Thanks for the topsoil!

[Fritz the Cat]

One of the big problems is absentee ownership. Have rented two quarters for 30 years. She doesn't want tree rows. I do. Nothing can be done about it.

The neighboring two quarters of that section had several tree rows but they were old and dying. They tore them all out. The wildlife population has tanked. So I talked to my landlord about trees again and she said the wildlife can go to so-and-so yard about a mile away. Wildlife was not high on her priorities.

Recently she died. In her Will she left me first option to buy at appraised value. She was an only child with no heirs. Her cousins never visited her. She left her assets to churches etc. I have no problem with that. She befriended a slightly different couple and made them administrators of her will.

Now we have a problem. They think the land is worth almost twice as much as it is and the appraisal company they hired thinks so too.
They cherry picked all the highest prices they could find such as bidding against a coal mine.

My first option to buy isn't an option at all. So it will go on the auction block. Hopefully I can buy it. But here is the deal guys. Think about this seriously. Every improvement (monetary or sweat equity) that I put into that land for 30 years will cost me a second time in the final purchase.

Therefore, it is unwise to build a fence, plant trees rows, habitats, or develop water on rented ground. If you are looking at a piece of ground with zero habitat and farmed fence row to fence row, there is a very good chance it is rented property.

 

[Wild and Free]

So true and too bad. I see it happening yearly and progressively in my area and have seen it go on for the last 20 years all over the place in a big way with the previous generation retiring and the younger ones renting things out as you describe, the bigger farmers come in and clean house on the land to farm it with their 60' machinery, they want to farm around nothing.

 

[PrairieGhost]

Yep, after hunting season we usually find more plastic grocery bags and trash in our tree rows and fence lines than topsoil..........

Interpretation: I found a bag. Or, I have no topsoil. ::: I think I got this sarcasm thingy.

 

[SupressYourself]

Was in Fargo for the state GOP convention at the Scheels arena and it looked like a 3rd world garbage pit everywhere I looked in that town. Can't say I saw any dirt since the entire area was covered in garbage. Most cities have a land fill, from what I saw Fargo IS a land fill area.;:;barf

Yep, I'm convinced the contractors rely on that for waste disposal. "Just leave the shrink wrap and insulation lay there, the wind will make it someone elses problem sooner or later."

 

[PrairieGhost]

If you wanted tree rows Fritz I hope you get it. Good luck.

 

[svnmag]

Montana retard called Scott Cloverdale Sausage Pillow bitching about a balloon release in remembrance of a kid killed on an ATV last year. Bending over to pick up sky trash was inconvenient.

Know this Montana Retard Guy: If I ever have the means and a strong east wind; you'll be trying to "herd cats".

 

[Wild and Free]

Montana retard called Scott Cloverdale Sausage Pillow bitching about a balloon release in remembrance of a kid killed on an ATV last year. Bending over to pick up sky trash was inconvenient.

Know this Montana Retard Guy: If I ever have the means and a strong east wind; you'll be trying to "herd cats".

Ha Ha I was listening to that last week on KFYR, classic.;:;boohoo

 

[gst]

Interpretation: I found a bag. Or, I have no topsoil. ::: I think I got this sarcasm thingy.

pains, you are trying too hard.

 

[PrairieGhost]

Just responding to hunters always being so bad. At least it was different than the old standby of rutting up roads and leaving gates open, and stealing farm children.

 

[SDMF]

pains, you are trying too hard.

A moat and some archers, I'm telling you, it'd ease your burden of country living for you. That, or move to Paris.

 

[Pinecone]

let's maker a twenty pager top soil sucks perfect perfect perfect

 

[Fritz the Cat]

If you wanted tree rows Fritz I hope you get it. Good luck.

If I am able to purchase it at auction, the first thing I'm going to do is plant tree rows. The ground is sand and it will wind erode without good cover. In 2014 a hail storm smashed the sunflower crop and with little trash it blew a bit in 2015. Tree rows would have prevented that.

The landowner didn't want tree rows and as a tenet you have no say. I would speculate this scenario plays out time and again when someone points out the lack of habitat. The stock market what is doesn't help. People with money buy farmland as an investment and rent it out. Like stockholders demanding more performance they want a higher return. Habitat for wildlife takes a back seat.

 

[PrairieGhost]

If I am able to purchase it at auction, the first thing I'm going to do is plant tree rows. The ground is sand and it will wind erode without good cover. In 2014 a hail storm smashed the sunflower crop and with little trash it blew a bit in 2015. Tree rows would have prevented that.

The landowner didn't want tree rows and as a tenet you have no say. I would speculate this scenario plays out time and again when someone points out the lack of habitat. The stock market what is doesn't help. People with money buy farmland as an investment and rent it out. Like stockholders demanding more performance they want a higher return. Habitat for wildlife takes a back seat.

Well I sincerely hope this goes well for you.

 

[Fritz the Cat]

let's maker a twenty pager top soil sucks perfect perfect perfect

I believe some guys are shying away from this thread fearing it is going to become a back and forth exchange. It doesn't have to.

I don't like to see farms getting crazy large either. But things integrate up. Skyscrapers and ships are bigger and so is farm equipment. Mechanical engineering will always replace needed laborers. And will replace small farms with mega farms. And these mega farms will in turn be replaced by Corporate farming. There is already underway a movement to eliminate the ND anti-corporate farming law.

Anyone have any ideas how to get more young farmers started and let them make enough money to stay with it as a full time career?

 

[johnr]

I believe some guys are shying away from this thread fearing it is going to become a back and forth exchange. It doesn't have to.

I don't like to see farms getting crazy large either. But things integrate up. Skyscrapers and ships are bigger and so is farm equipment. Mechanical engineering will always replace needed laborers. And will replace small farms with mega farms. And these mega farms will in turn be replaced by Corporate farming. There is already underway a movement to eliminate the ND anti-corporate farming law.

Anyone have any ideas how to get more young farmers started and let them make enough money to stay with it as a full time career?

The cost of land ownership is impossible for a young person to enter into farming and ever earn enough on that land for it to turn a profit. The new and beginning farmer must "inherit" the land at a reasonable, next to free cost to make it pencil out.

Also the rents will go to the highest bidder, and a young person wont be able to compete. Farmers are their own worst enemy when it comes to an outsider making a go of it. The commodity market is also controlled outside of the supply and demand market for the most part, just like oil prices. Very hard to predict an annual income for the loan officer to put to much risk out there.

A guy would have to have inherited the land, or have a huge pile of cash and wanting to gamble it making a living off the land.

 

[deleted member]

wouldn't take a huge pile of cash to get started on 160 acres really. 50% down and hire out the work the first couple of years. i heard a success story from a young fella around the oberon area from his dad a few weeks back when he bought something from me. the guy and his wife both have full time jobs. so, they aren't dependent on the farming. but, they bid on 160 and got it. a couple of years later they got another quarter. they have purchased the tractor, tillage and planting equipment for what sounded like very great deals by shopping around online, seeing old farmers, etc... i think they pay to have the combining done each fall. but, they are definitely paying the bills.

 

[Bacon]

wouldn't take a huge pile of cash to get started on 160 acres really. 50% down and hire out the work the first couple of years. i heard a success story from a young fella around the oberon area from his dad a few weeks back when he bought something from me. the guy and his wife both have full time jobs. so, they aren't dependent on the farming. but, they bid on 160 and got it. a couple of years later they got another quarter. they have purchased the tractor, tillage and planting equipment for what sounded like very great deals by shopping around online, seeing old farmers, etc... i think they pay to have the combining done each fall. but, they are definitely paying the bills.

That would be a hobby farm. That's fine but it's a hobby. Kind of like fishing or hunting. They won't be making a living on two quarters. Not unless they legalize hemp.

 

[gst]

It will be interesting to see what things look like for them this year. The last 7 years have been much different than what is coming down the pike.

Whether people in ag wish to admit it, the Federal crop insurance program has been the catalyst for the downfall of production ag.

It is much like a snake eating itself by it's own tail.

Everytime the insurance program comes up with a figure of revenue assurance land rents and inputs follow right to that figure.

When there are guaranteed revenues everyone wants their piece of the pie for chemicals and fert. and do the math just like the farmer figuring how much more he can pay for cash rent over his neighbor based on the differences in proven yields and base rates.

These insurnace programs have encouraged lands that would be better off in grass to be rented for much higher rents and broken up and farmed. That in turn has led to less diversification in ag and the consequences of "all your eggs in one basket" problems that creates. it also impacts markets, especially the "specialty crops we raise here in ND that do not have the huge market corn,wheat and soybeans have.

CRP acres coming out impacted these specialty markets significantly on some crops. A few hundred thousand acres makes a big impact on some of these markets.

Then the insurance plans themselves are screwy. Under the Prevent plant insurance, you could not seed a cover crop and use it for any value. So the incentive to plant a cover crop and help mitigate water issues so insurance risks for being wet were lowered was penalized rather than promoted. But then it is a Federal program so what can we expect. Combine that with a younger generation that do not wish to engage in the type labor involved in diversified operations or that commitment of time ...

 

[Duckslayer100]

It will be interesting to see what things look like for them this year. The last 7 years have been much different than what is coming down the pike.

Whether people in ag wish to admit it, the Federal crop insurance program has been the catalyst for the downfall of production ag.

It is much like a snake eating itself by it's own tail.

Everytime the insurance program comes up with a figure of revenue assurance land rents and inputs follow right to that figure.

When there are guaranteed revenues everyone wants their piece of the pie for chemicals and fert. and do the math just like the farmer figuring how much more he can pay for cash rent over his neighbor based on the differences in proven yields and base rates.

These insurnace programs have encouraged lands that would be better off in grass to be rented for much higher rents and broken up and farmed. That in turn has led to less diversification in ag and the consequences of "all your eggs in one basket" problems that creates. it also impacts markets, especially the "specialty crops we raise here in ND that do not have the huge market corn,wheat and soybeans have.

CRP acres coming out impacted these specialty markets significantly on some crops. A few hundred thousand acres makes a big impact on some of these markets.

Then the insurance plans themselves are screwy. Under the Prevent plant insurance, you could not seed a cover crop and use it for any value. So the incentive to plant a cover crop and help mitigate water issues so insurance risks for being wet were lowered was penalized rather than promoted. But then it is a Federal program so what can we expect. Combine that with a younger generation that do not wish to engage in the type labor involved in diversified operations or that commitment of time ...

It's ironic you mentioned CRP. A lot of outdoorsmen see it as a habitat program, but really it was put in place to effect he markets. Fewer crops planted means fewer bushels. Supply and demand. Price starts to creep up.

Then CRP acres get capped much lower. Plus commodity prices were high so not everyone wanted to reenroll. Record acres of crops. Record prices. More bushels then ever.

Now the prices tank, but nobody is going to plant less on their own. Farmers are already talking about netting a loss this year and most haven't even put a seed in the ground yet.

Then the Dust Bowl 2016...

History repeats and repeats and repeats...

 

[PrairieGhost]

I think it was both duckslayer. That's why it was for highly erodeable land. It worked a lot better than PIK which simply paid not to plant. A lot of Prairie was broken up under PIK. I think something like CRP could save some farmers in the next few years. I would like to see NRCS pick up the tab for people like fritz planting tree rows. That would encourage others.