Farming in my part of the world

I just thought I'd explain the farming in my area cause some other people have posted about picking up ground rent free and other people comment how it must be junk thiers some reason nobody else has farmed it etc etc etc! Ok I from north central pennsylvania and farming here stopped in the 70s and the few that survived I'm talking small scale family dairy farms have farmed with the same equipment and the Same ways since the 70s! Up until the late 70s things were progressed barns built silos new tractors then boom stopped! Farming went to hell in the 80s the coal bussiness was booming and alot of frames got turned upside down with mining! (That's why the Amish came in here seen all this strip mined ground got it for nothin and thought they were gonna be bug farmers until they hooked thier horse into that old sod rock garden called a strip job! Well that's another story! So a few dairy around here still survive my parents including! Now here in this area we have lots of hills water ways trees small fields are biggest field was 7 acers until I got one 15 acers two years ago! Where at a higher elevation which gives us late and early frost! So short growing season! Now over last 30 years alot of farms shut down so they either sat and grew up in brush or the weekend farmer has them to pud around on or people big into hunting buy them have fields get tired of mowing them with Kubota and are looking for a farmer to farm it for free cause thier glad they don't half to mow it and they get a free food plot for part of the year! Now in the past few years with better farming technics better seed better spray and spending the money for new planting equipment! The few here that are still farming full time and the ones like me getting serious about getting into our own farming bussiness seem to be able to actually make a profit and grow larger and pick up the old land that was once farmed hard and sat idle for 30 years! Well I'm sure I could write more but that's it here in a nutshell!

Where at in PA? I'm From the NE tip of Westmoreland County.

would that be around Honesdale? Lots of big rocks too

It's OK that you gave us the story but it was not necessary. Land competition is intense in a lot of areas including mine so a lot of guys approach your question from the stand point that something has to be wrong with the land or the landlord. I can understand seeking opinions but I would keep your location somewhat under wraps. Somebody might get the idea to come down to your area and setup shop so to speak. There are quite a few farmers here that are coming to the realization there is not going to be enough land for their kids but can help those kids get started elsewhere.

Subtract coal and its a similar story here. Free ground can lead one to pick up too much ground too fast and do a bad job farming it. Declining farming area also means trouble dealing with banks, lots of trucking cost for inputs or high cost due to single source suppliers. High trucking cost to access markets too.

Where in Pa are you? I have spent some time hunting In northern potter county. I notice the same as what you said, a lot of ground idle. But where do you have to haul grain? I imagine quite a ways.
Josh

I'm probably a little more west of Brian in WPA but see the same story in Clarion,Jefferson and Amstrong counties. Farming all but died back in the "40's farther north in Warren, McKean and Potter counties.

I think it unlikely that another farmer will come to that location to "set up shop" so to speak. That would involve a "foreigner" coming in with no knowledge of the area, the lay of the land, the condition of the land, or any of a dozen other factors. Lest we not forget, the folks local to that area are much more informed about what condition the land is in, what may be tillable, and what is simply not fit for farming. No outsider will know these things.
At the same time, an outsider would have to put up the SAME investments, take the same risks, and do it all from the blind side.
Another thing.....this is still a free country, and anybody is free to "set up shop" whenever and wherever they like. They are also free to take the same risks and potentially lose their shirts in the process.
And, after all, if there is something good for the taking, it is usually already taken. In any case, it is simply not possible to keep it all to yourself.
Speaking for myself, I have nothing to hide where I am. If somebody wants to come in and compete with what I am doing or what my farmer friend is doing, they have my blessings, and I will offer help to them if needed. I live and farm in Lehigh County, PA. Anybody is welcome to "set up shop" here. All you need is the money to get started and the ambition to do the work.

Fullers Farmalls:

Howdy Neighbor! My family's farm was in the NW tip of Westmoreland County. . . .VIRGINIA . Called "Shellfield" , just 2 miles NW of Colonial Beach, VA , right on the Potomac River. Family farm dated from the 1600's , and the farm-house was one of those "George Washington slept here" locations, as he usually stopped at the farm on his travels to & from Washington DC . There was even a large Bronze Historical Marker fastened to the outside of the fireplace chimney attesting to that fact.

When we went to visit in 1959 (from So. Calif.) , I actually got to sleep in the exact same bed, in the same room tha George Washington slept in. How many people can claim THAT ?

When Google Earth became available to the general public, I looked up the family farm . . . . It's all fancy houses now - NO MORE FAMILY FARM :>( !

Doc

The Mennonites are always looking for ground and while an extreme few have a computer most have a neighbor or non-Mennonite friend that does. There Mennonites here that do not seem to mind the trial and error method to see what works. I am glad you don't mind competition. We have too much here and the end result is some of us will "starve" out of farming. I am too old given the area job market to start over even if I am only a little over age 50.

Where at in PA? I'm From the NE tip of Westmoreland County.

Well, the obvious answer is to be there first. If it worries you that somebody might move in and compete with you, then take the land first and farm it yourself.
Keep in mind that the anti-trust laws of the early part of the 20th century were for the protection of the public against monopolies. When one person or corporation gains control over an entire industry or service, prices only go up and the public gets robbed. The same thing applies on a small local scale as well. Of course, it matters which side you are on. As a producer/seller, you always want the highest price you can get. As a buyer/user, you want the lowest price you can get. Natural market forces generally set the prices. Success partially depends on the producer's ability to anticipate market trends and to satisfy the greatest need. Economics 101 - the laws of supply and demand. So, if the guy moves in next to you and raises corn, you raise beans or wheat something that will get you a decent income without worrying about what the other guy does.

I spent half of a lifetime doing automotive repairs. There was ALWAYS somebody competing with me. Guys would open up a shop next door. As it turned out, I was always busy because of my reputation. I had the better quality repairs and the fewest callbacks. Same applies to farming. If you have the better product, it will get the better price.
A favorite saying: If you want nice, clean, fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you don't mind oats that have already been through the horse, they are considerably cheaper.