OT: but tractor related

[Dave from MN]

A bit too bored this am so I thought I would ask this:
Lets say you were willed a 400 tillable acre farm, with a 4 bdrm home, 60 stall pipeline dairy, a few small to large grain bins, and the ussual misc buiding most farm have. You were left enough cash to pay any inheritance tax and ended up with $50,000 left. You had no other debt or liabilities. Your family being what it is now and you current career the same what would you do and how would you farm, and for brand loyalty sake what would you farm with. This farm would come with your choice of machinery and livestock. Any future investments would need to be financed.Just for fun and to see the diversity of dreams and farm lifestyles

I would keep ownership of my breeder barn and exchange home rent for full time person to do what I do now, and they get the end of flock bonus. I would want to milk 40-60 cows, as long as my knees held up, and raise a few beef cows/feeders. Crops would be of course hay,small grain, corn and some soybeans, and all the ground would be worked with min tillage when possible and of course all IH equipment, OK I would have 1 Allis of the 7040 series( always liked the looks of em. I would not sell it, or rent it unless I was disabled and my kids did not want to take it over. Only major addition for me would be to build a chicken broiler barn to extra cash flow and manure, and contract it.

 

[Allan in NE]

I'd rent the whole shootin' match out to some young buck who has it in his head that he can actually make money farming. :>)

Allan

 

[Dave from MN]

Ahh Allan, your kinds living your dream now arent you. I sure like what you have, a few center pivots would be nice as well out there huh?

 

[Allan in NE]

Aw heck,

If we can't laugh, life ain't worth doin', is it? :>)

Allan

 

[IaGary]

At todays prices for milk and grains you could make a living off of that 400 acres.

Bbbbuuuutttttt prices have not always been or will always be this good.

Be ready for the rough times by not having a lot of money borrowed and it would work.

Gary

 

[BLinWMI]

Man, that would be a dream. The house sounds great, the land would be enough for a decent size family setup and 60 cows on a pipeline would be just enough to keep me busy. I had it once and lost it because of family interference. Would give my left leg to walk into the barn and see 60 cows all lined up again. And as long as I am dreaming, the cows would be Brown Swiss and there would be 50 acres fenced for grazing. As far as equipment, my flock of 2 bangers would be a good start, then add a 3020 and 4020 PS for utility work, a 4455 for the spreader, 4840 for the chopper, 4620 on the blower and a 47/4960 for heavy tillage.

 

[rrlund]

Where's this place at? I might just call a realtor. It sounds like the place I already have that's paid for. As for the dairy equipment,I'd try to sell it like I already did my own. Unless that place was in Iowa,Mo,Ky or Tennessee,it would be for sale and I'd keep the one I have.

 

[GeneMO]

If there was no sentimental attachment, like something that had been in my family, I would put up a for sale sign.

I am 53 and had a kidney transplant 16 years ago. I have a good full time job and my wife just retired from teaching.. And I have 160 acres that has been in the family over 100 years. All of this enters into my decision,,everyone is different. I physically couldn't take care of an operation like that.


Gene

 

[Anonymous-0]

Id dump that whole place for as much $$$$ as i could get to the highest bidder as fast as i could and get the he$$ out of that part of the country as fast as i could.
THEN id head for western Montana and buy the biggest most secluded ranch with as many acres as my $$$$$ would buy. )

 

[Mike (WA)]

OK, its not original, but somebody has to say it:

I'd farm 'til the money is all gone, then go back to work at the sawmill.

 

[Dave from MN]

Exactly! Thats why I figured I make this post. Everyone has a dream as different as they may be. If I were 10 years younger and were sitting as I am now I would make the plunge. I posted this more for a "what would I want to do" with out having to worry about the bank taking it over. Say corn is $2.50, no droughts, milk is $18.75, beef prices are good. I am waiting to see how many people would say they would start milking goats and selling goat milk, cheese and meat. I hear that is become a sought after enterprise. You have any goats?

 

[Wyokid]

By center pivots I assume you mean the ones that go up and down and pump that thick, black stinky "water". One of the biggest farmers in my area buys new 300k tractors every other year, new vehicles every years, etc.--he farms around 40 or 50 of those kind of "center pivots".

 

[Walt Davies]

Well that's all OK but where do you find the Old Idiot to will the land to you. I been looking for years and I can't find even one with an acre and a cow who would do that for me. giggle
Walt

 

[fixerupper]

If this happened thirty years ago I would have filled the buildings up with hogs.

Today I would rent the land out, run the wheat harvest in the summer(it's in my blood) and tinker around in the shop during the winter, glad that I don't have to thaw out hog waters anymore.

As long as my health is good I would never just sell the farm and live off the proceeds. Jim

 

[Anonymous-0]

First year I'd rent out the 400 acres and the bins, because having just moved into the house, I wouldn't know what to do with 400 acres. I'd remodel the house, update the elec. and such, and then start thinking about the farm. I don't know about the barn, but I'd retrofit another outbuilding to house feeder lambs. I think some of that 400 acres near the house would end up in hay, and a bunch more of it in pasture, with really good, tight fence. The rest I would continue to rent. I'd probably have whatever hay equipment you guys recommend, and mostly IH 06 and 86 tractors, a couple 2-cyl. JD's for puttin around and raking hay, and a fancy, new and shiny Kubota utilty tractor with loader and a line of 3 pt. equipment. Another outbuilding would house meat rabbits. I used to raise them a few years ago, and I'd like to do it again. I'd have automated watering in all the cages, and a self-designed and built manure removal system in the floor, and heated in the winter to keep it at 45 or so. As far as the sheep, I'd eventually get some breeding stock, Columbias I think, and build up a lambing to finish operation. In the meantime, I'd be falling in love with a modest country girl, and we'd end up gettin hitched, take an Alaskan cruise while my generous retired neighbor took care of the animals, and come home to remodeled farmhouse. I still don't know what I'd do with the dairy barn besides give it a coat of paint and maybe a steel roof. I'd be busy enough with the sheep (fixing fence) and rabbits(selling manure), and whatever wifey wanted to raise. Oh, and have a whole mess of kids to go along with that... Boys, I could keep goin', but I better quit. If ya can't tell, this isn't the first time I've thought about this.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Few more details:

I'd quit my job at the Christian camp and retreat center and work as an electrician, while the wife stayed home and kept house(I'm old-fashioned that way). I know darn well 100 lambs and 50 rabbits isn't going to pay for 5 kids. : )

I'd also rent the ground I wasn't using to the farm I work for now. They're good, Christian people and I get along with them real well.

With some of that $50,000 I'd get a geo-thermal heating system installed for the house and tractor shop and never have a gas bill or A/C bill.

I'd basically be a hobby farmer, so I'd purchase the corn and grain rations at the feed mill and grind it and mix it myself. I don't think I'd take the leap of raising my own corn, and besides, I can get pelletized ration at the mill to mix with corn and get a balanced diet for the lambs. Rabbit feed would come from the mill and be stored in a little bin outside the rabbit barn with an auger running inside.

Would you like to hear about the color of the buildings and how I would arrange the tools in my shop too? Hehe I really could go on like this for hours. Thanks, Dave, for letting me share.

 

[Lanse]

Id buy an farmsome H for odd jobs (firewood, and as a toy) and get a 4020 but with a 5 or 6 bottom plow, the appropriate disk, planter, etc, and a massive articulated tractor as a main tractor for plowin, diskin, etc, use the 4020 for smaller fields. Id buy hay equip. and get to work. Myself, I probabally would only get a few animals, my pet sheep, a dairy cow or two, and mabey 100 chickens for a nice little egg buissness.

 

[BigBill in CT]

That would be my dream to have a farm and to farm it. I grew up in northern Jersey as a kid and moved to Ct (city) and now i live in the more country area and i'm lovin it, but i wish i had more land to farm it. Just to drive to the back 40 on my tractor with a cup of coffee and to stop and read the newspaper in the peace and quiet. I'm seeing the small farms here going one by one to the developers here and its very sad seeing all the new housing going up. I wish someone would leave me a farm.....

 

[Sid]

I'd sell it. Pay the tithe, buy the wife a nice car then start fixing up where I am at. Up grade some hay equipment. Add to retirement fund, and probably take a trip.

 

[Sid]

I'd sell it. Pay the tithe, buy the wife a nice car then start fixing up where I am at. Up grade some hay equipment. Add to retirement fund, and probably take a trip.