how many acres does a corn farmer have?

Paul Wheaton · #1 01/03/10, 01:38 PM

Suppose there is a fella that raises just corn and owns his own combine. And he works just by himself. How many acres does he probably have? 600? A thousand?

big rockpile · #2 01/03/10, 01:50 PM

It depends on alot of things.How Big of Equipment,how far it has to be hauled.

Me personally I wouldn't put all my Eggs in one Basket.

big rockpile

Paul Wheaton · #3 01/03/10, 02:03 PM

I was actually talking to somebody about not putting all of one's eggs in one basket and the response was "well, that sounds fine for one person, but if everybody did it ..." and as part of the conversation I want to start with a reasonable scenario: one guy owns _____ acres, one combine, one tractor and .....

But, how many acres would be pretty normal in Iowa?

big rockpile · #4 01/03/10, 02:18 PM

Can't really help you the only Big grain operation I seen was 10K acres and three Familes working it.But like I say it was not all in Corn but Beans,Cotton,Alfalfa and Watermelons.

big rockpile

ksfarmer · #5 01/03/10, 02:21 PM

I'm not in Iowa but I don't know of any farmers who are in one crop only. Everybody I know has different crops, which allow for rotation of the ground. Most also have livestock of one type or the other. Or have a job in town to support the farm. The problem is that if all you have is corn you have a combine that is used only a few days of the year, a tractor, a planter, sprayer, tillage equipment,,,,,you see what I mean? Diversity allows machinery cost to be spread out more. And labor, same thing,,,,,you would be busy for only short periods of time at planting and harvest. I guess you could do that if you had a full time job in town and could take vacation when you had to plant or harvest corn.
Also most do not own all the ground they farm. A large percentage of farmland is owned by retired folks (like me) who rent the ground to younger farmers. There is as wide a spread of size of farms as there is farms. I know some who farm 1000 acres and work in town, and I know some who farm 10,000 acres. One more thing,,,if all your acres are in corn, a weather disaster or disease problem can wipe out everything you have for the year.!

ibcnya · #6 01/03/10, 02:54 PM

Born and raised in Iowa and over the years I have seen the diversity of farms dwindle from cows,pigs, chickens, corn, hay and possibly beans all on one farm to today's farm which is you're either a crop farmer or a livestock farmer with maybe a little bit of crops and quite possibly none. But generally speaking as a crop farmer and to own your own combine you had better be farming over 800 acres or more. Now keep in mind, generally speaking the farmer doesn't make a living all by himself farming that many acres and getting $2-$3.50 a bushel. He is heavily subsidized by your excellence in government. The more land you farm the more the government subsidizes you.
Check this link. You can go to stae and county and individual by poking around here. http://farm.ewg.org/farm/farms_by_state.php
Use to be crop farming was hard work, now you see farmers in tennis shoes and heading south for the winter when the crops are out. Just a businessman nowadays with some late nights in the spring and fall.

palani · #7 01/03/10, 03:27 PM

Combines are pretty cheap. Small acreages (160 - 200 acres) can afford one used in the $2,000 - $3000 range. A 13 ft flex platform might add $3,000 and a 4 - 6 row corn head another $3,000.

Now if you are talking a new $250,000 combine you might need 5,000 acres or more to justify.

Gary in ohio · #8 01/03/10, 03:35 PM

I guess we need to know what kind of corn you talking about. Field Corn or sweet corn, From the "combine" i assume field corn. I think you will find you need to mix the corn and a companion crop like soibeans to make it work or your going to have to put a lot of money into fertilizers.

Around here most farmers say you need about 3000 acres of crop to make a living with with corn and beans. You dont need to own 3k acress but harvest that much.

ibcnya · #9 01/03/10, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palani

Combines are pretty cheap. Small acreages (160 - 200 acres) can afford one used in the $2,000 - $3000 range. A 13 ft flex platform might add $3,000 and a 4 - 6 row corn head another $3,000.

Now if you are talking a new $250,000 combine you might need 5,000 acres or more to justify.

Yep there is some cheap combines out there, but you have to change heads as well if you are rotating corn/beans plus repairs and just plain wore out gears etc. Better to have it custom done. And if you are farming 160-200 acres you better have a day job because you'll be on foodstamps otherwise.

Tracy Rimmer · #10 01/03/10, 04:29 PM

I don't think that too many farmers around here would consider raising a single crop. Too much risk.

Here, the big guys who work the farm full time and own their own equipment typically have at least 10-12 full sections, and rotate between canola, flax, silage, sunflowers, wheat, rye, barley, field peas, potatoes, etc. They also typically have a section or two in hay and pasturage, and raise cattle on that.

wwubben · #11 01/03/10, 04:30 PM

Here in Iowa a farmer can make a living on 240 acres if it is paid for.Most farmers farm 800 to 1600 acres and rotate the land to half corn and half soybeans.They strictly raise grain no livestock.Some farm 6000 to 12000 acres but not many.You do not make much on the land you rent so it takes a lot of acres.240 acres would cost over a million dollars-------people are surprised when they learn that one of these hayseeds in patched overalls is a multi millionaire.

ksfarmer · #12 01/03/10, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibcnya

Yep there is some cheap combines out there, but you have to change heads as well if you are rotating corn/beans plus repairs and just plain wore out gears etc. Better to have it custom done. And if you are farming 160-200 acres you better have a day job because you'll be on foodstamps otherwise.

I had a $3000 combine, cost me $5000 in repairs the last year I had it.

"Use to be crop farming was hard work, now you see farmers in tennis shoes and heading south for the winter when the crops are out. Just a businessman nowadays with some late nights in the spring and fall. "

I don't really agree with this statement. I'm sure there are some "agri-businessmen" who fit this description but they are far outnumbered by the ones who stay to operate a cattle or hog operation as well as spending the winter on things like maintenance of equipment, marketing the crops, and purchasing next years inputs of fertilizer and seed.

fantasymaker · #13 01/03/10, 04:51 PM

I seem to remember seeing a survey on this very subject about Illniois farmers, I think the answer was 600 acres on the average. That was a few years back it may have doubled by now !
Many Il farmers raise 2 crops corn and beans, a few have it down to one.
Id like to be about 80% corn and 20% beans due to the creek bottom nature of my farm.

FrontPorch · #14 01/03/10, 04:57 PM

My parents farm 900 acres by themselves. Corn and soybeans.

arabian knight · #15 01/03/10, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrontPorch

My parents farm 900 acres by themselves. Corn and soybeans.

But I bet they also rotate them around, don't they?
I know my landlord switches back and forth between corn and alfalfa, plants it in sections for a few years that switches the crops around for the next few years.
Having just corn what would a person do when it comes time to rotate that crop? can't or shouldn't just keep planting forever the same crop on the same piece of ground.

FarmersDaughter · #16 01/03/10, 05:06 PM

My thoughts on your question:

--Agree with others that no farmers that I know would farm only 1 crop. Around here it's corn and soybeans and you rotate crops to decrease the amount of fertilizer and pesticides needed.

--It is very unlikely that a crop farmer would farm all by himself. He would either have a hired man, other family members that farm with him, or his wife would work with him. Otherwise during harvest, he would have to pick for a while, then stop to haul the corn or soybeans to the grain elevator, then go back and pick for a while, etc. This is possible, but I know of no farmers that do the entire process themselves and have enough ground to make a living.

--I agree with others that the amount of land needed to make a living depends greatly on whether you own the land or you are renting the land.

--I don't agree with the post that you need more than 5,000 acres to own a $250,000 combine. Many farmers around here have $250,000 combines and farm much less than that (but they own the ground they are farming).

--The other consideration is how fertile the soil is and what yields the farmer can get. What region of the country is your fictional farmer residing in?

All in all, I think that we need a lot more information on your farmer to give a reasonable answer.

ibcnya · #17 01/03/10, 05:11 PM

"Use to be crop farming was hard work, now you see farmers in tennis shoes and heading south for the winter when the crops are out. Just a businessman nowadays with some late nights in the spring and fall. "

I don't really agree with this statement. I'm sure there are some "agri-businessmen" who fit this description but they are far outnumbered by the ones who stay to operate a cattle or hog operation as well as spending the winter on things like maintenance of equipment, marketing the crops, and purchasing next years inputs of fertilizer and seed.[/QUOTE]

Notice I said "crop farmer". No hogs no cattle, just plant and harvest. He may not be gone all winter but what is there to do Dec-Feb if he has no livestock? The crop is in the bin whether it's his own or at the co-op. You can make purchases of seed and fertilizer by phone or internet. Maintenance of equipment is seasonal. After he plants he has all summer to maintain his planter or disc or tractor or plow if he even uses one. After he harvests his crop he has all winter and a good part of spring to maintain tractor and all summer to get combine ready. And that is if he even maintains his own, he may just call the dealer and they'll come out and do it for him. That is why he wears tennis shoes. Hehe.

**Ross** · #18 01/03/10, 05:20 PM

My neighbor grows corn bean and wheat mainly. Last I heard he had 1500 acres. That was at least 500 acres ago. He has 2 combines one from new around 300k and the other was used around 170k. I forget how many tractors he has. Just one bend in the middle 300+ hp though. 2 or 3 of the NH MFWD 200hp + jobbies though, and then several utility tractors 150 hp and less. He also has a brand spanking new corn drier and elevator leg system to 2 huge bins and 6 smaller ones 40 high by 25 wide?? He hires on 3 or 4 to help at cropping and in the spring and one full time hand.

FarmerChick · #19 01/03/10, 05:21 PM

don't know about Iowa and there are so many variables

but my neighbor has 250 acres and a combine...he does wheat, corn and soybeans and a few other things (?)

I am a corn farmer...plant about 50 acres (1/2 to sell for people and 1/2 feed corn) and pick all by hand. Yup...lol...no combine for me.

FrontPorch · #20 01/03/10, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arabian knight

But I bet they also rotate them around, don't they?
I know my landlord switches back and forth between corn and alfalfa, plants it in sections for a few years that switches the crops around for the next few years.
Having just corn what would a person do when it comes time to rotate that crop? can't or shouldn't just keep planting forever the same crop on the same piece of ground.

Yes, they rotate every year.