Larry_minn - 11/16/2024 02:42

Note aimless rambling. Wife out of state, has family stuff to deal with. I throw numbers,cost guesses at stuff to decide. Not exact numbers but often if I do check. Rounded out they wind up closer than government figures. Expect to be confused if you dare read.


I admit I have regretted not buying close land over my life. But am to point I should be thinking retirement.
My equipment is sized for land as far as tillage, corn planting. I have gone to hiring bean planting as neighbor with latested, greatest, 22” center fill, every row shut off, exact GPS, depth, scale in tank planter. Who picks up seed in bulk *so i never had to invest in that gear* at decent planting price. *when I consider less seed wasted, better stand then I can w/30” corn planter/meters over multiple days*. Part of semi retirement.

Well a 160 acre piece of decent land is for sale. Non-corner irrigation system that goes 360 *bridges over dug ditch that look good* in one place. 5 miles from home. It will not be cheap.
But I hope I might be able to do 10-31? Sell 70A non irrigated, sandy soil 17 miles from home. That yields poorly, does noticeable wear on tillage. *it’s sure shinny quick* ;)
I could cover a good down payment *even without selling the 70a*. With that @50%.
But I am not set up for it. Soybeans no issue. Hire planting, spraying *except preplant as not set for 22”* combining, hauling direct to elevator. So tillage, pre-spray, checking on hopefully decent 3 phase irrigation.
But corn. I would have to hire combining, and trucking. Over 24 miles each way to sell at elevator wet…
At home I use 2 grain carts as fields under 1 mile from bins. Redneck *pit*. A gravity box on auger that runs all day unattended filling dryer bin. The bin is way too small to dry another 20k from 17%, and I do not have storage beyond my home needs over 5000. *without going to flat storage in sheds again*. Roofs are not in good enough shape for that anymore. I don’t care to climb on them calking.
Realistically I would need to buy a semi again. $40k. I would need a low profile swing tongue auger $10k. Have to move auger most loads to get both hoppers? Too slow, 2nd Semi? Then larger grain cart. At least 1300 bu? $60k bigger tractor to run it? $100k. As bigger tractor a bigger disc, cultivator, sub soiler should be looked at? $100k? All 3 well used. $350 so far?
That overpriced land starts looking like it’s going to cost a heck of a lot more. Plus I will need to hire multiple hired help. Hiring a combine, trucks for 100-160 acres beans. Is not cheap. But repairs, decent drivers, equipment is not cheap. +300 acres. Owning a $80k combine $30k head, *as I need to semi trucks for corn minimum, and 1300bu grain cart/tractor. Might as well get chopping corn head $70k?
*$350+$180= over half a million $$$. For used equipment. Not the new stuff. How can a farmer start? I didn’t even start on bins, dryer. Honestly I looked at field. As 3 phase there. Could I put dryer, storage bin, load out there? Negating stuff. But no good spot near road, then concerns of theft, vandalism. 40 years ago I might. But that land Needs to go cheap. *which it will not* for me to seriously bid. Of course I forgot soybean planter, cart to load from totes… to fit new tractor needs RTK type gps. $100k for castoff from big farm updating. Biggest thing. I do not have manpower. *and my cash printing machine is out of ink*. ;(
How under $4 corn this can pencil out? Just the land with no unusual expenses. Nope. +$6 corn just land +10 years.

I was shocked how much more it would cost. After purchase price to add 160 more acres. So the 70 acre is on market next week, the 20a hunting land. That $45k nice combine I considered was a steal, but passed I might grab next one.