I bought a quarter section back in 96, and there is no way that this dryland farm would even start to support a family today but it does a pretty good job of supplementing my income. At one time, so my neighbors tell me, this farm was an extremely productive farm and the family that lived on it was considered to be above average in the community. The old house that was on it supported that. Forty years of vacancy had left it in a condition that would not have been repairable and I tore it down. From a community that back in the 40's and 50's there was 3 grocery stores, 7 dairy's, 2 gas stations, a post office, a gin, 3 churches and a school, today there may be 15 houses and no businesses and the post office closed a couple of years ago and the school consolidated with a school district 12 miles down the road.  Over the years, I occasionally find pieces of trace chains, harnesses, horse shoes and bits and pieces of old implements. Not sure that I would even attempt to live like that today.

That said, I didn't buy this farm to support me, the only reason I bought it was to have something to keep me busy when I decided to retire. After 13 years of retirement I realize that I would have had plenty to keep me busy with a whole lot smaller farm.