What is your opinon on corporate/large farming operations?

[VERN in IL]

[EDIT; I'M TALKING ABOUT GRAINS producers}

You are seeing them EVERYWHERE, million dollar combines, new elevators being built ON SITE, popping up like weeds. A local cattle producer about to retire sold much of his land off to some German outfit that converted his pasture into farmland, the cattle producer sold the outfit 3,000 acres.

What is going on here? Where is this money coming from, I thought there was no future in farming?

Looking around you see huge investments in grain elevators, and I KNOW those are not cheap. new 60 ft silos and 150 ft elevators. Used to you NEVER saw a grain elevator on a farm, you just had silos and just trucked to to the main elevator that has railroad access.

Where is this money coming from?

[jwal10]

As farming goes so goes the nation. Always seems when farming gets good the country catches up quick and farming income goes back down again. The bigger farms get, the more government. Farmers used to be so independent, I am glad my time for farming is past, don't think I could let government tell me what to do and how to do it just to get their subsidies. I saw it in the 80's, FHA ruined this country telling farmers and dairymen how to run their farms, interest rates then killed them....James

[Lazy J]

We are trying to get started as a crop farm and it is tough to find more land. We would like to be int he 1,500 acre range in the next five years, but it is tough finding more ground to add to our operation. The big seem to be getting bigger.

We are willing to pay a more than fair rent, but getting past the new shiny equipment is tough. Of course I am at a huge advantage as all of my equipment is paid for now.

Jim

[plowjockey]

Its coming from the crop yields.

With hybrid seeds, weather forecasting, reliable equipment, Federal subsides and crop insurance, there is almost no such thing, as a "bad year" anymore, for any compentent grain farmer.

There is no future in small grain operations, the large one's are doing fine. There is much overhead in grain farming, so it take a larger amount of acerage to justify the expenses.

[InvalidID]

My opinion is I'm not a fan and so I avoid them as best I can. Certain things I can't get locally of course so I try to get them from operations I like.

[Forerunner]

7 dollar corn and 15 dollar beans ain't hurtin' anything.

Grains storage used to be figured at a dollar a bushel to construct.
Now, even at two dollars a bushel, it doesn't take long to pay for storage and handling equipment if grain fluctuates a dollar or two between harvest price and peak price.

[Bearfootfarm]

Where is this money coming from?

Bank loans are a large part of initial investments.

It takes a LOT of land to justify buying the equipment needed, so it only makes sense to farm the maximum amount of acreage

3000 acres isn't a "large" farm by today's standards

[jwal10]

They say with the huge loans the bank now has a vested interest in the farmers doing well. The farm doing well dictates IF the bank does well....James

[MO_cows]

You thought there was no future in farming? Are you kidding? People gotta eat and there are more mouths to feed every day.

Anyone who wants to go into conventional farming without inheriting a farm has an uphill battle, the startup costs are phenomenal.

And the reason a lot of farms are incorporated is to avoid losing the farm if the next generation has to sell it to pay the "death tax." As a corporation, they can have a smoother sucession from one generation to the next. Some people say "corporate farm" like it's a dirty word. It's just a legal/tax status.

[ErinP]

The bigger farms get, the more government. Farmers used to be so independent

Generally speaking, farmers don't WANT to be independent.
That's why subsidies are so hard to cap.

[City Bound]

I do not trust these corp farms, especially if they are owned by other countries.

So, what is going to happen, this german company is going to come in, buy up all our land, and then grow food here for their own countries, while we starve? I don't trust it.

America is not going to exist for much longer. We are selling our future.

[TedH71]

I think it's cheaper to lease the land as you go. Buy or lease the equipment used. That's the way I would go around it. I'm trying to find a local Kansan rancher to learn how to work cattle and stuff.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by VERN in IL

[EDIT; I'M TALKING ABOUT GRAINS producers}

You are seeing them EVERYWHERE, million dollar combines, new elevators being built ON SITE, popping up like weeds. A local cattle producer about to retire sold much of his land off to some German outfit that converted his pasture into farmland, the cattle producer sold the outfit 3,000 acres.

What is going on here? Where is this money coming from, I thought there was no future in farming?

Looking around you see huge investments in grain elevators, and I KNOW those are not cheap. new 60 ft silos and 150 ft elevators. Used to you NEVER saw a grain elevator on a farm, you just had silos and just trucked to to the main elevator that has railroad access.

Where is this money coming from?

..................China and other countries are trying too purchase Tillable farm in the millions of acres . China has pursued huge tracts all over Africa and especially in south america . I think it was Brazil or Argentina that would NOT sell farm land too China , rather they were allowed too lease and farm the tracts without becoming the owners of the property !
...................Funny thing , China does not allow anyone too mine any of their natural resources or Own any of their property that I'm aware of . , fordy

[VERN in IL]

I guess I should have stated this in my OP, but my main concern about these corporate farms is when the economy or the industry turns south.

With these GM crops the risk is higher than ever for human error(or on purpose) to produce a bad strain.

If the economy turns bad, and it will, there are signs of it everywhere. When the economy turns bad, it will be worse than 1929, and what will happen to these mega farms? Will the Government swoop in and take control in a global economic collapse? Or rather the farms be dismantled in bankruptcy court?

[HeelSpur]

Originally Posted by City Bound

I do not trust these corp farms, especially if they are owned by other countries.

So, what is going to happen, this german company is going to come in, buy up all our land, and then grow food here for their own countries, while we starve? I don't trust it.

America is not going to exist for much longer. We are selling our future.

Nah, we won't starve as long as we supply Russia with all of our advanced farming equipment. The food may cost 10 times as much, but eyyy, we're nice people.

[Forerunner]

Originally Posted by VERN in IL

I guess I should have stated this in my OP, but my main concern about these corporate farms is when the economy or the industry turns south.

With these GM crops the risk is higher than ever for human error(or on purpose) to produce a bad strain.

If the economy turns bad, and it will, there are signs of it everywhere. When the economy turns bad, it will be worse than 1929, and what will happen to these mega farms? Will the Government swoop in and take control in a global economic collapse? Or rather the farms be dismantled in bankruptcy court?

Good question.

Modern large scale farming does appear to be doing everything possible to kill the soil for any purpose save sterile grain production.

[wwubben]

Land in Iowa is 75% paid for.There will be no big bust in agriculture this time around.Farmers are making good money right now.Very little land is owned by foreigners around here and we want to keep it that way.Dutchmen are coming over here and getting in the dairy business,but they intend to become citizens and some already have.The good rural life of small full time farmers is gone.That is sad.

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by TedH71

I'm trying to find a local Kansan rancher to learn how to work cattle and stuff.

You would have an easier time just getting a JOB working for a local Kansan rancher.
They won't pay you as well as someone who knows what he's doing, but it's really the best way to get experience.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by VERN in IL

I guess I should have stated this in my OP, but my main concern about these corporate farms is when the economy or the industry turns south.

With these GM crops the risk is higher than ever for human error(or on purpose) to produce a bad strain.

If the economy turns bad, and it will, there are signs of it everywhere. When the economy turns bad, it will be worse than 1929, and what will happen to these mega farms? Will the Government swoop in and take control in a global economic collapse? Or rather the farms be dismantled in bankruptcy court?

It's been my experience that those that run large grain farm operations, know what they are doing.

I would think that they would last longer than a small "family" farm.

Besides, what difference does it make if a small farm goes bankrupt, or a large farm (which a a conglomeration of many small farms), goes belly up.

Everyone else gets to pay.

[sevenmmm]

The mega farms was a creation to service the fast food industry:

http://www.ecobooks.com/books/fastfood.htm

This is when it really got going, an excerpt to the link below:

His mantra to farmers was "get big or get out," and he urged farmers to plant commodity crops like corn "from fencerow to fencerow." These policy shifts coincided with the rise of major agribusiness corporations, and the declining financial stability of the small family farm.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Butz