One thing you learn when you start hauling potatoes

[Philip d]

Don?t do it for the rest of your life if you don?t have to! When we get to the French fry plant often times you sit and wait as long as 4 hours at times and possibly longer before it?s your turn to back in and unload. There can be over a dozen trucks in the yard and guys sit around and get talking. One thing I?ve noticed is there?s a lot of guys driving trucks well in their 70?s and many of them are half crippled still on call 7 days a week year round to go at a moments notice to haul potatoes. Most are guys that worked for other farms out of school for fairly low income. They were able to buy a house and raise a family on that income and survive but that?s about it. The Canada Pension isn?t even enough to heat their house in the cold months let alone cover groceries gas electric and other things they need so as long as they?re able they have to work. No time to relax knowing the phones not going to ring no money to travel nothing. The sad part is after 50+ years working for other farms when they just can?t work anymore all they?re going to get is a handshake and a pat on the back. It makes a person realize how important it is to find a way to put money away for retirement if you have any way to do so at all. Owning your own farm and hoping the next generation takes over and makes sure you aren?t out in the cold when you can?t work anymore is one thing but God help the dear souls who are sore never had time to enjoy life and can?t afford to retire at 73 if they wanted to.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Lots of older guys driving feed trucks, gravel truck, hauling fertilizer, and that kind of thing. I don?t think there is any thing new here. Some guys always spend every dollar as fast as they earn it, and not of worth while investments. Things like new cars and trucks, boats, lavish holidays to tropical places etc. If you are 70 years old, you have lived through some of the best economic times we have ever known. That being said, you still have to plan ahead, who knows, you might get old, lol. And it is more important for guys working low paying jobs to be more frugal and plan better, but most working low paying jobs, don?t have the mindset to invest in their future.

 

[islandgreen]

A very good observation of life as a farm employee.

 

[rustyplow]

You just described milk hauling as well.

 

[Traditional Farmer]

I'd never work for another farmer too many better jobs around.What you described is why I worked an off farm job for 25 years that paid well plus did other things to boost income while still farming with my dad.I'm so called 'retired' now at 67 still have livestock but don't need the income and my wife and I only spend about half our monthly income now from various sources and save the rest.So if that makes me a Fake or Hobby farmer fine with me,my farming makes a profit and we keep that as a separate enterprise from out other incomes.But I know plenty of people in their 60's and 70's with jobs they have to work to make ends meet,kinda like the old Fable about the Grasshopper and the Ant I doubt that is still around anymore.

 

[ss55]

Most people learn quickly that there's no real money in working for farms. Off-farm jobs pay better with better working conditions and more employee benefits. Even many farms need to have one spouse working off-farm to provide the employee benefits for the family.

 

[sms]

A friend and business associate has at least 6 retired part time dump truck drivers (they don't work winters when things are slow). These guys had good jobs with good pensions and health insurance. They just don't like doing nothing and use the extra money for hunting trips and other things they enjoy.

 

[Butch(OH)]

+1
I retired last fall and all I have is SS and what we saved, my decision. We are liv'n well so far and not dipping into savings because we planned for it. No debt, house and barns all in good shape. Vehicles all A1. I am caretaking at a large estate working a couple days a week and that is going in savings too.
There is some luck to successful retirement, health and other unexpected things can and do happen.

 

[Bruce from Can.]

Fella that picked up our milk yesterday is 70.

 

[moresmoke]

The waiting around comes with most forms of truck driving. Any loads to do with food are usually the worst. When I spent time on the road, I learned really quick which loads had the good receivers. I fell into a pattern of Monday deliveries. Most of the other drivers didn?t want the loads as you left home on Saturday, I didn?t have kids at the time, so a Thursday/Friday weekend was fine with me.

There are many people that merely make a survival. Some, that is all they are capable of, some have no viable way out (just the hand they were dealt), and some are happy just getting by for today and have no cares about tomorrow. My retirement plan is pretty much my CDL. When I get to the point I can?t work anymore, there is not much point for me being around. There is a really low probability that I will make retirement age, so I try to enjoy life as much as I can now.

As to farm help pay, it depends where you are. Midwest and western Canada, you can make a decent living as hired help on a farm. But, it is still physical hard work. Some folks bodies hold up better than others with that. Did you know that after the sweep auger goes around a 50? grain bin, there is still most of a semi load of grain in there? Scoop shovel time!

 

[Philip d]

That right there is my goal,similar to if we kept milking,working after retirement age because I enjoy it on mostly my own terms and not because I have no choice.

 

[Texasmark1]

On the FF plant, I saw a special on "Orida" or something of the sort, Idaho FF potato manufacturing plant operation, specifically the process by which the product is manufactured. Very enjoyable and as a result I eat and enjoy more frozen FFs.

 

[J.Wondergem]

I retired from driving, at 67, then 7 years later my wife passed away. I went back to work driving part time, nonfarming. Gives me something to get out of bed for each morning, at 77, and I enjoy it and gives me extra money.

 

[rrlund]

Ore Ida had a FF plant right here in Greenville Michigan for a lot of years. Over 500 employees. One spring they just up and told farmers there wouldn't be any contracts. They were going to process the potatoes they had in storage and close the doors.
Some of the folks who worked the line unloading the trucks out of the field told some pretty strange stories about what came in on the conveyors. I've even heard stories of dead dogs coming in. I think I'll peel my own potatoes and slice them.

 

[Oliver 500 Wa]

Over here, the opposite. Frito-Lay has a potato chip plant in town and a friend had a deal to buy their culls for feed for his steers. Every truckload came in, his wife on seeing what was in the load would go and sack up some of the best ones. Claimed they were not much different than what you'd get from the store. They had potatoes at pretty much every meal.