# Difference Between A Farmer And A Rancher.



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Progressive Forage Grower.

Regards, Mike

https://www.progressiveforage.com/blogs/guest-blog/difference-between-a-farmer-and-a-rancher


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

Good story, except now I don't know who I am. :huh:


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Haha that was an entertaining read. I always just figured there weren't any ranchers east of Arkansas. Farmers I figured were confined to the river valley's out West a d everyone else was a rancher. Additionally, if you used crossfencing to manage your grazing you are a farmer. Should you use dogs and a man on horse or truck to do so ...a rancher


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

In my neck of the woods we are all farmers no ranchers here. Some grain,cattle,dairy but no ranchers.


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

I've always considered myself a grass farmer. We don't grow any row crops, cereals etc. unless it's for grazing or hay. In my way of thinking grass is my commodity, turning it into LBS. of beef. If a pasture gets rough it gets smoothed out (renovated), but this only happens maybe once a decade. I've never been afraid to something new and will scratch up a piece of ground and try a new seed, sometimes I win, sometimes I loose. So when people ask I tell them i'm a grass farmer, of course tell that to a hippie and you have a new best friend.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I guess I am more of a farmer, as I could not hit the broadside of a barn with a rope; we don't even have a horse. Now dad is a real cowboy, and worked several ranches as a young man. He actually got to work cows like in the Charles Russell paintings where they were working three herds at a time. The weaned the calve out on the desert in the open, they would drive the calves as fast as they could to the ranch; I guess you did not let up on them or you would lose them, and the other cowboys would take the cows the other direction. I probably will never learn all that dad has forgotten.


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## Aaroncboo (Sep 21, 2014)

It's interesting to me with what he says about the repairs. It seems I'm always repairing flat tires. Maybe 10-12 in a summer. Usually the front loader tires or hayracks. Never fails you notice when you need it right then. One day I was not in a good mood while fixing said tires when a neighbor stopped by. I told him how I'm always seem to be patching tires and don't know why. He thought about it for a few seconds and said "ya... But you have alot of tires to take care of though." it then hit me that the reason I fix so many is that there are just about 80 tires between all my equipment...most of them aren't repaired more than once every few years it just seems that way. Ever since then I have been a little less angry with airing them up or patches. Something I never would have thought about. The amount of tires we have...


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## KS John (Aug 6, 2018)

Well I am one who, up until a few years ago, did not do it if it could not be done from a horse! (Remember Monty Walsh)? But I acquired a small square baler, then I needed a bigger tractor, then I needed a round baler, when does it stop?!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

KS John said:


> Well I am one who, up until a few years ago, did not do it if it could not be done from a horse! (Remember Monty Walsh)? But I acquired a small square baler, then I needed a bigger tractor, then I needed a round baler, when does it stop?!


When you're old and you can't find your way home from your farthest field. 

Regards, Mike


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I consider anyone who grows a crop on some land using the sun's energy as a farmer. Just some of us harvest the crop with a machine and others harvest the crop with livestock. But it all starts with land, a crop of some sort and the sun.

I have seen many people who call themselves rancher's who would be better off if they considered themselves forage crop producers. Put effort into growing forage. But some of them neglect the land and the crop and than everytime they are in town complain how the livestock cant make any money.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

KS John said:


> Well I am one who, up until a few years ago, did not do it if it could not be done from a horse! (Remember Monty Walsh)? But I acquired a small square baler, then I needed a bigger tractor, then I needed a round baler, when does it stop?!


That is how dad used to be. He would not do any job that that could not be done from the back of a horse; when he was working for a ranch out on the Sweetwater he was asked to go help the guys fix fence one afternoon. That ticked him off, he rode over to where they were, hobbled his horse, and proceed roll all the wire up. Except he rolled all five strands into one big ball, when he got to where the other guys were he was asked how he was going to get that unrolled; of course he said, you ain't. Needless to say he was never asked to go fix fence ever again.


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

Vol said:


> When you're old and you can't find your way home from your farthest field.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Then you need to be horseback  ,the horse will find home.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Ray 54 said:


> the horse will find home.


That is true....even in the dark.

Regards, Mike


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## PaulN (Mar 4, 2014)

Ray 54 said:


> Then you need to be horseback  ,the horse will find home.


100 years ago, you didn't need to worry about a DWI, the horse was in charge and always got you home safe.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

PaulN said:


> 100 years ago, you didn't need to worry about a DWI, the horse was in charge and always got you home safe.


Amish boys still depend on the horses "homing" ability.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

My great grandma was born on our place and rode a horse to school in town with her siblings. The story goes when they got to school then would turn the horse towards home and off it would go. Of course this was just prior to 1900, so that probably wasn't an odd site back then...


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