NAt Geographic article on greying farmers

Lazy J · #41 09/23/14, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbo9

How many bushels or how many acres does it take to buy that? Is there any way, other than starting out as a billionaire, to get into farming, unless you are already farming?

My wife and I planted our first crop of soybeans two weeks before my 38th birthday in 2009. We started with 40 acres of rented land, this year we will harvest over 10 times that all while both of us have full time jobs.

If you want to farm you can, you just have to find a niche whether it is a CSA or farmer's market or using small equipment to plant fields the huge equipment can't.

Jim

FarmboyBill · #42 09/23/14, 09:29 AM

There will come a time when those small fields will be dozed open to make large fields. They did that at home. Areas I could never see for the trees along creeks and fence lines were mostly cleared, and when I came home for a visit, I was amazed at the distance I could see.

FarmerDavid · #43 09/23/14, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbo9

How many bushels or how many acres does it take to buy that? Is there any way, other than starting out as a billionaire, to get into farming, unless you are already farming?

We custom cut somewhere between 800-1000 acres a year that makes the payment and expenses. And we get the use if it on our own acres also. The newer combines do a better job. We've got 900 acres of beans and 500 of corn. If it saves one bu of soybeans and two bu of corn an acre, which I feel confident it does that's 12,000$ its made us by doing a better job. So its justifiable.

My share is a small part of that most is dads. Having larger equipment then needed and being able to pick up custom work is the only way I'm able to make enough to farm.

FarmerDavid · #44 09/23/14, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idigbeets

You can pick up an older JD 4400 or 6600 combine for well under 10k.. heck the 4400 will go for 3k plus a 2k rebuild. Still using ours....

It's not hard to get big equipment if you can put a little time into fixing it.

My point is that there are fewer young people looking to row crop, raise cattle etc. Most of the ag groups push market gardens, CSA, and niche farming. While that is a great money maker, they are extremely labor intensive and run on thinner margins than a larger operation (I'm talking under 1k acres here).

If I was going that route I'd alot rather work on a M2 Gleaner then an old Deere. Much easier to work on

idigbeets · #45 09/24/14, 05:42 AM

Well I can't argue there.... I was mainly giving an example of how one can farm smaller acreage with "larger" equipment than what many on here use for cheap money.

Tricky Grama · #46 09/24/14, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FarmerDavid

We custom cut somewhere between 800-1000 acres a year that makes the payment and expenses. And we get the use if it on our own acres also. The newer combines do a better job. We've got 900 acres of beans and 500 of corn. If it saves one bu of soybeans and two bu of corn an acre, which I feel confident it does that's 12,000$ its made us by doing a better job. So its justifiable.

My share is a small part of that most is dads. Having larger equipment then needed and being able to pick up custom work is the only way I'm able to make enough to farm.

I'm impressed. Also, with a lot of you other folks who are making it.

FarmerDavid · #47 09/24/14, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tricky Grama

I'm impressed. Also, with a lot of you other folks who are making it.

I wouldn't be to impressed I'm pretty much a glorified hired hand. I'd really planned to work off farm till I had a better start but the company I worked for went under and I was going to have to move to the city to find comped able pay and I didn't want to do that. I do have some things going for me that a hired hand wouldn't but others against me. Dad had made it clear he's not ready to retire and can't afford to turn anything over to me. If I could rent some additional acres I'd be in a pretty good position but I've had some rough luck and there isn't alot of ground in our area that rents anymore. It all sells and idk how someone young gets started having to buy land.

Beats pointed out you can buy 30 year old machenery at a decent price and farm a few hundred acres with it. But if you don't get acres to farm it does you no good to be able to buy older machenery at a good price and be able to work on it yourself.

FarmerDavid · #48 09/24/14, 02:36 PM

I'd also say be open to oppertunities. I was never against livestock but never planned to own them either. I got a chance to rent a small pasture so I did and bought some heifers. I then was able to rent another pasture, which I hay and bought 45 acres that has pasture as well as row crop ground. Started that in 2010, I don't have a huge opperation but am up to 23 females. Same way with my pigs I never intended to go that way but had an oppertunity and I'm getting it going into a profitable enterprise now.