New to Farming

Qtrhorsegal · #1 07/08/12, 07:28 PM

Hi all, thrilled to have found this site! I'll try to be brief. We have just signed a long-term lease (25 years) on the farm we have been living at. It is 130 acres with about 60 tillable. The last 2 years a local farmer has been planting soybeans. I have a 10 acre, 8 acre, 3 acre and 1 acre pastures for my horses. I have the 10 and 8 acre pasture in hay that we have been taking off for the last 2 years. My husband and I would like to figure out what we can do with the property to make a simple living/supplement our income. Any ideas? Cows or other livestock? Crops? We do not have any experience with any other livestock than horses and will not purchase any until we have the knowledge needed to take care of them properly. I am a vet tech, so am comfortable learning about other animals. We don't have alot of equipment. We have a tractor, bushhog and a disc/tiller type attachment and that's it. Any suggestions? Thanks for any input!

Alice In TX/MO · #2 07/08/12, 07:56 PM

Sell hay. It's the least stressful, most reliable (except in a drought year) way to make money from the land.

Welcome to the board!!

Can you go to the User CP (which I think stand for control panel) and enter your location information? It will help readers of your posts answer with wisdom appropriate to your area.

Dragonid · #3 07/08/12, 08:08 PM

I'd agree with Alice, selling hay is going to be the most straightforward way to utilize the land. Raising livestock is going to require that you have hay harvesting down first anyway.

meanwhile · #4 07/09/12, 07:18 AM

Welcome! I would suggest you plan at least a year of reading and learning before you make any expensive decisions or any long-term ones. When we first moved to the country, I went Wild with projects (like the paved basketball court in the middle of the woods) (and the Log "Cabin" which turned out to be a two story weird-do) (and the "Orchard" that is too shaded and never had a bit of fruit)......(Oh My! .. and don't forget the huge hole that was supposed to be a pond and the time we cut down a whole half acre of brush on land that did not even belong to us.....)

OK - so you get my point. Take time to read and learn. Watch your sunsets and sunrise. See where the breezes blow in summer and winter. Watch to see where the snow melts first and what areas keep ice too long. See what the neighbors are doing (and not doing). Watch and see where the best sun is for a garden. See where the water flows. Ask questions and then read some more.

The advise about selling hay is a good one. Sounds like you might already be ready for that project and it would give you time to learn and make other plans. Start small - and learn as you go but keep things small so the expense will not be so great if you change your mind on a plan (like my upper Orchard that did not work out).

Invite some neighbors over or anyone that you know with "some sense" or special knowledge. Cook up some supper and have a "brain storming session" and you will have made good friends and also learned something new.

Good luck! HT has been a life saver for us many times. We are "new" to Homesteading and even though I grew up in the country, staring over now (as an adult with three boys) has been a challenge. When we have a project or any question, we come here to HT and are sure to get many good suggestions and ideas. Also - folks will gently (sometimes not so gently!) let you know when something is not such a great plan.

Be sure to read the questions posted by others and try to be helpful to them too. There are probably many things you and your partner can offer and be able to offer neighborly advise and tips to others.

(Side Note: Stay out of the fusses on HT and when someone gets nasty. Took me a while to figure that stuff out but like any "family" (and this is the HT Family) there are times when someone is tired or just grouchy and so just let those times slide on by without comment. Also, some people get on HT and are bored and just say bad stuff. Just stay out of it and if they comment to you and say something you do not like, then just ignore it.)

Go to the "sticky" sections in each area of HT. That is where people put the links and long term good advise. There is so much good information in those areas too.

Good luck!

PS Add your area or state to your name. That way, folks will be better able to answer any questions you post. Also, others near you will be able to give more direct replies.

geo in mi · #5 07/09/12, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qtrhorsegal

Hi all, thrilled to have found this site! I'll try to be brief. We have just signed a long-term lease (25 years) on the farm we have been living at. It is 130 acres with about 60 tillable. The last 2 years a local farmer has been planting soybeans. I have a 10 acre, 8 acre, 3 acre and 1 acre pastures for my horses. I have the 10 and 8 acre pasture in hay that we have been taking off for the last 2 years. My husband and I would like to figure out what we can do with the property to make a simple living/supplement our income. Any ideas? Cows or other livestock? Crops? We do not have any experience with any other livestock than horses and will not purchase any until we have the knowledge needed to take care of them properly. I am a vet tech, so am comfortable learning about other animals. We don't have alot of equipment. We have a tractor, bushhog and a disc/tiller type attachment and that's it. Any suggestions? Thanks for any input!

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn't jump into anything just yet, but just sit back and observe--and learn. There are pretty good animal forums here that may give you some good info. I would take a look at what the farmer is doing with the cropland, the rent/lease agreement, and how that arrangement works out. I would wonder why he is just growing soybeans, what his yield is in relation to the rent agreement. As for the pasture areas, you must know that the soil fertility is going down if you graze it and/or take hay off it, so at some point in time, you will need to fertilize and possibly renovate it to keep it going. Many people have a mistaken idea that "it's just pasture, it will take care of itself." Also, you need to look at your water, barn, and fencing situation before you invest in any animals--that may take some investment above any profits you might make. Get in the habit of doing what many good farmers do--"pencil it out" before jumping in, and make experimental, test runs before you go whole hog into something.

Stay in touch, and good luck in your planning.

geo

Plowpoint · #6 07/09/12, 08:03 AM

I recommend doing a farm plan.

Even though I am a next-generational farmer (10th generation), I spent 10 months developing a farm plan and researching before I jumped into having sheep on the farm again.

It has paid off...

When I do according to the plan, things turn out well, but when I deviate from the plan, well things turn out for the worst. In the 4th year of having sheep, I actually made money with them, something that is difficult to do in farming since it is long term and not a short term investment.

But you read it on here all the time. People get livestock and then jump on here and say, "help! I just got sheep and I do not know what to do", when they should have planned and researched first.

PaulNKS · #7 07/09/12, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qtrhorsegal

Hi all, thrilled to have found this site! I'll try to be brief. We have just signed a long-term lease (25 years) on the farm we have been living at. It is 130 acres with about 60 tillable. The last 2 years a local farmer has been planting soybeans. I have a 10 acre, 8 acre, 3 acre and 1 acre pastures for my horses. I have the 10 and 8 acre pasture in hay that we have been taking off for the last 2 years. My husband and I would like to figure out what we can do with the property to make a simple living/supplement our income. Any ideas? Cows or other livestock? Crops? We do not have any experience with any other livestock than horses and will not purchase any until we have the knowledge needed to take care of them properly. I am a vet tech, so am comfortable learning about other animals. We don't have alot of equipment. We have a tractor, bushhog and a disc/tiller type attachment and that's it. Any suggestions? Thanks for any input!

No one can give you any good suggestions unless they know your general location and what the land may or may not be able to do.

You say there is 130 acres and 60 is tillable. Does that 60 include your pastures? What about the rest? Is it timber or steep hill? Even if it isn't tillable, is it anything that can be grazed?

Has the owner placed any conditions or limitations? For example, if a farmer has been planting soybeans, does the owner want you to continue to plant crops or can you do anything you wish?

What about water? Are you in an area that requires irrigation or do you have enough rain to take care of any crops or hay?

Good luck. Ask a lot of questions.

rambler · #8 07/09/12, 10:11 AM

As the others say, yur location would help.

If you are renting out 60 acres, thet should be a nice small income right there.

What is the other 70 acres? Trees, cliffs, rocks, swamp, ??? I assume you are trying to use these 70 acres, we'd need to know more about them to know how best to use them.

The rented acres, it's hard to compete with a farmer when you have no experience, and no equipment. Your best income is to continue to rent those out. It may be more rewarding to farm it yourself - spiritually. But $$$$, renting it out is your best bet.

--->Paul

RonM · #9 07/09/12, 03:33 PM

Let the farmer continue to farm it, just pick up the rent check.......

dlskidmore · #10 07/09/12, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qtrhorsegal

My husband and I would like to figure out what we can do with the property to make a simple living/supplement our income.

Refine the goal. Second job income? Work at home income? Increasing total income? Becoming more in touch with the land and not loosing money at it? Cutting family expenses through self-sufficiency?

What are your local markets like? Act like a consumer and research farm product availability and prices in the nearest city. What items sell for higher prices? Which of those products is most compatible with your land? Of the lower priced products, are any of them easy to produce in large quantities?

Qtrhorsegal · #11 07/09/12, 05:36 PM

Thank you all so much for the response. We are in Ohio, close to Cincinnati. The 10 & 8 acre pastures are not part of the count of tillable acres. We have had a hard time with the hay, don't know if its the farmer doing it or if it is as he says, not great land. I tend to think its the farmer since he has continued to do a lot of things like tearing up our yard, knocking fencing down, etc. etc. This is his last year farming and we have a good friend farming it next year. The landowners collect the rent, we won't get that, but we are free to do anything with the property we want as long as it stays in agriculture. I work from home working with at-risk kids and equine counseling (it is successful), but would love to have my husband here at the farm with me full-time. I had all the soil in the all the fields tested and have started fertilizing starting with hay fields first. We will continue to do more and more research and I thank everyone for all their suggestions!

PaulNKS · #12 07/09/12, 05:40 PM

So... basically, you won't get any of the rent money? What part of the farm do you have complete access and control of?

What is the non-tillable areas like?

There are a lot of things you can do, even on a small parcel.

You want your husband to be able to stay home as well? There are a lot of things he can do from home that may not be ag related.

Big Dave · #13 07/10/12, 05:03 AM

Welcome Read and take you some time. Worth reading 5 Acres and Independence