East Central South Dakota | Ten years ago when corn started with a $2 and beans $4 to $5, our family farm made a strategic plan to start a commercial hunting business. We identified our bottom producing 20% of acres and enrolled them into a conservation program and added value by charging guys to hunt pheasants. It has been very successful and profitable as we net about $80,000. a year and have been fully booked for past 5 years with groups rebooking before they leave.
We have about 700 acres tied up in CRP, food plots and other habitat. While not all of this land can raise a crop every year (wetlands, gravel and bad soils) 400- 500 could raise a crop consistently and now we have crop insurance for the balance of really poor ground. The problem is these high prices have changed the breakeven yields on this poorer soil to the point where we could make more money farming than hunting. There would be more risk in the farming, as the hunting is a sure thing ( although i have been shot twice, which kinda sucks).
I would very much like feed back from my peers. Should i break-up habitat and farm fence row to fence row or stay the course? The hunting lodge is a lot of work, but is a sure thing. If prices drop my break-even yields will again be higher then this poor ground can produce. They would have to release CRP for me to have to choose, and i don't think that will happen, but in todays environment all bets are off. Taking the bad ground out has also raised my APH. Grass,cows and CRP is disappearing fast in the Dakota's and the drought tolerant stuff isn't even available yet.
I just registered today and this is my first post, so be kind. I very much enjoy this site and the opinions of my fellow farmers. |
Hunting Land vs. Farm Land
