Irrigated farming.

Most of you know I farm in furrow irrigated western Colorado.We do things different.Furrow irrigateing is much more time comsumeing.Costs more too. We pay for our water,we need more equipment to work the ground with,we go over the ground multiple times. even compared to things here.I read about farming 300 or more acres while working full time. Cant do it here. Check/change water several times a day is restrictive. Almost as bad as milking a cow,but not quite' LOL even though I have 10 tractors(1456;1256;826H;706,several M/400)Drive a 50 year old pickup,still run JD 55 and 95 combines.Farm with junk.Ive been known to pull something out of someones bone pile. I run a penny operation.Constantly struggle to survive.I only farm about 50 to 100 acres corn a year,plus raise some hay and soybeans.Most are smaller fields. Also do a fair amount of custom work.Last year I took a 'year off'.Worked for a BTO custom farmer was fun,met some nice folks,saw some pretty country.Ths next year I'm leaseing more ground again,getting back to more custom work. I kept most of my old customers,so the work should still be there.And new customers are talking about work.Hemp is getting big here. Ive been approached about growing it for some folks. At no risk to me.They will pay me over $1000 an acre to grow on my place.They pay all expences and harvest. Like I said,no risk to me.I just provide ground and prepare ground for planting(they plant) and irrigate.Nothing will make that kind of money. Still thinking...Our super dry spell seems to beover. We are experiencing record snows. good,we need it as our lakes are all empty.the outlook for next year is good.Sorry to ramble. Just got in the mood to talk.I could probably go on and on....But bed time is calling. Steve.

DeltaRed You haven?t got the munchies have ya ? 😅

Deltared I always like to read your posts. Your farming situation is totally different than mine[eastern middle Tn.] but I believe we think somewhat alike. I get inspired reading your posts and the posts of many others on here. I am thankful we have a place to share experiences/problems/information. I would post on here more but I am keyboard challenged in that I hunt and peck and its mostly hunt lol. Lee

If you are having reservations about growing hemp, I assume the plants you would be growing are for fiber production not recreation and not suitable for the latter. Hemp has been grown for fiber for a long time I would do it if it was profitable.

The area you live and farm in isn't too different from where I grew up on the other side of the state in the La Junta area. During high school I worked for my friend's dad on their grain and produce farm and know first-hand the physical labor involved with flood irrigation. Many mornings were spent moving and setting syphon tubes, messing with ditch dams, shoveling out the furrows across the headlands, and other tasks that would be unknown in other areas. Since produce was (and still is) a big part of their operation the season was quite long. We'd start planting in the greenhouse in February and harvest would end in September with the first frost. In between was transplanting by hand, hoeing by hand, and picking by hand. (It was here thay I learned how willing migrant workers are for actually working for their living. The work ethic they demonstrate would put most of us to shame.) As far as physical effort is involved it makes the grain farming here in central Kansas seem like a walk in the park. My FIL has spent his entire life on the same farm and really doesn't know much about how farming is done in other areas. Shortly after we were married we took my in-laws to my home near La Junta so they could see where I came from. It was a real eye-opener for them to see all the manual labor that goes into flood-irrigation farming, especially with vegetables. Here the long, busy days are clustered into a week here, a weeek there kind of thing with long periods of limited action in between but with flood irrigation the work is continuous. As you say, this would make it tough for a person with a full-time job to do much farming on the side. I could name quite a few people in our area that farm sizable acreage in addition to a full-time town job but this would be hard to do if you had to set syphon tubes every day during the summer.

I went into the office at the equipment shop at my buddy's vegetable operation and sat down. He was out in the shop. There was another fellow there and we talked a little. He looked familiar but I couldn't place him and he was evasive about where he was from. Later on I remembered that I had done business with him and that he was crooked. I went back and talked to my friend about him. My friend told me that the guy wanted him to plant many acres of pumpkins for him to buy. I told him that come harvest time that the guy would suddenly want the pumpkins at a much lower price and that he (my friend) would have to sell them at the lower price or be stuck with them. Be careful about who you deal with and have written agreements in place.

I second being wary about a too good to be true contract.

But the hemp is likely to be here to stay and may be profitable for a few years until (as is normal for agriculture) overproduction takes over and everybody suffers. Profitable niches don't last long unless there are significant difficulties for the average guy to handle.

Lots of people growing cannabis too, but I think the large tobacco companies will take that over. They are the only ones who know how to make money selling a potentially harmful product and have figured out how to handle the liability.

Interesting to read about how farming is done elsewhere. In this area if you want to water a field you turn on the pivot with your phone.

Around here most everyone with less than a thousand acres has full time job too.

Lee,I too am a 'chicken typer'(hunt and peck). however I've gotten pretty fast....

the hemp guy is someone I known for over25 years. I,ve also done business with him(fertilizer dealer) I trust him to the fullest extent.

Most guys here are farming 200 to 400 acres. A couple guys are farming 1000 acres. but they have many emplyees. From irrigators,tractor drivers,mechanics?..

Good luck.

Good Luck Steve ( DeltaRed )

I knew you'd be back,nobody can quit farming once you're hooked. LOL

Good Morning Steve
I thought you took your S.S. so you could slow down . Now your talking more work on a tired body . Just could, t sesist . I retired in 2006 and enjoy every day as its either a Saturday or Sunday , No work days unless i feel like it .


Azpeapicker E/M [email protected]

I'd love to 'slow down'. Cant afford to. The SS was just because we NEEDED the extra income.With Susan's health(brittle diabetes) and all the meds that I am forced to pay for,there isn't much left.I Don't want to leave her alone for 10 hrs daily,every day.Paonia/Crawford is an hour away,no cell service in a lot of places.Her health has been pretty good,mostly. There have been a few exceptions over the last 30 years.Diabetic issues only get worse as the years pass.We've applied for and tried to get some assistance a few times.Nope. We "too many assets",and I am self employed.I/we are all alone here. My family is over 300 miles away. the 3-4 good friends who helped sometimes have all moved away.I really don't know what to do.So I'll just keep on the path till God steers me onto another.But the path has gotten steep and rocky. Sometimes I wonder just how long I can continue. (I'm probably making it sound worse than it actually is)We actually have a pretty good life.I love being a 'small time' farmer in 'Peach Valley',western Colorado.