cgl5 you bring up some very valid points,kinda what we always thought.in the days when manure was worth about what it cost to haul it,basically, in the contract arena,anyways,you where just buying yourself a job,but you were adding equity also.it's that 20 years ago you didn't know how much equity(nobody knew if the "new "confinements where going to last that long)you were going have in 10,15,or 20 years,things are pretty cut and dried now.with  runup in commercial fertilizer,the game has changed,some of the big players are trying to recapture the manure value through some pretty inventive strategies,and you have to really look at their figures to see what they got going on,others are pretty straight up.if fertilizer prices go back down,it will change the game again.the issue i see now is with earilier buildings the owners are getting older,and the plan was
' once i get this thing paid off,somebody else is going to do the work",welllllllll.......that's been kinda of issue in our area.finding someone reliable, and honest.