What is a BTO?

I see the term all the time, and I'm having trouble with it. Is it someone that is bigger than you? In the 60's my uncle had a cousin he was deriding as "farming big". As I recall the guy bought a JD 3010, maybe a 4010, and rented some land. My uncle still used his Case DC and my dad's Farmall M. Dad was driven off the farm along with my uncle in '52, uncle worked on a corporate farm in CA and dad went to work at an aircraft factory in KC. Uncle came back to MO in two years, but having been a B-17 pilot, dad really liked building planes and never went back to farming. The M was bought because of wet conditions in '52 because his 9n kept getting stuck.

I ask the question because lots of guys on here look like BTO's to me and lots of others, but I'm not sure anyone claims to be one, unless they get overextended and go broke. Which my uncle's cousin did, no surprise to my uncle.

Is there a definition?

Big Time Operator.

It is clearly regionally defined. My definition is: an Agricultural organization with (often) investors not "farmers" who own/rent/crop land in a region. Usually 4 to 20 times bigger than family owned farms/ranches. Often isolated from the friendly interchange between contiguous land owners. Not unfriendly, just disconnected from the neighborhood. Jim

But how big is big? Neighbors thought I was big when I was baling 15,000 square bales and feeding 105 momma cows. But I wasn't.

Bachman Turner Overrive?

Someone who works more land and has more equipment than the person who uses the term BTO.

It stands for Bachman Turner Overdrive - a great band from the 70s.
let it ride

Jim, you hit it spot on. My family is a "family farm", and stop and talk to the other family farmers in our area, as they do to us. Sometimes a BTO will try to use his larger resources to bully his way into something he wants, or tries to buy his way into something that would be easy if he actually associated with his fellow neighbors.

Ross

Agreed.

I think it is a good question. There are very few smaller guys left around here, but big is a relative term. I thought a local dairy that has 2500 cows was big, but there are much bigger operations out there. Land, and ag markets, are being concentrated in fewer hands over the years.

Ha you beat me to it. And my wife said my jokes aren't funny . Good one !

I refer to one local guy as a "BTO" because he farms big and looks down his nose at anyone who farms less.

I have several friends who farm just as big, but are plain old guys like everyone else. I refer to them as "friends".

Well I have a BTO less than 2 miles from my house that farms over 26.000 acres and lots of guy's around at the 1500 to 5000 acres mark. They are all big time to me, Some are very good farmers that I look up to some are so so and some waste more than I sell. If the BTO had there way there would not be a tree in the country or any other farmer cause as I have been told THEY are real farmers and every body else is a hobby farmer or wasting there time. But the BTO has a competitor as big or bigger than they are to deal with, So a field of any size to it is hard to come by and is high rent to say the least. So much for a small farmer around hear. Bandit

I think of it as the full time crop, livestock or dairy operation. I don't think of it as a derogatory term. I have relatives who farm several thousand acres, the whole operation is done by family.

In our area it seems the snooty ones are the 500-1000 acres guys. They're barely profitable and fight with their neighbors over every acre and seem jealous of the multi-thousand acre operations.

I think the problem with understanding this acronym is that BTO has more to do with attitude than size. It's the kind of attitude that is more interested in putting you at a disadvantage than in having you as a good neighbor. It's the kind of attitude that will pay a higher rent to pull land from others, and then not take care of it.
On the other side- I have been appalled at how many old farmers around here have been taken in by this. I started late- 30 years ago, at age 30, into full time farming. It was difficult enough then. It's impossible now, unless someone wants to give you a big break.

I don't ever remember hearing BTO or Big Time Operator intended as a compliment.

I farm 1000 acres row crop and hay and have cattle
and hogs. Around here you just can't make it if you
aren't diversified and don't have at least a section of
ground. My grandfather raised a family and retired
well on a quarter of ground. I can't imagine. I had
750 acres of beans to cut this year. Both of my
grandfathers together didn't gave that much land
total.

I don't consider myself big. Nearly all of the
machines here are my age and lots are older than I.
I don't strive to take anyone's land - just farm the
land I have smarter each year. I drop everything to
help a neighbor and expect to stop in the road when
we pass doing chores. The local BTO that everyone
grumbles about is a real piece of work. In the realm
of decisions, I can bet you the man doesn't know
what each field has made and what to do with each.
Mostly because some I used to farm. The year he
started farming one he poured on the lime and
then had a horrible corn crop. I had a soil sample
for that farm and knew he was barking up the wrong
tree, but I don't think he cares. He's old enough that
I don't think he will see it run into the ground. His
sons will. I wouldn't be sad to be at the auction and
see the one who runs the combine in penny loafers.
When you can't be neighborly and civil to people
you meet on the street you get what's coming to
you. It's just like every other job. There are those
who claw to the "top" and look down their nose at
everyone. It happens just as often in the hayloft as it
does the boardroom. Every company needs a villain
and so does every county.

I think BTO is more of an attitude. Today I was sitting in the doctors office. There were 2 farmers talking, one of them I know and he is a good guy that farms several thousand acres. I've never seen the other guy but in 10 minutes I knew how much he farmed, what kind of equipment, storage on the farm, number of employees..........He was bragging to a guy that was twice the operator.

Amazing ain't it, how things have ramped up? My grandparents and great-grandparents had a quarter and kept three generations busy at least until the 50's. Then Grandpa started doing more custom work

I think it varies by region, it takes a LOT more ground in the dry regions to make the same money as the midwest.

To me there are big farmers and BTO's. 2 different animals. They may farm the same number of acres or milk the same number of cows but are still different.

Generally the BTO is everything the big farmers is not. He's rude, arrogant and greedy. Most would screw their own grandmother on land rent and crap all over a brother to get more land. Anytime there is a fire or a death they fail to see a grieving family or someone suffering a loss. They see the possibility to get more land. They will stand back and watch a neighbors crop rot in the field while he's in the hospital too.

They are all the things a big farmer isn't.

Rick

9 times out of 10 around here a BTO is the same as a SOB.

John

What's a BTO?

Local BTO here just made waves yet again. He's been bankrupt at least once. He has several corporations to avoid hitting the government handout subsidies limit. He'd cut your throat to get your ground, all the while saying "nothing personal, it's just business".

He just picked up another farm. This farm was run by hired help for a wealthy widow. The hand has been foolishly expecting to purchase the farm for over 20 years. Now, the BTO has come in, wooed the widow and has a lease agreement. Hand is out on his ear. He got a house outta the deal, but not much else for 20 years of his life. Should have never trusted. BTO is gonna tear up all fences, fill a pond, and farm the whole block into one crop. He does this with all the many farms he runs. He likes to bulldoze building sites to prevent them from ever being a self sustaining farm again. He's bulldozed dozens of very nice farmsteads in the past several years. They're potential competition.

"Nothing personal, It's just business."

RBOOTS,Where is this or these UTOPIAS that you and others speak of.Farmers are no different then city folks,there has been NO VISTING between neighbors for 50-60 yrs. at least.I can only think of one large farmer(only owns 5-10A.)who isn't a true family farmer.All the rest are Father-son,brothers or -and daughters with no hired or maybe 1 person extra.I thing being jealous of someone bigger is most of the problems.

Mindset does not make a difference on regin. Big time operator is mostly mindset.