28 2024 Farm Family Salute June 2024
I tell them is that – I don’ t mean to crush their dreams – but I have to level with them and say if you are not in the position to where you are gonna inherit land it’ s gonna be really tough for you to get into ranching without a super good, well-paying job. You need to have a career where you’ re going to make a lot of money so you can purchase land, because you can’ t run cattle if you don’ t have land. It’ s really tough right now to start on your own.
“ It’ s not nine-to-five, you know. So many times when my kids were little and we’ d have a ball game or whatever and I’ d fly into the game in my old farm truck and watch the ball game and then the other parents would say,‘ Y’ all want to go eat and do something after?’ and I’ d say,‘ Well no, I’ m going back home go to work because I’ ve got stuff I’ ve gotta finish up tonight.’ I always tried to make sure I made time and I could get to that kind of stuff, but you know there’ s a lot of early mornings and late nights in this chosen life. People who have never done it and just worked in town, and then they’ re finished for the day, they really don’ t understand what the commitment is if you’ re really going to do this.”
Like all of the Farm Family of the Year honorees, the Coopers are humbled and grateful for the recognition.
“ It’ s really a great honor to be selected out of everybody that could have been chosen. It’ s certainly not why we do this, but it’ s nice to be recognized for what you do,” Brent said.“ But you don’ t do this for the recognition and you’ re sure not gonna make it rich doing this, either.”