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How many acres do you farm

F

farmer101IL

Member
A good point was made in another post. How many acres do you farm. Someone threw the 10 percent number out as to how many real farmers are on this site vs hobby farms.
And also, how about the retired farmers on this site, how many acres did you used to farm? Maybe what type of farming also.

I have 20 acres in north illinois, a piece of my grandparents farm on my dad's side. About 14 tillable. I raise corn, beans, wheat, oats, grass and alfalfa hay. A few hogs, couple cows, chickens.
We also have a 6 acre farm in South Ga. , 4 hayburners aka horses, goats, chickens, cats , dogs, 2 cows. All pets for my wife, for now. LOL
I grew up on a 1200 acre grain farm in Minnesota, early 70's. My wife a dairy farm , milked 60 head, 300 acres i believe they had.
We want to get a real farm in the near future when she retires from the Air Force.

Thanks all

Farmer
 
I farm around 1000 acres of corn and beans. 50 acres of hay and improved pasture.

Started in 1975 with 60 acres of crops,hogs and cattle.

At one time I was up to 100 sows, and got out of hogs in 95.

I had 80 cows 2 years ago and I am down to 35 now. After 35 years of taking care of cattle I am burned out on them and going to get out of cattle.

Gary
 
i started out in 87 on 320 acre with 50 beef and 4 dairy cows,moved on to 1800 acre ranch in 93.( allmost paid off)
got rid of the magpie's and beef(bottomless pit)[the beef that is] in 96,and went into bison,got 400 hd now,making finally money for the last couple years. 300 ac hay,rest pasture.No grain(bottomless pit as well).
Life is good and easy.
 
300 acres with about 100 tillable. I have 55 brood cows and 50 acres of soybeans this year. I guess you could say that I"m semi retired. I do some work for other farmers but mostly I just stay on my farm. As of June of this year I"m 100% debt free and hope to stay that way. All of my equipment is old but paid for My newest tractor is a 1992 4630 ford.
 
According to Webster's : * Etymology: Middle English ferme, from Anglo-French, from fermer to fix, rent, from Latin firmare to make firm, from firmus firm
* Date: 14th century

1 obsolete : a sum or due fixed in amount and payable at fixed intervals
2 : a letting out of revenues or taxes for a fixed sum to one authorized to collect and retain them
3 : a district or division of a country leased out for the collection of government revenues
4 : a tract of land devoted to agricultural purposes
5 a : a plot of land devoted to the raising of animals and especially domestic livestock b : a tract of water reserved for the artificial cultivation of some aquatic life form <a fish farm>. I dare say it is more like 90+% of those who post here are farm owners.
 

I grew up working on Dad's irrigated farm. I was cultivating milo and disking fallow by myself on a JD 4020 by 4th grade.

I was farming almost 3,000 acres when I got out after about 12 years.

I now farm 80 acres of dryland and 3 acres of an old rock hill where I keep my old tractors and plows.

I live in town and work in an office.

Am I a "real" farmer or a "hobby" farmer???

Howard
 
I'm retired and still have 120 acres,... 50 acres alfalfa and the balance is pasture. My only remaining livestock consists of 5 horses and a few chickens.
 
Used to own just under 200 acres, much of which was wooded. Sold that 4 years ago. Also rented another 90 acres. We now own 45 acres with about 35 in hay. It's not exactly a hobby, but it isn't my sole source of income either. IRS thinks I'm a farmer. I think I'm happy.
 
I don't think the number of acres determines if your a "real" or "hobby" farmer. I believe the difference is if your trying to turn a profit/break even or just have fun. If you don't care if the farm loses money then your a hobby farmer.
Personly I'm trying to make this 100 acres at least break even and generally doing that. I also work full time plus for a company.
If I were to have a hobby it would be woodworking or car racing. Um let's ask this question--"Is Joe Gibbs a "hobby" racer?" He has a race team and that would be a hobby to me.
 
I farm enough land to not to be profitable.
Does that make me a hobby farmer?
I have 6 acres of my own with 5 acres being in soybeans, and then rent another 31 acres from my mother, which is in pasture and pumpkins.
 
Own and rent around 1000 acres that I run cattle on but size has no bearing on whether you are a 'hobby' farmer or not.Profitablility is the key.
Know a guy that raises flowers and vegetables on 10 acres and he makes a huge profit also know farmers with several thousand acres that need help from the Gov't to stay in business.Now who is really the 'hobby' farmer?
 
10 acres. Got some chickens, goats, had horses. No way a farmer, never have been. Never will be either.
 
I own 60 acres. Started haying about 15 acres 10 years ago. Now with what I rent I have about 150 acres of hayground. Stick with hay cause it doesn"t put me in the field in early spring and late fall. Thats my busiest time at my repair shop. I also have some cattle and horses.

I don"t know where that puts me. Doesn"t feel alot like a hobby when theres 50 acres of hay down and rain coming.
 
I own 28 acres, but right now, all but about 6 acres are wooded. Most of the cleared land is pasture, except for the house lawn and vegetable garden. Down to one horse now, but we're expecting a couple free llamas this fall. They'll earn their keep eating bushes and weeds no doubt. I plan on clearing more this winter for a year 'round camp and outbuildings. I work full time at an aerospace company, so that makes me a hobby farmer at best.
 
Cropped about 50 acres this year, should be 135 next spring, some bought, some rented. Havde another 200 available that isnt locked up for a few years with some big boys, will have to rely on being a friendly neighbor and a few visits with some Rib eyes and chicken to get more land that is close. I did out bid a big operator on 155 acres a few miles from here, but the land owner is concerned he may hurt the big farmers feelings if he rents it to some one else, owner is getting about 1/2 what he should be, the farmer keeps telling him he is in the red every year and is doing the owner a favor renting it. Nice guy.
 
Dunno,

But, ol' red and I scooted across 90 acres yesterday. Tractor was ready to keep on keepin' on, but I were tired so we quit at 7pm. :>)

Allan

9.JPG
 
Back in '56 I was working at a locker plant for the summer (studying Ag at college in the winter). My boss asked me if I planned on being a farmer or an agriculturist. "What's the difference", I asked.

"A farmer makes his money on a farm and spends it in town. An agriculturist makes his money in town and spends it on a farm"

Simple enough, eh?

Stan
 
Howdy,

I farm 100 acres which my wife and I bought in February. We have corn, soybeans, and hay. Loving every bit of it and feeling blessed. God bless.


--old fashioned farmer
 
The forum is mostly yuppies, wanna-bee farmers and small-time gardeners; there're a VERY few farmers (live or die by the fruits of their labor/management and product produced); there're a few like me.........retired from the above; 1000 acres row-crop, 900 acres pasture.

There're also many who just like fooling with old equipment.
 
I probably qualify as one of the yuppies here. Make a living as an engineering consultant, but we own 15 acres (13 pasture, 2 yard/buildings/paddocks/arenas/etc.) All mostly to support the wife/daughters love of hay-burners. It gives me a good excuse to own a couple of tractors and be outside getting some exercise instead of sitting in front of the computer all day. Reminds me I want to get pastures clipped this week.
 
I grew up on a dairy farm so it is nice to have a piece of land to play around and have fun with my tractor hobbies.
I have 36 acres, mostly hilly woods. It makes great exercise when deer hunting. A neighbor made about 5 acres of my hay and last year I got a $20 gift card for it so you can see that doesn't help my fixed income much. :eek:)
 
Grew up across the road from my Grandparents' farm, now own it (5th generation family dairy farm) Own 560 acres, about 230 of that is cropland; balance is woods and swamp. Rent another 70 from my parents and an aunt and uncle. Rent another 35 from a retired neighbor, and another 10 from a friend.
 
Farmer I've been helping out and known since a kid still works a fair amount of land, lot more than when he had a 100 or so head to milk, 68 in oats this year, just over 200 in corn, and over 100 acres in hay, with a few first cuttings standing on some of those fields. There is more hay ground then he can store in the barns, or the equipment will have to go outside. He also hires out the tandem truck, hauling sileage, bedding, what have you, + delivering his hay & straw.

Getting those oats in and are almost done, I've trucked 46 + tons out, + another 3 single axle loads were picked up by a local feed supplier, and the truck is 3/4 full now, with another 10 acres to go, mostly lay down from rain, but those guard extensions are doing well picking it up, ought to make 1 decent last load, ole 6620 JD combine, got new knives, some guards and a good greasing yesterday, another farm hired him to bring in 40 acres of oats. Parts sure ain't cheap, that is for sure. We had a good day Saturday, everyone pitched in, combine worked most of the day, filled an order of 700+ small squares of straw, with 2 breakdowns on the NH 315, and brought in the remainder of the round bales of straw, 100+ in the barn, 700-800 lb 4x4's.
 
I own 6-1/2 acres, rent another 13. Grow enough corn, beans, potatoes and peas to not buy any at the store. Raise about 50 hogs and the field corn to feed them out and sell or trade neighbor for some beef. Raised chickens also, can fill a freezer with them. I also design stamping dies from an office in my home. I don't think you need to make a living farming but farming sure makes living good.
 
Well I farm a lot more than a hobby farm, but sometimes I consider it a hobby till I sit down with the banker. The amount of acres we farm has less meaning than how many dollars we have in the account at the end of the year.

My wife grew up milking 100 Holsteins, driving the baler, and working a garden that fed the 17 members in her family. She still doesn't want to look at a cow. She claims they kick, step on your toes, squeeze you against their neighbor, and have a wet, brown tail that they can aim at your face, right across your mouth. Other than that, they're pretty nice animals. Jim
 
Farmer, don't worry about some one calling you a hobby farmer. Any one who thinks 20 acres can't be a "real" farm, has never raised 20 acres of tobacco (on their own). Now that some of the chicken farms are get'n paid off, theres alot of folks around here net'n 80 to 100K off ten acres.


Dave
 
Friend of my wife has a few bison- a long yearling bull treed his wife a couple times, so my Mrs. said she'd buy it cut and wrapped. It's about the best meat I've ever had. Roast are tender, and no sea of tallow in the bottom of the pan, steaks are great, etc.

We've got a 40 acre place that we use for late pasture for horses, and she's been after me to raise some beef for us and the grown kids- told her buying the bison was a big mistake in that regard, as now I don't care if I ever eat beef again.
 
Definitely a "hobby" farmer; if I had to do this for a living, I'd starve to death.

Nancy and I have approximately 190 acres; 60 in hay/pasture and the rest in timber.

Great place to escape to every weekend away from the Dallas metro rat race.
 
I hay about 90 acres for an out of control hobby. I do it all by myself except for when I have to put the hay in a customers barn for them. The thing that I find remarkable is that my acreage was fourteen separate farms way back. Some of them even still have the dairy barns that would have housed eight to twenty milkers and would have supported a family on each. now a family need 200 milkers and 500 acres just to survive, when the price of milk is high!
 
I'm retired now with only a hobby farm, but back in the 1970s and early 1980s I farmed/pastured about 2,000 acres.

My hobby farm is 16 acres and I rent out the rest of the land I own.
 

Well currently I farm only about eight acres of apricots, peaches, and watermelon. However, at one time I assisted my Grandfather at the peak of our produce business when he had our eight acres combined with three other fields totaling about 100 acres altogether. Our business still runs but at a much smaller level now that my Grandfather is in his eighties and I'm a full time high school teacher. A lot of work is involved so though we are no longer among the bigger boys in our region we still have purpose behind our operation and my farming.
 
My brother and I farm 160 acres. It's just hobby farming for us as we both have good jobs. We have a few opportunities to farm bigger, but probably won't. When my Dad was alive, we farmed close to 2000 acres, and add my Uncle in, it was close to 5000 acres. Almost all rented. Now both my Dad and Uncle are gone, and it's just farming the two home places. It's a lot nicer not having to depend on the weather for a living, plus still getting out to work the land and have a place to put the old tractors to work once in awhile.
 
My brother and I farm 160 acres in Central KS. Mostly wheat. It's just hobby farming for us as we both have good jobs. We have a few opportunities to farm bigger, but probably won't. When my Dad was alive, we farmed close to 2000 acres, and add my Uncle in, it was close to 5000 acres. Almost all rented. Now both my Dad and Uncle are gone, and it's just farming the two home places. It's a lot nicer not having to depend on the weather for a living, plus still getting out to work the land and have a place to put the old tractors to work once in awhile.
 
When I farmed full time I owned 1440 acres and rented from 0 to 640 more (1975 to 2006). Last time I worked off the farm was 1975. Usually cropped 1100 acres, balance was hay or pasture that fit 75 beef cows about right. Still own 800 acres but only farm 160. 2000 acres is a viable efficient grain farm in SW Manitoba today. I love being semi retired. The work I could stand, the worry was getting to me.
 
Beat me to it, huh? Were you thinking the same thing- God"s productive land should be used to feed us, and others- we doing what we do best while so many are starving? Then politics rears it"s ugly head.
 
own 7 with the horse farm, lease (real cheap) another 110 for more horses and hay. IRS isn't calling it a hobby yet...it's about breaking even.
Unlike crops, in the horse business you pretty much need to be where the clients are...and as you get closer to the people, land gets scarce and expensive. I'dlove to move farther south and get more land...but could I get the boarders to make it worthwhile as I get farther from the city? dunno...
 
I have just 5 acres and I see by the posts that there is some contempt on this board for people like me.
However, I thought this forum is for people who appreciate old iron, not a farming board. The "10 percent rule" probaly applies because of this fact. I thought I was welcome here.
I love my old MF35 and the therapy I get whether I'm driving it or working on it. And I appreciate the comaraderie and help here.
 
(quoted from post at 20:26:04 08/12/09) I have just 5 acres and I see by the posts that there is some contempt on this board for people like me.
However, I thought this forum is for people who appreciate old iron, not a farming board. The "10 percent rule" probaly applies because of this fact. I thought I was welcome here.
I love my old MF35 and the therapy I get whether I'm driving it or working on it. And I appreciate the comaraderie and help here.
Click to expand...

Hey Chuck,
I don't think there is any comtempt at all by anybody. I was just wondering what the makeup of this forum is as far as acreage. Looks like a vast majority, have farmed quite a bit or are still farming. 5 acres or 5000
we all have some fun at it in our own way.
Looks like to me so far that the 10 percent rule needs to be flipped around.
90 percent of us grew up farming or somehow attached to farming early on or still doing it.
I'm surprised there aren't more so called hobby farms.!!
Come on u guys let us know what ya got.!!!!

Thanks everybody

Farmer
 
Although raised in farm land where I worked with all the neighbors Farms ranging from 30 to 160 some acres till Army time.

I am now down to one acre had a very good crop of Dandelions and Planting leaves.critters are self substaining mostly ants, a few miniature creek lobsters a couple of muskrats a dog and once in a while a stray cat looking for the chip monks. yes I do have a tractor an International Cub Cadet 108
and a green Bolens for pushing big stuff.

Makes me eligible for being a member of the Grange
with your 4 acres you can plant sellable commodities I consider a hobby farmer.
 
I am just a little NW of Salina. I can't believe all the rain we have had so far this summer. Of course, the 100 mile wind Monday didn't help any.
 
> I believe the difference is if your trying to turn a profit/break even or just have fun.

So trying counts then? :)

I stick any profits into improvements so I don't have to pay income tax on farm income. I guess that makes me a hobby farmer. I farm about 175 acres producing feeder cattle. I figure I would need something like 5 additional farms that size to earn a living at it these days.
 
we own just over 40. about 20 is in hay. the rest is buildings/yard/house etc. we rent about 20 acres which is also in hay. Its a fun hobby if you ask me.
 
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