I would love to have a diesel tracker But I deal with all gasoline trackers still I go 49 acres My old tractor's a 1944 LA case my work Horse tractor Then my newest tractor I have on my farm. Is a 1958 611 B Case-O-Matic Dive Keep your head up, buddy. You'll be safe out there. You're buddy from Nebraska
It is NOT for the weak. I finally hung it up year before last and rent out what little crop ground I do own. You’re in a tough spot. Economy of scale is a huge player, and at 100 acres it’s not there. Wasn’t there for me when I dropped down to 325 or so after my dad passed away a decade ago and I no longer had any help. Not enough acres to spread decent equipment purchase out over, and one decent breakdown can cost everything you might possibly make in a down market. So tough with a full time job, when you work a long day and come home to hit the field until late at night and have a breakdown that’s more than replacing a hose or fitting, there’s not all day tomorrow to tackle it. You either have to take time off work if you’re lucky enough to have it, or hope you don’t need parts because you can’t get em and have to wait for a delivery… and at 43 (did it for 18 years with help and almost 10 on my own), I realized I was missing my kids growing up and quality time with my wife. I spent almost all of my vacation time farming, and all of my other days off, and literally if I had to pencil it out honestly, I probably cleared less than 1/10th of my pay from my “real job” if I broke my salary down to hourly. Aside from a couple really good grain price years, I was working myself in the ground for almost no return in the grand scheme of things. I learned no-till freed up time.. but I am stuck in the old ways and did less than probably 40 acres of it a year. Opportunity cost is a very real thing, and there is no such thing as getting or adding anything to one’s plate for free. To do E, A,B or C (or part of all) have to pay somehow, whether it’s money, time, etc. I finally got worn out robbing Peter (mainly my family) to pay Paul (my doing what I wanted to do just to be doing it.) Not trying to be a downer, just sharing my experience and perspective. Also, different areas make a difference. Huge expense for me at my size was investment and maintenance/insurance/registration of a semi and hopper bottom. 40 miles to the closest elevator and 60+ to the best contracts.. none of which offer trucking and no truckers doing it on the side made that a near necessity.. You can only haul a load here and there during harvest when they have late hours (cutting into your field time), so you bin the majority and you gotta take more time off to haul it all out in the winter to meet contracts.. winter weather screws you, barge delays or downed belts at the elevator screw your time, I don’t miss the lost sleep, either. I put out a big garden this year and plowed it twice and disked the thing with my 24’ disk about 6 times to get my fix of that fresh turned soil smell. Worked out great. I hope you get your Internationals fixed up this winter and the worst hiccup you have with them all season is pushing your luck one evening and running out of fuel. I hope the best for you buddy. It takes a lot of gumption to keep at it for a long time without falling into a legacy operation that has 4 digit acres that were paid for a couple generations back. I don’t fault those folks at all.. it’s just a different world.. and sadly a handful of those folks don’t think folks like you and I should have any opportunity to farm.
For the small guy to survive and out net the multi thousand acre btos the small producer has two advantages that they need to exploit to the max and #1 is quality. Instead of trying to have 200 acres of marginal beans the producer with 100 can direct attention and time into maximizing the productivity of the acres they have. I don't have hundreds of acres of hay so I can focus on and maximize the acres I got and year in year out I put produce the county average by 20-30% and produce a superior quality product that demands a higher price there for I can have a lot more margin to work with then the guys farming double the land raising half quality product lucky to get county average yields. Rent and taxes are the same if you raise 2 ton or 4 ton hay. Big difference in $75 ton and $320 ton hay as well. #2 is diversification. This year would have been alot tighter for me and I would have been in the hole if not for my small dabble in produce. Did I make enough to go buy a new Duramax? No but did the extra few thousand dollars of positive offset the negative ventures yes. Too many people in my area don't make it past 7-10 seasons doing corn and beans. They get a few good years and instead of paying down land or machinery they go on a shopping spree then guess what? 3-4 down years of low yields low prices and they come up short and everything they bought at retail 3-4 years ago is auctioned off at a discount and there back working a 9-5.
@@AC7020smokeshow I won't ever quit my day job. Any money we do make goes back into the farm. No I don't make money farming but my hope is it's paid for by time I pass so my kids have a future in it. Even in tough times it's a break even farm for what I paid. (Too much) But it's what I feel I was called to do with my life and hopefully have a good environment to raise our children. Thanks for the comment. You do bring up very valid points of "us" being reserved versus the big guys.
have missed seeing your videos. you are never alone. we have started a herbal company. every time 1 person says we have helped them we are reminded are making a difference.
You can fix that pump yourself I've done several of my own and the pump doesn't have to come off the tractor to do it., I've been where you are at 10 of 15 years ago I learned how to do alot because of need to.
I would love to have a diesel tracker But I deal with all gasoline trackers still I go 49 acres My old tractor's a 1944 LA case my work Horse tractor Then my newest tractor I have on my farm. Is a 1958 611
B Case-O-Matic Dive Keep your head up, buddy. You'll be safe out there. You're buddy from Nebraska
It is NOT for the weak. I finally hung it up year before last and rent out what little crop ground I do own. You’re in a tough spot. Economy of scale is a huge player, and at 100 acres it’s not there. Wasn’t there for me when I dropped down to 325 or so after my dad passed away a decade ago and I no longer had any help. Not enough acres to spread decent equipment purchase out over, and one decent breakdown can cost everything you might possibly make in a down market. So tough with a full time job, when you work a long day and come home to hit the field until late at night and have a breakdown that’s more than replacing a hose or fitting, there’s not all day tomorrow to tackle it. You either have to take time off work if you’re lucky enough to have it, or hope you don’t need parts because you can’t get em and have to wait for a delivery… and at 43 (did it for 18 years with help and almost 10 on my own), I realized I was missing my kids growing up and quality time with my wife. I spent almost all of my vacation time farming, and all of my other days off, and literally if I had to pencil it out honestly, I probably cleared less than 1/10th of my pay from my “real job” if I broke my salary down to hourly. Aside from a couple really good grain price years, I was working myself in the ground for almost no return in the grand scheme of things. I learned no-till freed up time.. but I am stuck in the old ways and did less than probably 40 acres of it a year. Opportunity cost is a very real thing, and there is no such thing as getting or adding anything to one’s plate for free. To do E, A,B or C (or part of all) have to pay somehow, whether it’s money, time, etc. I finally got worn out robbing Peter (mainly my family) to pay Paul (my doing what I wanted to do just to be doing it.) Not trying to be a downer, just sharing my experience and perspective. Also, different areas make a difference. Huge expense for me at my size was investment and maintenance/insurance/registration of a semi and hopper bottom. 40 miles to the closest elevator and 60+ to the best contracts.. none of which offer trucking and no truckers doing it on the side made that a near necessity.. You can only haul a load here and there during harvest when they have late hours (cutting into your field time), so you bin the majority and you gotta take more time off to haul it all out in the winter to meet contracts.. winter weather screws you, barge delays or downed belts at the elevator screw your time, I don’t miss the lost sleep, either. I put out a big garden this year and plowed it twice and disked the thing with my 24’ disk about 6 times to get my fix of that fresh turned soil smell. Worked out great.
I hope you get your Internationals fixed up this winter and the worst hiccup you have with them all season is pushing your luck one evening and running out of fuel. I hope the best for you buddy. It takes a lot of gumption to keep at it for a long time without falling into a legacy operation that has 4 digit acres that were paid for a couple generations back. I don’t fault those folks at all.. it’s just a different world.. and sadly a handful of those folks don’t think folks like you and I should have any opportunity to farm.
For the small guy to survive and out net the multi thousand acre btos the small producer has two advantages that they need to exploit to the max and #1 is quality. Instead of trying to have 200 acres of marginal beans the producer with 100 can direct attention and time into maximizing the productivity of the acres they have. I don't have hundreds of acres of hay so I can focus on and maximize the acres I got and year in year out I put produce the county average by 20-30% and produce a superior quality product that demands a higher price there for I can have a lot more margin to work with then the guys farming double the land raising half quality product lucky to get county average yields. Rent and taxes are the same if you raise 2 ton or 4 ton hay. Big difference in $75 ton and $320 ton hay as well. #2 is diversification. This year would have been alot tighter for me and I would have been in the hole if not for my small dabble in produce. Did I make enough to go buy a new Duramax? No but did the extra few thousand dollars of positive offset the negative ventures yes. Too many people in my area don't make it past 7-10 seasons doing corn and beans. They get a few good years and instead of paying down land or machinery they go on a shopping spree then guess what? 3-4 down years of low yields low prices and they come up short and everything they bought at retail 3-4 years ago is auctioned off at a discount and there back working a 9-5.
@@AC7020smokeshow I won't ever quit my day job. Any money we do make goes back into the farm. No I don't make money farming but my hope is it's paid for by time I pass so my kids have a future in it. Even in tough times it's a break even farm for what I paid.
(Too much) But it's what I feel I was called to do with my life and hopefully have a good environment to raise our children. Thanks for the comment. You do bring up very valid points of "us" being reserved versus the big guys.
have missed seeing your videos. you are never alone. we have started a herbal company. every time 1 person says we have helped them we are reminded are making a difference.
Good to see you, your plans will work out, all the best for 2025 crops
Count your blessings
You can fix that pump yourself I've done several of my own and the pump doesn't have to come off the tractor to do it., I've been where you are at 10 of 15 years ago I learned how to do alot because of need to.
hang in there and do the best u can you'll save enough money on fuel to pay for repairs on a diesel 😊
Our biggest expense last year was tires
Hey old bud
buy a high pressure seal and fix injector pump yourself info off of youtube