Advice for a young farmer

[Whistlin200]

Good afternoon everyone
I’m new here and I wanted to get some people’s opinions on things. Ok so I’m a 6th high school aged dairy farmer we are still milking 60 head in a stanchion barn and we still fill the loft every year so I’m not new to farming by any means but over the last few years I decided I would rent some land and buy my own equipment at the moment I have a Allis 200 a Oliver super 77 gas and a Allis d15 and a ih 730 4bt plow and Oliver 4340 3bt and a 14 foot disk and a 10 foot moline drill and jd 290 corn planter and I have a Oliver 18 combine being delivered tomorrow and a new idea two row picker. Ok for my question so last year I hired my dad to plant my 9 acres and he used his 12 row and he had bought extra seed and it yield 175 or so and this year I’m spilting my 9 acre piece in two and planting one half oats and other soybeans and then I’m planting my four acre piece corn and then I’ll keep most of the grain for feed for my sheep and I wanted to try to do open pollinationed or non gmo corn and bean seed like they did back in the day I’m curious of anyone has had experience with doing that and what I should look out for and I curious what I should do with my combine what I should look for or anything
Thanks for everyone’s advice

 

[rrlund]

So are you talking organic, or are you going to have to get a certified pesticide applicator's certification to use RUPs. Maybe you're going to hire somebody to spray a few acres?

 

[Farmall m farmer]

If your going to do non gmo beans you better be prepared for weeds and lots of them that’s why we stopped growing non gmo are 9760 wouldn’t choke it down

 

[Whistlin200]

It’ll only going to be 4 acres of so I was just gonna row crop cultivate then and then I guess if I need to I will just walk them and pull the weeds

 

[Farmall m farmer]

Honestly I would make hay and sell hay you would make more money at least in the market are here don’t know about around where your at

 

[Whistlin200]

Honestly I would make hay and sell hay you would make more money at least in the market are here don’t know about around where your at

Most of my acres are but I figured grow my own feed would be cheaper then buying 25 dollars a bag sheep feed from the mill

 

[used red MN]

Hello Whistlin200, welcome to YT! My reply is going to echo some of the “reality” that has been brought up by the first couple of replies. First I applaud you wanting to engage in farming, it is a difficult occupation to start in without some kind of family support such as you probably have. You have almost had to have seen a field somewhere around you that the chemicals didn’t get applied in a timely manner or not at all, that is the kind of stand of weeds you will be dealing with. It can be done but requires several passes with row cultivators to control them. You don’t mention chemical application on this years corn but I suspect when it was applied to your dad’s crop the sprayer just took a couple passes through your field and it was put on dad’s bill. Nothing against dad helping you out but what you experienced in yield needs offset by the inputs, whether they were paid for or donated. I guess I just want to make sure it is known if someone in the future comes across your thread later on that it is not necessarily all roses and money piles. A side note is I assume you plan to pick corn leaving it on the cob. Do you have facilities for storing it that way?

 

[rrlund]

Not to be critical or discouraging, but if you're raising sheep feed, why are you growing soybeans? Don't they have to be roasted before you can use them for feed? I'd forget the beans and just plant oats and corn.

 

[Whistlin200]

Hello Whistlin200, welcome to YT! My reply is going to echo some of the “reality” that has been brought up by the first couple of replies. First I applaud you wanting to engage in farming, it is a difficult occupation to start in without some kind of family support such as you probably have. You have almost had to have seen a field somewhere around you that the chemicals didn’t get applied in a timely manner or not at all, that is the kind of stand of weeds you will be dealing with. It can be done but requires several passes with row cultivators to control them. You don’t mention chemical application on this years corn but I suspect when it was applied to your dad’s crop the sprayer just took a couple passes through your field and it was put on dad’s bill. Nothing against dad helping you out but what you experienced in yield needs offset by the inputs, whether they were paid for or donated. I guess I just want to make sure it is known if someone in the future comes across your thread later on that it is not necessarily all roses and money piles. A side note is I assume you plan to pick corn leaving it on the cob. Do you have facilities for storing it that way?

my dad did everything as if it was his then when I sold the corn I just paid him back but this year want to do it on my own and I figured buy the cheaper seed and take the hit on the yield as if I get 25 bushels to th acre that it will last me to years so that I can make up what I lose on the 4 acres I’d be able to plant something else on

 

[Whistlin200]

Not to be critical or discouraging, but if you're raising sheep feed, why are you growing soybeans? Don't they have to be roasted before you can use them for feed? I'd forget the beans and just plant oats and corn.

Ive been buying soybeans from my grandpa this winter and they sheep like the feed always more and soybeans have different minerals and more protein then corn and it’s just a overall more balanced diet instead of buying feed

 

[rrlund]

my dad did everything as if it was his then when I sold the corn I just paid him back but this year want to do it on my own and I figured buy the cheaper seed and take the hit on the yield as if I get 25 bushels to th acre that it will last me to years so that I can make up what I lose on the 4 acres I’d be able to plant something else on

Have you priced conventional seed? Any conventional seed corn that I've ever priced was only $20 a bag cheaper. A 25 bushel hit is going to cost you way more than that. If you're not going to spray, only a 25 bushel decrease is being real optimistic. I've farmed the way that you're talking about back in the 60s. I don't think any of us who did would ever do it again. I'd quit and retire, flat out. That's no way to live when you don't have to. It's like being nostalgic for whooping caught and blood poisoning.

 

[Whistlin200]

Have you priced conventional seed? Any conventional seed corn that I've ever priced was only $20 a bag cheaper. A 25 bushel hit is going to cost you way more than that. If you're not going to spray, only a 25 bushel decrease is being real optimistic. I've farmed the way that you're talking about back in the 60s. I don't think any of us who did would ever do it again. I'd quit and retire, flat out. That's no way to live when you don't have to. It's like being nostalgic for whooping caught and blood poisoning.

That’s what my dad was telling me and that kinda what I was thinking to maybe I will just plant regular seed but I might a test plot bag just so I could try a couple rows out and see what it’s all about. Also thanks lot for the advice

 

[rrlund]

That’s what my dad was telling me and that kinda what I was thinking to maybe I will just plant regular seed but I might a test plot bag just so I could try a couple rows out and see what it’s all about. Also thanks lot for the advice

You're welcome. I just would hate to see you loosing money and doing what would amount to "paying to work". It's not sustainable.

 

[cjunrau]

Good afternoon everyone
I’m new here and I wanted to get some people’s opinions on things. Ok so I’m a 6th high school aged dairy farmer we are still milking 60 head in a stanchion barn and we still fill the loft every year so I’m not new to farming by any means but over the last few years I decided I would rent some land and buy my own equipment at the moment I have a Allis 200 a Oliver super 77 gas and a Allis d15 and a ih 730 4bt plow and Oliver 4340 3bt and a 14 foot disk and a 10 foot moline drill and jd 290 corn planter and I have a Oliver 18 combine being delivered tomorrow and a new idea two row picker. Ok for my question so last year I hired my dad to plant my 9 acres and he used his 12 row and he had bought extra seed and it yield 175 or so and this year I’m spilting my 9 acre piece in two and planting one half oats and other soybeans and then I’m planting my four acre piece corn and then I’ll keep most of the grain for feed for my sheep and I wanted to try to do open pollinationed or non gmo corn and bean seed like they did back in the day I’m curious of anyone has had experience with doing that and what I should look out for and I curious what I should do with my combine what I should look for or anything
Thanks for everyone’s advice

DON"T do it. I did rrcorn for 3 years and decided it was to much money. Row crop cultivate and maybe spray if needed. Ended up getting no corn to combine and cost me the same per acre as rrcorn. fuel to cultivate is not cheap, then if you spray it is WAY more money than round up. That was a 8 acre field I was playing with. You will not hand weed it as you will be so mad at yourself for doing it and have no time to even say hi to your wife(if you have one). we hand weeded with the family 2 acres sweet corn. NEVER again.
Don't try to reinvent the wheel. what they did way back doesn't make money or sense now a days. I have sheep as well and I understand what you are saying for cost of feed. But you have to buy a semi load of feed at a time to make it worth it. I have found I am better off buying my grain and have a part time job than having all that equipment and repairs and grow my own. I make hay and silage and that is it. I tried to do it all myself starting in2009 and 6 years ago I got rid of the combine and have not been more happy about it.

 

[tractorford]

curious to see how long this lasts actually, 5-10 years? then what

 

[Northvale PA]

We have sheep, grow Timothy mix and alfalfa mix. Buy our feed and sell the extra hay for horses. The sheep barely pay for the hay if it’s good quality or a dry year. I would like to grow some high protein corn but haven’t tried yet. Lately I’ve been topping off the pastures and baling whatever manages to get raked up. You already know that raising animals requires top efficiency and making $$$ by farming requires top marketing. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[2090]

My family raised many sheep, can I ask what it costs to shear an ewe and if wool has any value?

 

[cjunrau]

My family raised many sheep, can I ask what it costs to shear an ewe and if wool has any value?

$5-7 per ewe. wool has no value here. Manitoba

 

[Whistlin200]

$5-7 per ewe. wool has no value here. Manitoba

I learned how to shear my own and I have a few people who buy wool for spinning or whatever they use it for usually around 75 to 100 a fleece

 

[cjunrau]

Wow. That’s a good side business if you can sell the wool. This year we are getting $4.50 a lbs for lambs under 80 lbs right now. Never been over $3 before.
Looks like sheep might make some money this year. Problem is I sold all but 2 ewes. My children have 40 and I feed them lol.