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Small Farms Matter
- Thread starter indyjohn
- Start date
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***Ironhead***
Sharpshooter
You left out “ and die happy”!
That was me up until I blew out my back but I used Oliver equipment. I would square bale 15 acres at 150-200 bales an acre with 2-3 cuttings per year. Myself, my wife and two friends would do all the picking up and putting in the barn but I did all the tractor work. All my tractors were made between 1952 and 1972 but I never used the one built in 72 in the hay field.
I won the best hay in the county fair every year I took hay. One year I planted 'Toro Timothy'. That stuff was amazing. It grew 7 feet tall without being tough or bitter. The horses loved it and I could loose the tractor in it if you walked 3 feet away. Big balls of that hay sounded like cinder blocks going through the mower/conditioner. Got the conditioner jammed once and when I dug it out I found a 10lb snapping turtle that didn't seem to want to go through the rollers. Believe it or not, she was unscathed and walked away after I carefully got her out.
Praise God I never ran over a fawn...
Pretty similar to my setup.
My neighbor makes some kick a$$ hot jerky. He's been spending his days down on his property near Martinsville since bow season started. I don't think he's harvested one yet...
The real issue is when Dad/Gramps passes the kids only want to split up and sell off the farm and take the money. So very few want that kind of workload and responsibility's.
Teach, your grandchildren well, Their grandfather's hell, Did slowly go by, And feed them on your dreams.....
I'd love to be able to afford to "take over" my folks' place. But I/we can't.
That said: Anyone want to buy a 50-ish acre certified organic farm in west central Indiana?
Best crop my farm raised are our two daughters. Now it is being utilized to help raise the grandchildren when they visit. 3 are in 4H, 4th starts next year. Have their dairy beef steers here as we have the facilities and sell them through our freezer beef sales. (This year had a first, have an INGO member as a customer!)
I found out what I am getting for Christmas. A half mile of new fence!
I put in the existing fence over 20 years ago myself. No easy task down here in unglaciated territory. Some had to be punched through limestone lenses 12" thick with a spud bar. I cut the cedar posts out of my woods and drug them out with my draft horse 'Michelob'.
An Ash tree next to the fence was struck by lightning years ago and went down the tree, through the lateral roots, up a post and into the wires which blew out the staples 4-5 posts both directions. This destroyed the tensile and the galvanizing to the whole fence. The sod that was over the root was laid over like you went through with a plow and the cedar post looked like a sliced pie from the top. The tree actually survived only to be killed by Ash Borers just recently.
Deer and neighbors cows did the rest, now the posts are 'staple dead' and the wire is looking rough. We are having the Amish make this one. The grandson of the neighbor I had at the time of the last build has the farm now. I am too old and decrepit, he is working 7 days a week.
On a brighter note I am saving all the old posts to 'rick up' in my woods as rabbit habitat...
I put in the existing fence over 20 years ago myself. No easy task down here in unglaciated territory. Some had to be punched through limestone lenses 12" thick with a spud bar. I cut the cedar posts out of my woods and drug them out with my draft horse 'Michelob'.
An Ash tree next to the fence was struck by lightning years ago and went down the tree, through the lateral roots, up a post and into the wires which blew out the staples 4-5 posts both directions. This destroyed the tensile and the galvanizing to the whole fence. The sod that was over the root was laid over like you went through with a plow and the cedar post looked like a sliced pie from the top. The tree actually survived only to be killed by Ash Borers just recently.
Deer and neighbors cows did the rest, now the posts are 'staple dead' and the wire is looking rough. We are having the Amish make this one. The grandson of the neighbor I had at the time of the last build has the farm now. I am too old and decrepit, he is working 7 days a week.
On a brighter note I am saving all the old posts to 'rick up' in my woods as rabbit habitat...
manifest destiny
Master
I really admire farmers. There is so much to it but a good farmer makes it all seem so simple. The reality is a farmer must be a fix-all. Must have patience, must know how to recycle. Must be efficient and understand business, accounting and best practices in agronomy. Add to all this, he must be willing to assume a large amount of risk. Financial risks, personal injury risks. Not sure if it's still true but farming used to be the number one occupation for death and dismemberment. If I were (able) to farm it would be crops only. I'm scared of cows.
Dang. My step-dad needs about that much new fencing, too.
He's got some runs that are in terrible shape. I asked him if the one I was helping with was the worst spot. He mentioned another length that parallels the county road as being the worst. If it weren't for all the brambles and bushes and trees along that run - livestock would've been gone ages ago.
Yes.
I would add that greedy realtors working for greedy land developers are also putting immense pressure on small farm owners. Local to me 60 farm acres were sold with the plan to put 6 houses per acre on it. The small neighboring farmers fought the land developer and while they lost their fight against rezoning, the land was rezoned with restrictions. No more than 2 houses per acre. As it stands it's not profitable to develop the land for just 2 houses per acre. Somehow I feel this isn't over as I'm most certain a counterattack is in the works.
You can bet on that. Out where we live, the "town council" and zoning board are basically rubber stamps for whatever Godawful project their developer buddies have in mind. No matter what objections are brought up (adding a single exit for four hundred some odd houses onto a two lane road), they're pooh-poohed and the development is greenlighted.
