Cost of Living

A few of you have mentioned dogs. I never said I wasn't going to have a dog, I just said that I wasn't going to have pets. Yes you are correct, I either need to find a way to produce their feed, or need to add to my feed budget.

I don't know where in MO you are setting down. Unless you are north of I-70 most everything around here is grass farming. So you can get by with just a good tractor, a rake/tedder, mower/conditioner and a baler. A pasture drag is nice to have, a post hole digger and a box blade. I live alone and have minimal needs, so, my must pay bils, phone/internet, electric, and insurance are about $200 a month. My food goes 100-150 a month and gas for my trucks about 150. I buy 500 gallons of off-road diesel at the beginng of each hay season. My feed bill will run me about 500 a month at the co-op during the winter, last winter I lucked out and got a good deal on horse feed, the catch was I had to take the whole semi load to get the price.

Qhorseman, how many animals are you feeding at $500 a month? Thais for the info. It's really good to hear from people in the states I am thinking about moving to.

I don't know about elsewhere, but if I don't invest a certain amount of money into good warm clothing, I don't get much done for about 9 months a year! Durable warm clothing is EXPENSIVE, and yes, it can last....but I haven't built up my wardrobe yet to where it needs to be and probably won't be able to check that off for several more years.

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Rachel Haiku Heritage City Farm

Its funny you mention clothing. I have been stocking up on some basic clothing to help keep my first years cost down. I have plenty of cold weather clothes, too much probably if I end up in TN. I haven't started buying any extra jeans though, because I have been losing weight, and have several more pounds to go before I reach my goal.

That is one good thing about a temperate climate, it takes less of everything, feed, clothes, sheds and winter supplies, summers are nice without air conditioning. Western Oregon is wet but very few real cold or real hot days. I wear the same clothes all year, just more layers. Animals have it pretty easy too. My goats "stay" in the shed maybe 10 days a year, the rest they like it out in the woods. My "heavy" winter work coat is 20 yrs old, still looks good because I wear it 20 days a year....James

At any given time I have about 60 horses on my place, have had as many as 110.

Farming north of I-70 is row cropping, soy beans and corn. The farther south you go the less row crops you will see.

Yes, I noticed that last time I was in MO.

The predominant soil here is clay and rock, but it can change 10 feet away. I use raised beds for my gardening, more specifically the Square Foot Gardening method. It is easy and works for me. I only raise salad crops for my self tho. Locals can be a little standoffish until they figure out you are here to stay

Just a bump for Lex

I am still tying to make my plans, and budget. I do have a question that I hope someone can give me some ideas on. What kind of tractor would you use for a small farm? I feel a loader is a must. I currently have a mini Kubota, with finish mower, brush hog, loader, and tiller. I love it, but don't think it would be big enough for a larger farm. Any ideas, on what type of tractor, and how much fuel usage?

A cheap one you can repair yourself. I get a chuckle out of people buying 20k tractors for a 5 acre hobby farm thinking that they'll make money. The bigger the acreage the more power you'll want. If you are planing on farming for a living I would suggest a 60 horse tractor minimum. That is about as low as one can go and still be able to run pretty much any modern implement. My tractor for my poor excuse of a farm is a 600 dollar 40s era Case VAC. It is a 20 horse tractor. I use nothing but antique implements since I don't have the money for modern stuff. It works well for my little 5 acre dirt farm and is easy on fuel. Plus it has been quite reliable

As far as fuel efficiency goes 80s era British Leyland tractors were very good on fuel. They were quite popular around here during the early 80s fuel crisis. Another thing to consider is perhaps running a tractor on veggie oil or used motor oil. I ran my old F-250 on drain oil with no ill effects although I made sure to strain the oil well before dumping it into the tank.

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http://www.xanga.com/shackman A blog about whatever

What brand is very dependent on where you are. Different areas had different "strong" brands usually dictated by what dealers were in the area and which still remain and how large they are. If you have a tractor and equipment you will need parts, it's not an if deal. You will also most likely have a situation where you need parts NOW, agriculture waits for no man or machine. Large acreage might mean more then 1 tractor as 1 sometimes can't do everything. A loader adds a new dimension, usually 4wd, as the frt. ends can stand the weight and give you traction when you put weight in the bucket. On the other hand 4wd isn't as hay friendly.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

My cost of living right now is under 2500 a month, I think it's doable.

You seem to be much like me in planning. Right now I am getting my place paid off, getting fencing and outbuildings set up, getting equipment squared away and setting up for when I leave my job.

I'll have enough income to support a decent lifestyle with extra left over from retirement savings, and I will start out on that with no need of a job in town.

I'm not planning past that other than type of fencing I'm putting up as I plan to start small with livestock so I can learn and practice and grow it up slowly hopefully into a full time job that can provide some side income. The hard part will be working out a system where I can keep my inputs low enough to make any money. I also am about an hour drive to a metro area with a lot of demand for locally grown food, in my case hopefully meat.

Basically I'll be starting out as a hobby, with intent to grow it into a little income. Not the first hobby I have grown into a business.

But then I chose a place farther south where we get no snow, a smaller place, and I believe I can have good pasture year round and I plan to irrigate it as well.

The key for me is if it doesn't work out I'm still fine with a retirement income to support me. If that's the case with you you might consider not leaping in so big at first, and working up to what you want once your on your land and can learn as you go starting smaller.

If your Kubota is paid off I think you would be smart just to keep it for brush hogging and tilling.
Wait until you settle on where and what you want to farm and then decide what equipment you need.

Mark Twain, I have thought about keeping my Kabota, but I would have to move it have way across the country, and I don't know if it would be worth it. I thought about keeping it for the smaller jobs around the farm, and maybe get an older used 2 wheel drive tractor for the haying, and field work.

Txrider, it does sound like many of the things we are planing are simular. It sounds like one of the biggest differences is that I do have a retirement income set aside, but I have several years before I can start drawing on it. My time line for making the move is pretty much set in stone. My last day of work will be March 31. I just have to make sure my home is sold by then, or as near that date as possible. I will have an additional way of making an income from my property besides the normal farm income.