20 acres----what to plant

PD-Riverman · #1 09/08/12, 06:32 PM

I have about 20 acres of open field that I do not use. I just bush hogged it a few days ago like I do every year to keep it from growing up.

I do not Want To Rent It Out. I also Do Not Want It Planted in Trees.

What can I plant or do with it that could make some extra income. I planted some corn on a few acres of it but because of lack of rain I lost my butt on the corn. I have a 35hp tractor. I do have a one row corn picker I bought to pick and sell bagged corn. The last time I planted corn I think I had $1200 in seed, fertilizer, lime, nitrogen etc. Not adding any thing for fuel or time. I sold $980 of bagged corn and kept maybe 30 bushels for myself.

I thought about a hay field, but I think I would need a bigger tractor to run a bailer that I would have to buy as well as everything else I would need to gather the hay.

What is your thoughts. Thanks

Ravenlost · #2 09/08/12, 06:37 PM

Are you near a fairly large city? If so, pumpkins would be good. In the Fall you could have a pick-your-own pumpkin patch.

unregistered168043 · #3 09/08/12, 06:52 PM

Buy some weaned cattle in the spring. Let them fatten up on your pasture and sell'em off in november.

blooba · #4 09/08/12, 07:16 PM

Peanuts...20 acres of them! hint hint....lol

actually the cattle seem like a good idea

Rustaholic · #5 09/08/12, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darntootin

Buy some weaned cattle in the spring. Let them fatten up on your pasture and sell'em off in november.

Follow those cattle with chicken tractors and supplement with healthy feed and sell them at top dollar.
If you have a group of people near you that want healthy food you can ask them what they want the chickens to eat and make some very good money.

Forestdude · #6 09/08/12, 07:35 PM

Not sure when you last sold bagged corn, but it's gotten ridiculous over the past few years. I believe 3 to 4 years ago, I was paying about $5/bag. Considering a 50 lb sack of corn around here is going $10 -$11 now, that might be an excellent way to go.

RonM · #7 09/08/12, 07:57 PM

How hard do you want to work, put it in truck crops.......

PD-Riverman · #8 09/08/12, 08:39 PM

Hey you people got some Ideas coming in---Thanks

RonM. Truck Crops? You saying plant alot of produce like water mellons and get 18 wheelers to come in and load the trucks full?

Forestdude, yea the bags of corn are selling for the same here as you stated. Last year my neighbor planted ALOT of corn and collected on insurance because the corn did not do anything because of no rain.

The cows does sound like a idea, but my field is weeds not hay and I would have to invest in a good fence.

luvrulz · #9 09/08/12, 09:05 PM

Grow asparagus! Easy to plant, not much care as long as the soil is where it needs to be and we can sell it all day long for $3.50 a lb! Plant once and harvest for years! Either that or blueberries!

anette · #10 09/08/12, 09:19 PM

We have 30 acres, fenced and crossfenced at about 20 on the north and 10 on the south. We planted black walnut trees on the perimeter, but lots of open ground left. South pasture is dedicated to fruit and nut trees, and i think next spring i might do a few acres of sunflowers.

rambler · #11 09/08/12, 09:23 PM

Around here a nice retangular field that grows corn would get $200 an acre rent, if it;s good ground would be closer to $300 an acre, so really no question on what a person would do..... (Just had an 80 acre field a few dozen miles away sell for $9600 an acre last week, think rent will be going up nxt year...)

Hay, are you thinknig small square bales, 35 hp tractor is great to do that, but if you want round bales you'd need a bigger tractor. It sounds tho like you wouldn't care for the work of small square bales.....

--->Paul

dlskidmore · #12 09/08/12, 09:43 PM

If you've got weeds, goats will prefer that to good grass pasture. It's a bit harder to find direct sale customers, but it you're interested in working for the ethnic or religious market you could do well with it.

PD-Riverman · #13 09/09/12, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rambler

Around here a nice retangular field that grows corn would get $200 an acre rent, if it;s good ground would be closer to $300 an acre, so really no question on what a person would do..... (Just had an 80 acre field a few dozen miles away sell for $9600 an acre last week, think rent will be going up nxt year...)

Hay, are you thinknig small square bales, 35 hp tractor is great to do that, but if you want round bales you'd need a bigger tractor. It sounds tho like you wouldn't care for the work of small square bales.....

--->Paul

The most rent I been offered was $100 per acre to grow peanuts on. I value my privancy more than $2000 per year. I live on the front of my farm and my animals, garden, tools----basically everything is on the back of my farm under sheds, etc about 1/2 mile from my home. To turn over a key to the gate for a farmer----mainly a farmers helpers to come and go on my farm is not what I want---I am not always home. No one really knows what is back there because No One goes back there. I can see in my mind a farmers helper telling his Friend---I know where you can steal this or that----NO I am not going to rent it.
Now on the hay---square bales is no problem. My tractor has a front end loader on it and I keep seeing free over sized pallets I can get. I can stack bales on these pallets and store them under the shed. This way I do not have to handle the bales alot.

How many square bales could I expect per acre once I got the field in good condition?? Thanks