Hay Farmers getting out of farming

[Snobdds]

The average farm size in Indiana is under 300 acres.
The average farm size in the United States is around 444 acres.

Plenty of information on the size of farms in the U.S. in both acreage and income here, and where they generate the majority of their income.

Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials - Farming and Farm Income | Economic Research Service

U.S. agriculture and rural life underwent a tremendous transformation in the 20th century. Early 20th century agriculture was labor intensive, and it took place on many small, diversified farms in rural areas where more than half the U.S. population lived. Agricultural production in the 21st...

www.ers.usda.gov

Read the entire article, but in particular, scroll to the end:

Most farmers receive off-farm income, but small-scale operators depend on it​

Median total household income among all farm households ($80,060) exceeded the median total household income for all U.S. households ($67,521) in 2020. Median household income and income from farming increase with farm size and most households earn some income from off-farm employment. About 89 percent of U.S. farms are small, with gross cash farm income less than $350,000; the households operating these farms typically rely on off-farm sources for most of their household income. In contrast, the median household operating large-scale farms earned $402,780 in 2020, and most of that came from farming.

Seems so small...300-400 as the average.

No wonder it only takes 2 or 3 people to manage.

 

[Snobdds]

Come out east and see what its like. We have impossible problems, too.
We have a water-related problem, too. Its called too much rain.
I’ve lost entire cuttings from too much rain. Fields turn to mud, grass past its prime. 1/2 your gross income lost. Happened in 2018. Sometimes it happens in both cuttings.
And then theres flooding. Lost entire swaths of hay even 15’ above the river to floods. Once the flood water washes in, it deposits dirt all over the crop, ruining it.

So your soliloquy about anyone for complaining about water shows you dont know the whole story. There can be too much water and unlike irrigation, it cant be controlled, either.

Farming is tough all over.

At least you don't have to dig ditches, which need constant maintenance to keep flowing...then have a few guys move irrigation damns to flood the fields all summer to get good water.

 

[Snobdds]

“Boys” and “men” are relative to what they’ve been through in life. I’d bet a young man doing real farm work becomes a “man”, long before some white collar kid.
I dont “trigger”, BTW.

Lions care little about the opinions of sheep.

ok trigger...

 

[Hay Dude]

At least you don't have to dig ditches, which need constant maintenance to keep flowing...then have a few guys move irrigation damns to flood the fields all summer to get good water.

But at least YOU have water, so stop whining. You told me how rich you were, and you have irrigation and people to do all your grunt work. So why bother with us?

Maybe you dont have to clean up after a flood where 21’ of flood surge washes away your crop. I did.
My point is, dont come in here and start with your “holier than thou” stuff because of where you live.
Farming is challenging work no matter where you live.
Whether its too much/not enough water, sun, insects, parasites, or government intrusion.

 

[Citydude]

You guys ought to try sheep ranching. Then you would both be on the same page.

 

[Snobdds]

But at least YOU have water, so stop whining. You told me how rich you were, and you have irrigation and people to do all your grunt work. So why bother with us?

Maybe you dont have to clean up after a flood where 21’ of flood surge washes away your crop. I did.
My point is, dont come in here and start with your “holier than thou” stuff because of where you live.
Farming is challenging work no matter where you live.
Whether its too much/not enough water, sun, insects, parasites, or government intrusion.

I don't think I ever said that...please post up where I said that.

Otherwise your just projecting...

 

[MossRoad]

At least you don't have to dig ditches, which need constant maintenance to keep flowing...then have a few guys move irrigation damns to flood the fields all summer to get good water.

Many farms here have ditches for drainage and irrigation that have to be maintained, as well as center pivot irrigation. Most fields are tiled so they drain into the ditches to a certain ground water level. If the level gets too low, they pump back out of the ditches or from wells to the center pivot irrigation.

 

[MossRoad]

You guys ought to try sheep ranching. Then you would both be on the same page.

Sheep ranching is baaaad.


(sorry)

 

[Snobdds]

Sheep ranching is baaaad.


(sorry)

It's only bad if you're wearing Velcro gloves.

Wyoming use to have a lot of sheep ranches, in fact my ranch was a sheep ranch 125 years ago. Still have an old sheep barn where they had the lambs.

Then the Johnson County Wars happened and the cattle guys obviously won that one.

 

[Snobdds]

Many farms here have ditches for drainage and irrigation that have to be maintained, as well as center pivot irrigation. Most fields are tiled so they drain into the ditches to a certain ground water level. If the level gets too low, they pump back out of the ditches or from wells to the center pivot irrigation.

I always wondered how they did ditches in the flat lands. Do you have to use pump houses to move the water or is there enough pitch in the land to move the water by gravity?