We had a JD 4440 for years. We used it with a 5 bottom plow in clay but had single tire in the trench and tripples on the other side(very intresting to drive i might add) we didnt have our 12 row corn planter yet when we still had the 4440 but alot of people around here have used and still use the 4440 to pull a 12 row corn planter just fine no problems. i know you pry wont be using a 12 row for 80 acre but just showing from experience that it would be more than enof for you. We also had a IH 1066 turbo it also did it all with duals however i still liked the 4440 much better. easyer to run and seamed to have more power. also had one of them 2x2 and in my experience it was complete junk we had it a total of 1 year it was only 2 years old when we got it and ill never ever get one again. Just my 2 cents.
Tractor size for 80 acre corn and bean farm
- Thread starter vzyfch
- Start date
- Views: 30094
Thanks everyone for your replies. This gives me a lot of information to work with.
On the 'real question' do I really want to do this? Well yes I really would like to do it. I'm 50 and have been working in an office environment for 28 years and miss being on the farm. I do need it to be more than a hobby though. I'd rather do this than work in an office for another 15 years and then play golf until I can't. I'd rather try to make some money farming for the next 20+ years but not getting to big. Besides 80 acres was all I could afford. I've heard from more than one person that it can't be done (small operation and making any money). But I also have a farmer friend in the office that says its been good to him but he has about 300 acres. So I'm interested in feedback about whether or not 80 acres of corn and bean ground can make some money. ?? (Really interested in advice on how to make it work).
On the 'real question' do I really want to do this? Well yes I really would like to do it. I'm 50 and have been working in an office environment for 28 years and miss being on the farm. I do need it to be more than a hobby though. I'd rather do this than work in an office for another 15 years and then play golf until I can't. I'd rather try to make some money farming for the next 20+ years but not getting to big. Besides 80 acres was all I could afford. I've heard from more than one person that it can't be done (small operation and making any money). But I also have a farmer friend in the office that says its been good to him but he has about 300 acres. So I'm interested in feedback about whether or not 80 acres of corn and bean ground can make some money. ?? (Really interested in advice on how to make it work).
Creamer
Elite Member
I do not think it can be profitable long term with corn and soybeans because you just do not have the volume for such commodity production. But there are more than just dollars to make it 'profitable', i.e. I wold find it a lot more therapeutic than a gym and the stress relief would be worth a lot. If you do not but a dollar figure on your time, you can more than break even on this size of farm but do not plan on it adding much to your income.
If you want to have income you will need to get into a specialty crop where there is more dollars per acre and it is no so easily scaled like corn and soybeans are. For an interesting video go out to YouTube and watch a single Cat combine harvest 51,000+ bushels of corn in one day. You cannot compete with the efficiency that provides. But if you were doing specialty seed corn, lettuce, tomatoes, grass sod, or some other specialty crop where being small has its advantages you could certainly add to your income if not replace it on eighty acres. Remember the last couple of years has been very good to corn farmers due to the high price of corn but all things will get back into balance soon.
The other thing I noted in your initial plan was to start out with normal tillage and then migrate to no-till. This will require different machinery which means you are buying two sets of machinery and will negate a lot of profit early on.
If you want to have income you will need to get into a specialty crop where there is more dollars per acre and it is no so easily scaled like corn and soybeans are. For an interesting video go out to YouTube and watch a single Cat combine harvest 51,000+ bushels of corn in one day. You cannot compete with the efficiency that provides. But if you were doing specialty seed corn, lettuce, tomatoes, grass sod, or some other specialty crop where being small has its advantages you could certainly add to your income if not replace it on eighty acres. Remember the last couple of years has been very good to corn farmers due to the high price of corn but all things will get back into balance soon.
The other thing I noted in your initial plan was to start out with normal tillage and then migrate to no-till. This will require different machinery which means you are buying two sets of machinery and will negate a lot of profit early on.
cowski
Platinum Member
80 acres is not enough for row crops.to make money.could you rent more?are there a lot of horses near by?there is some money made selling small square bales to horse people.can you add livestock? what about truck farming?in alabama, 80 acres,containing bermuda hay square baled for horses, a large truck patch for the farmers market,a couple of commercial chicken houses or hog houses and a few sheep or goats could make some money .
AKfish
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2004
- Messages
- 5,419
- Location
- Alaska
- Tractor
- JD 5115M; JD 110 TLB; JD 4720; Ford 9N; JD X300R
Eighty acres is realistically a "hobby" farm! It would be a nice supplement to a retirement income, however! :thumbsup:
As was mentioned; if you can't rent more acreage (that would require bigger, more expensive equipment) then the best option is "speciality crops". Organic edible beans - pinto, navy, great white northerns, etc. Or, a "U" pick 'em operation - peas, strawberries, green onions, etc. That works best if you live close to a metropolitan area and the urban folk's can drive to your place and load up on fresh produce. Organic is also a profitable niche market in close proximity to urban areas.
That said; if you're serious about making a living on 80 acres and having a disposable income level similar to your previous career field - you might discover that all the benefits of lower stress and quiet country living - might not be "lower stress" at all; with trying to turn a profit and keeping everything on the farm going!
Back in the late 70's I worked with my uncle on his 320 acre farm in north central Minnesota. He raised edible beans, soybeans, a little corn and hay; had a few head of hogs and a dozen head of cows as he was really "small potatoes" compared to nearly all his neighbors! He also worked diligently with a couple of his larger operator neighbors. He traded his labor (and mine) with the neighbors for access to their newer and larger tractor's and implements. In addition, he also had a direct line to the inside information regarding planting rates, hybrid varieties, fertilizer and herbicide types and application rates, etc. He was able to recognize what worked and made money in that particular area versus gambling and making costly mistakes on his own!
If you're gonna take the plunge... I'd be really serious about getting to know your neighbors!!
AKfish
As was mentioned; if you can't rent more acreage (that would require bigger, more expensive equipment) then the best option is "speciality crops". Organic edible beans - pinto, navy, great white northerns, etc. Or, a "U" pick 'em operation - peas, strawberries, green onions, etc. That works best if you live close to a metropolitan area and the urban folk's can drive to your place and load up on fresh produce. Organic is also a profitable niche market in close proximity to urban areas.
That said; if you're serious about making a living on 80 acres and having a disposable income level similar to your previous career field - you might discover that all the benefits of lower stress and quiet country living - might not be "lower stress" at all; with trying to turn a profit and keeping everything on the farm going!
Back in the late 70's I worked with my uncle on his 320 acre farm in north central Minnesota. He raised edible beans, soybeans, a little corn and hay; had a few head of hogs and a dozen head of cows as he was really "small potatoes" compared to nearly all his neighbors! He also worked diligently with a couple of his larger operator neighbors. He traded his labor (and mine) with the neighbors for access to their newer and larger tractor's and implements. In addition, he also had a direct line to the inside information regarding planting rates, hybrid varieties, fertilizer and herbicide types and application rates, etc. He was able to recognize what worked and made money in that particular area versus gambling and making costly mistakes on his own!
If you're gonna take the plunge... I'd be really serious about getting to know your neighbors!!
AKfish
Im in NW OHIO and if you have 150Bu of corn per acre wether you have 10 acre of it or 350 it still pays the same per Bu when you hual it in. lots of variables in farming of course but i can see 80 being some extra money but i cant see it being the only income. if thats what your going for then specialty crops might be the way to go but i havnt played with that myself we just dont have the setup for it.
flusher
Super Member
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Messages
- 7,555
- Location
- Sacramento
- Tractor
- Getting old. Sold the ranch. Sold the tractors. Moved back to the city.
The only way I'd try to make money with 80 acres is via irrigation (alfalfa, orchard crops, vegetable row crops, pivot irrigated crops). Dry land farming on small acreage for profit is a crap shoot because of the weather variable. My neighbor is 78 years old and his partner is nearing 60. They make good money on 30 acres of irrigated alfalfa.
Smallplot
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2011
- Messages
- 295
- Location
- Pike County Illinois
- Tractor
- 1974 IH 1066, 1969 IH 756/FEL, and 2011 TYM T603 Cab/FEL
You will not get rich on 80 acres but if you have no input cost from equipment you can come out ok, IMO. Right now market prices are high enough to make some money but what happens when next year, or a couple years down the road, when market prices bottom out.
Another consideration is you will be paying pretty good interest from spring until fall. Your cash flow will be based on one paycheck a year. If you are still working in that rotten office it would work out so much better with just 80 acres.
Have you put pencil to paper on your total operating cost compared to what you may bring in from this 80?
Another consideration is you will be paying pretty good interest from spring until fall. Your cash flow will be based on one paycheck a year. If you are still working in that rotten office it would work out so much better with just 80 acres.
Have you put pencil to paper on your total operating cost compared to what you may bring in from this 80?
instead of doing the whole 80 yourself lease some ground out to a corn/bean farmer then do the rest in another crop. You get to do some farming but still get income from the land to support your hobby farm
TripleR
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2009
- Messages
- 18,084
- Location
- Missouri
- Tractor
- Kubota M8540HDC, L5740HSTC, BX2200, BX2660, John Deere 425&1025R, Case, Massey Ferguson, Ford
I have to agree with those who say that you cannot make a living off of 80 acres farming traditional crops such as corn, beans wheat etc. There simply isn't the volume and you will always be the last to get your crops out as you will have to depend on someone to pick it, someone to dry and store it. You cannot just pick and sell as it may be months before the price is right to sell.
We have several people in our area who do this type of farming and did it myself, but it is always a supplement to a regular job.
We have several people in our area who do this type of farming and did it myself, but it is always a supplement to a regular job.