Suggestions and or Ideas

[Y 4 Ranch]

Jason, I have admired your work from afar and can tell you that I feel priveledged that you’d reply. I have fed my family many times through the winter by the use of my hands and horses in the woods. I grew up around the old teamsters working in the woods in their younger years and they taught me a thing or two, I miss them as they forgot more than they could pass on to me in the short time we had together.

Joel, I have hired a couple of former state employees that are retired now to assist us in this next seasons production, one will bring his team and the other will drive one set of mine during haying. That should help out some, we’ve invited some of the draft club to have some fun too, some of them don’t have regular work for their horses.

[amanda07]

Hi, Just an idea, perhaps not too PC, have you thought about renting out your machinery? The income could be useful to get you and yours through the transition. Amanda

[Hal]

@Does’ Leap 4940 wrote:

Gross margin analysis in a nutshell looks at the income and costs from each farm enterprise (your labor is a cost), putting aside overhead (mortgage, taxes, etc.) After you pay your labor and cash costs for each enterprise (in our case goats, sheep, cattle), you need to cover depreciation, opportunity cost, and inflation. If there is $ at the end, you made a profit.

I know this is an old thread, but I am curious about how you decide how much to pay yourself when you factor in your labor as a cost. Do you go for a certain measure of dollars per hour? And I am assuming that “opportunity cost” is what you might get paid at another job?

[Rick Alger]

Hal,

I’m surprised you haven’t got an answer or two. I’ll give you one.

I’m a horselogger living in New Hampshire’s “industrial forest.” I value my labor at the rate I got from the state DOL for an average cable skidder guy. It aint much, but it gives me a realistic benchmark.

There are other occupations and other areas where I could make considerably more money, but I don’t want to compromise my way of life. Besides, my kids are grown and my mortgage is paid, so a lot of pressure is off my shoulders. And I love every day in the woods. This winter a USGS scientist who was doing some study near my job stopped by to watch me skid some wood. As he was leaving he said to me, “Man, you’ve got the best job in the world.”

For me, he was probably right.

But for a young person, there are economic concerns that would make it less rosy. You are wise to be looking hard at the economics of whatever you plan to do out in Oregon.

[near horse]

Hal,

Don’y buy that “opportunity cost” bull Sh-t! That’s your ag econ guys telling you why you can’t farm and you need to keep that $25/hr job you don’t have. Those clowns are so full of crap – I should know, I worked with them in the college of agriculture. Your time is one of the few things you truly own already so don’t let someone dissuade you from spending it in a way that pleases you NOT them. They have to justify why they’re getting $60,000 to 100,000/yr sitting in an office “theoretical farming” and still losing money.:mad:

Also, check out http://www.johnandleroytomlinson.com for a couple of old pull behind combines (some are PTO others engine drive).

the rate I got from the state DOL for an average cable skidder guy. It aint much,

Rick, Out west, man, these guys get some serious pay.

[Robert MoonShadow]

Geoff; I’ve GOT one of those $25/hour jobs {actually runs up to $35, depending on “prevailing wage’} –> trouble is, it’s seasonal – but this one’s looking like a long season, so I should be able to afford the down payment on some land this year…
…so I can get on with my true love = truck farming for a hell of a lot less than $25/hour!! {Hey, somebody’s got to be the crazy one around here & I’m more qualified for that title than most! hehehehe}
I measure my wealth in things more substantial than mere money…
…I drive my boss & friends crazy when I tell them “It’s only money – they’ll make more!”

[Author]

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