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Long time coming on this post. Long story short, I raise sheep. Lambs, to be precise. I have a flock of 233 sheep in the U.S. Midwest that I will expand to more than 1,000 within the next 3 years. I started with 9 sheep in 2009 and have grown to this point through partnership (more on that later), planning, more screw-ups than I can count, effort and stubbornness. My goal is to be able to leave the day job in 5 years.
Background
I grew up on a 1,200 acre farm which is still intact with my uncle and father as owners, purchased from my grandpa in the early 1980's. Corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, hogs and a handful of sheep my dad kept just as a curiosity. While my friends slept in on weekends, I was up early and working which made for a weird mixture of pride and loathing in my teenage years. Once I got out of high school, married and had kids, my involvement became "as needed" and I didn't really feel cut out for or motivated to pursue farm life beyond an occasional helping hand.
Fast forward to my early 30's and I had a change of perspective as a result of personal and professional changes in my life. My dad still had about 30-40 sheep and I asked about getting a few as well. I bought 9 ewes (female sheep) in 2009. Within a year, I had nearly as many as my dad and we agreed to become partners. Since then, with many hiccups, failed experiments and heated arguments, we have managed to scrape forward. Through a combination of genetic selection, health protocols and countless hours of research, I feel good about the road forward. Below are some of the pros/cons about my plan to move from 9-5 toward the Fastlane.
Pros
* Having the family farm as a resource for feed, facilities, equipment, etc. is a major advantage. I have a very good relationship with my uncle and his son. Those two along with my dad are the only ones involved in the daily farm activities.
* The commodity market for lamb has been solid for the past several years due to increased demand from "ethnic" markets (Muslim, Hispanic, etc.). This also brings the opportunity for potential on retail "on farm" sales in the future, which I have dabbled in.
*Expansion opportunities in the future. We have added to our barns over the years and our logistics in terms of movement of the sheep are very standardized and efficient. Expansion will create a few logistics issues, but I'm confident we can handle those. My dad is on board with my desire to grow the business.
Cons
* Working with my dad every day can be burdensome. We are both very stubborn and opinionated. He is in his mid-60's and I'm in my early 40's. I have consciously tried to pick my battles and pick which hills are worthy of dying on. There have been times where the personal has bled into the professional. The only saving grace is that neither of us questions the others work ethic.
*Putting all my eggs into one basket. I own half the sheep, but none of the facilities and a minimum of equipment. I have wanted to have this discussion about buying into either my dad's portion or the overall farm, but have been blown off in the past. I have 50 acres of farm ground of my own and plan on hedging my bets with rental properties as well over the next few years. This will be an ongoing issue as we move forward.
*The commodity market is unpredictable. With growing populations that like lamb as part of their regular diet, I'm optimistic about the near future. However, with companies such as Memphis Meats on the horizon, the sourcing of animal protein will surely change in the next 10+ years. Since we are not in the retail space, I'm also dependent on just a couple buyers in my area.
Overall Outlook
Right now we are beginning our main lambing season, which will run through February. In the mornings I feed sheep and take care of newborn lambs, check them again in the evenings. My dad keeps an eye on things during the day. It's tiring, but I don't mind the hustle and it's a profitable side business. We have engineered our flock to be productive through genetic choices, quality feed and a consistent health protocol, with a discerning eye toward expenses. My main goal is to use the extra income to pay off my personal debt and get to a point where I can have more freedom in my day-to-day. I know this is a bit different than the usual post here, but any questions or feedback are greatly appreciated.
Background
I grew up on a 1,200 acre farm which is still intact with my uncle and father as owners, purchased from my grandpa in the early 1980's. Corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, hogs and a handful of sheep my dad kept just as a curiosity. While my friends slept in on weekends, I was up early and working which made for a weird mixture of pride and loathing in my teenage years. Once I got out of high school, married and had kids, my involvement became "as needed" and I didn't really feel cut out for or motivated to pursue farm life beyond an occasional helping hand.
Fast forward to my early 30's and I had a change of perspective as a result of personal and professional changes in my life. My dad still had about 30-40 sheep and I asked about getting a few as well. I bought 9 ewes (female sheep) in 2009. Within a year, I had nearly as many as my dad and we agreed to become partners. Since then, with many hiccups, failed experiments and heated arguments, we have managed to scrape forward. Through a combination of genetic selection, health protocols and countless hours of research, I feel good about the road forward. Below are some of the pros/cons about my plan to move from 9-5 toward the Fastlane.
Pros
* Having the family farm as a resource for feed, facilities, equipment, etc. is a major advantage. I have a very good relationship with my uncle and his son. Those two along with my dad are the only ones involved in the daily farm activities.
* The commodity market for lamb has been solid for the past several years due to increased demand from "ethnic" markets (Muslim, Hispanic, etc.). This also brings the opportunity for potential on retail "on farm" sales in the future, which I have dabbled in.
*Expansion opportunities in the future. We have added to our barns over the years and our logistics in terms of movement of the sheep are very standardized and efficient. Expansion will create a few logistics issues, but I'm confident we can handle those. My dad is on board with my desire to grow the business.
Cons
* Working with my dad every day can be burdensome. We are both very stubborn and opinionated. He is in his mid-60's and I'm in my early 40's. I have consciously tried to pick my battles and pick which hills are worthy of dying on. There have been times where the personal has bled into the professional. The only saving grace is that neither of us questions the others work ethic.
*Putting all my eggs into one basket. I own half the sheep, but none of the facilities and a minimum of equipment. I have wanted to have this discussion about buying into either my dad's portion or the overall farm, but have been blown off in the past. I have 50 acres of farm ground of my own and plan on hedging my bets with rental properties as well over the next few years. This will be an ongoing issue as we move forward.
*The commodity market is unpredictable. With growing populations that like lamb as part of their regular diet, I'm optimistic about the near future. However, with companies such as Memphis Meats on the horizon, the sourcing of animal protein will surely change in the next 10+ years. Since we are not in the retail space, I'm also dependent on just a couple buyers in my area.
Overall Outlook
Right now we are beginning our main lambing season, which will run through February. In the mornings I feed sheep and take care of newborn lambs, check them again in the evenings. My dad keeps an eye on things during the day. It's tiring, but I don't mind the hustle and it's a profitable side business. We have engineered our flock to be productive through genetic choices, quality feed and a consistent health protocol, with a discerning eye toward expenses. My main goal is to use the extra income to pay off my personal debt and get to a point where I can have more freedom in my day-to-day. I know this is a bit different than the usual post here, but any questions or feedback are greatly appreciated.
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