed me to work on our place at least three days every week and sometimes four. Due to the limited time allowed for work, it took us almost a year to get the land cleared and fenced since we were gutting our home and three years to get the house done. It can be a lot of work and I have found a few things that can be difficult but nothing that can't be done.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
We bought our 6-acre place in the foothills of the San Fernando Valley, CA, in '88. We were a lot younger then and could do most of the hard work ourselves. We also had 4 small ranch hands that we kept busy. They joined 4-H and we ended up raising practically every domestic animal known to man. We milked goats year-round and fed out calves and replacement heifers. Soaked corn in the milk to slop hogs, raised rabbits, bred several breeds of sheep. After the children left home keeping the brush under control was a serious drain on our checkbook so we brought back more sheep. Now we are moving to our new ranch - 44 acres in northeast Texas with 2 horses, 1 mule, 50 White Dorper sheep and 3 Anatolian guardian dogs. First, we had to fence it for the dogs. The cattle fences were good and strong, but LGDs and sheep are a different proposition. After owning it for 2 years we finally have the fences up encompassing 15 acres, the house, garden, barn, and both ponds. The other 30 acres is being leased for hay to a cattleman. The house is smaller, but that is ok. I won't tell you my age since it is classified, but my husband is 80 and excited about this new chapter in our lives. Our 5 children and 9 grandchildren are devastated that we are moving away.
Baymule
Herd Master
My husband and I bought a double wide on 8 acres, when I was 60, he was 70. We downsized from a 2500 square foot brick home to a 1500 square foot mobile home. We cleared and put up fence, had a barn built, had a screened porch the length of the double wide built. Fenced in a 70’x100’ garden. We had horses, chickens,sheep and feeder pigs. We had a blast. He passed away going on 2 years ago. I sold the farm and moved to my son’s rent house on 2 acres. I culled down my sheep flock, sold my horses and moved all my equipment, with the help of friends and my son. @Ridgetop and her husband came for a moving party!
All alone, I pondered on what to do. I looked for another place, I wanted an old farm house to redo. But they are gone, replaced by huge homes on small plots of land. I found a Doublewide on 25 acres and made an offer. It’s part of a 3rd generation cattle ranch, with old fences that are grown up in trees, brush and briars. I have one field fenced. No barn. I put up cow panel pens with small livestock Quonset huts, pallet shelters and a cow panel hoop shelter. Fence clearing and barn will get started when these 100plus degrees days are gone. I go out in the early mornings, despite the atrocious heat, and work until noon.
I have 3 Anatolians, 1Great Dane and Labrador cross, 1horse and with the 8 ewe lambs kept from this year, will have 27 breeding ewes for next year. Just bought a chicken tractor on a lawnmower trailer and a neighbor is going to give me a few hens. No garden yet, but I raised a few squash and tomatoes in tubs.
I’m 68 now, take things a little slower, but not stopping. Living the dream, happiest when covered in dirt.
All alone, I pondered on what to do. I looked for another place, I wanted an old farm house to redo. But they are gone, replaced by huge homes on small plots of land. I found a Doublewide on 25 acres and made an offer. It’s part of a 3rd generation cattle ranch, with old fences that are grown up in trees, brush and briars. I have one field fenced. No barn. I put up cow panel pens with small livestock Quonset huts, pallet shelters and a cow panel hoop shelter. Fence clearing and barn will get started when these 100plus degrees days are gone. I go out in the early mornings, despite the atrocious heat, and work until noon.
I have 3 Anatolians, 1Great Dane and Labrador cross, 1horse and with the 8 ewe lambs kept from this year, will have 27 breeding ewes for next year. Just bought a chicken tractor on a lawnmower trailer and a neighbor is going to give me a few hens. No garden yet, but I raised a few squash and tomatoes in tubs.
I’m 68 now, take things a little slower, but not stopping. Living the dream, happiest when covered in dirt.
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