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The Dutchman 07-04-2009 16:22:18 69.29.69.57 18599 Report to Moderator	As my insurance career winds down my thoughts return to my youthful days on the farm. I live in mid-Missouri and I found 80 acres that is currently in pasture and baled in big round bales. If I were to buy this land should I just continue with the hay or could I do better at row cropping? I currently have a small tractor, John Deere 40, wide front, 3 pt and a bigger tractor, John Deere 730 but I'll need to buy implements for whichever way I go. Thanks for your thoughts. [Reply]   [No Email]
4 bottem 07-08-2009 13:34:14 74.209.32.157 18648 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   The farmall H was advertized as the perfect tractor for a 1/4 section thats 160 acres. Come on guys a 730 pulling 4 14s will handle 80 acres easly. Remember the land some farmed in the 50s when a 50hp tractor was huge. ED   [Reply]   [No Email]
chuck bolton 07-05-2009 18:34:23 74.222.223.80 18617 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   i just put 37 acres of crop ground back into grass-- i know i can make more money with hay and grass than i can by row cropping it or cash renting it-- i did all the tractor work on 87 acres of crop ground with a D-17 and 4 row equipment-- sure i spent more time on the tractor-- but i owe no money on it either-- i cant imagine trying to get more tractor than a 730 for an 80.   [Reply]   [No Email]
johns48jdb 07-05-2009 08:27:17 64.12.116.80 18609 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   there is an old saying. never put all your eggs in one basket. doing a lot of research on how farming is done now and what it would cost you to get into it in a maaner that would pay for itself would probably save you a bunch of headackes. shot for horse quality hay, there is alwasy a market for that and if it get rained on then sale it for cow hay. you need storage for hay, labor to pput it up if your doing square bales. lets think to about the difference in pushing a pencil and farming. your probably out od shape to do much farming, so getting into shape would be my goal for a while. i'd rent it out for the first year and see how it goes. you'll rpobably have enought to do fixing up a hose and building barns to keep you busy for a while. good luck.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
GordoSD 07-05-2009 07:20:18 66.115.200.140 18608 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   If you are going to use old, cheap equipment, then you better stay under 25 acres with the hay. I agree, rent out 60 and play with the rest. How about a couple of 2 acre corn food plots for deer hinting? And another in legumes? You can probably sell deer leases also. And Turkey. If you feed them they will come. Gordo   [Reply]   [No Email]
TGIN 07-05-2009 06:06:49 4.224.66.8 18607 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   If it was me I would keep about 30 acres to bale hay and keep me busy and cash rent the rest . 80 acres is alot to do with old equipment . I raised corn and beans for several years but if I was to start up again I d be lost , things have changed so much in the last 20 yrs. and my old plow would nt be much help . Let someone else make your payment and you just have some fun .   [Reply]   [No Email]
hayray 07-04-2009 20:24:57 173.107.69.70 18605 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   I think you would do much better staying with hay. In order to do row cropping you have to have way more accessory equipment and interest on investment into annual crops and more volatility. Also the economy of scale of modern agriculture dictate that you have to be fairly large scale with row crops to turn a profit in good years and carry you over in poor comodity markets. Hay crops have less risk factors and market volatility and less investment per acre per year. You can use you existing equipment you have now to get you going.   [Reply]   [Send Email]
flying belgian 07-04-2009 17:30:13 98.132.233.132 18600 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 16:22:18   Do you want to do this for fun as a hobby or do you want to make some money at it? If you want to make some money I think I would get a disc, a drill, a drag and a sprayer. I would then rotate between wheat and soybeans which I would solid seed with the drill. Then hire the neighbor to combine it and haul it to town.   [Reply]   [No Email]
The Dutchman 07-04-2009 19:00:27 69.29.68.217 18601 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to flying belgian, 07-04-2009 17:30:13   Thanks for the reponse...both, I'd like to make a little money and keep busy...I'm a row cropper at heart but I've put up lots of hay in my time.   [Reply]   [No Email]
Seth_ia 07-04-2009 22:10:57 167.142.10.252 18606 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 19:00:27   Making money with a few acres of row crops is completely doable. The basic problem with row crops is that corn production makes major tech advances constantly. If your not current on your technical agronomy skills then corn is a fast way to loose a ton of money. With corn you need decent equipment, not antique. A JD 7000 planter or IH 800 is the minumun that will pass. With hay the technology hasn"t changed that is required to do a good job. Personally I"d hate to try and do 80 acres of anything with a 730 as my biggest tractor, but they"d work if your not in a hurry. The major positive about beans and corn is that you can get federal crop insurance. Hay is not a bad choice either. Lower input, but you bear all risk since there is federal crop. If I was in your shoes I"d do some of both. It would spread your work load and risk out the most.   [Reply]   [No Email]
old 07-04-2009 19:38:18 4.244.186.62 18602 Report to Moderator	Re: I need your opinion in reply to The Dutchman, 07-04-2009 19:00:27   A lot also depends on what you mean by mid Missouri. I know in my area row crops are something that is not worth your time to do but hay is.   [Reply]   [Send Email]