Meet David Brown | Practicing Farmer

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Brown and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
All my businesses that ive started when farming were driven wanting to be my own boss. But also growing up with cows, sheep and working for farmers i had an drive to do those things. So i bought cows which was a disaster, which in turn i purchased sheep to help pay for the cows, which in turn i bought a baler to put up hay for our own livestock which led to custom haying and then custom cutting grain, which led into building a custom combining business, and in the middle of that to help with the sheep cost we started a small sheep feed lot. This will be my 10th year farming, 2024, and one step has led to another where now i no longer have cattle, though i do miss that operation but i have around 800 ewes, a custom haying business,custom combining business, and a custom sheep feeding feedlot. But all four business help the other in some way, shape or form.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At this I have about 800 whiteface ewes that is the base of the business. I have had sheep for 8 years now starting with 200 wild things that came out of South Dakota. Slowly through the years ive built that number up to 800, my goal is to have around 1400. There have been so many lessons along the way many that have been very costly and stressful. That goes for all my businesses. I bought a baler in that time frame as well to help bale hay for our own animals but to help pay for all the equipment I have done lots of custom work baleing others hay. Somewhere after that i borrowed an old winrower from Dave Warsh. Started cutting grain and soon I had two swathers going. I would hire temporary workers and that consisted of many different people that had a little time to come help. Then two years ago a friend and me decided to buy combines, which has a been a childhood dream of mine for whatever reason. We now have completed two years and of custom combining and also combinging our own barley just locally, And that has been a huge lesson learning curve very costly but becoming rewarding as well. And 3 years ago i had started feeding lambs for our lamb buyer. His feedlot was full and needed some where to go with some lambs, thought it would be an easy job. Again a huge learning curve but now my father and i have developed a much better running feed operation and plan to expand greatly the next year. But again the sheep is the basis of my business. There are very few young farmers getting into sheep in America today. Its hard work, very time consuming and doesn’t pay great. But very rewarding, developing your herd genetics, Or seeing the baby lambs run in huge packs around the fields playing. And above all the taste of their meat. I had started to develop a meat business but have had to put it on hold because that is a very time consuming business. It will take a lot more time and hard work that i just dont have at the moment. All these business take a lot of time. During haying season or combining the hours are very long. Many days of 20 or more hour days in a row cause our time frame to get the work done is very small and mother nature does not care. But again that’s why i like farming, very few people are doing it and that gives me a sense of pride, especially in the middle of the night when its just me, the tractor and my dog. It is very rewarding, very stressful, very demanding and sometimes very disheartening. One must keep going though and that is how i’ve over come many battles is you just have to keep going no matter what, Because if you stop or quit it’ll all be for nothing. An old rancher nearby once said “Farmers are mountain climbers, we fall, slide, slip, roll down the mountain, but we’re climbers and you have to keep climbing no matter how big the mountain.” This journey is not easy but I will continue to do it as long as i can.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If its summer time, were going to have to do some work. I would put them in a tractor or on a horse to move sheep, Something easy and where they most likely cant break to much. But we would visit fields and go to pastures and show them what i do but also what my other farmer friends do. We’d go eat at the local favorite spots, Dos Rios, 3 barrel brewing, go to the hot springs pool outside of hooper. Up to creed for a day of bar hopping and eating at up there. Of course go to my business partner Derek brewery, Spare Keg, Between working and running around i think itd take up the week and if anything get into the mountains to explore.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I also joined farm bureau about 10 years ago, became county president for a few years ,involuntarily, but through many years and help with leadership courses and classes I am now on the Colorado state board of directors. Those leadership teachings have helped in my business development as well as outside my business. There are many people to thank, my father for one that has stood by me in all my decisions, right or wrong, and we continue to help each other daily. We do not always agree more times then not but i couldn’t do all the things i do with out his help. Also another person, who also was my last boss where i worked full time. Dave Warsh, he was a potato farmer, who is now very happily retired but who also started with nothing and through a life time made a living, raised a family and showed it can be done. I go to him often for advice because he tells it like it is and doesn’t sugar coat it. There are many other farmers that have given me work over the years and stuck by me through my mistakes and tough times. Clifton Curtis, Jared Myers, Austin Miller. All have been a great help through the years and i owe a lot of my success to them.

Image Credits
Life out west photography