Large acreage question

[Cat_Driver]

This is just a curiosity question. I read at times people here that have hundreds of acres of land, and I知 wondering do you all manage tall that land or just a few home acres and leave the rest just sit?

Do you fence that much land?

I have been looking at some auction with hundreds of acres but that amount of land seems overwhelming to me.

One of my other thoughts how do you keep people off that much land?

Anyway just thought I'd post and see if I can get a better understanding.

 

[KB9UDE]

We farm about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans here in central IL. Most of our land is tillable with a few acres of trees to allow some good deer hunting. I can only think of a few fields that have any fencing on them and it definately is not all the way around the farm.

 

[Duffster]

One of my other thoughts how do you keep people off that much land?

Shoot 'em.

 

[Duffster]

It only takes 4 miles of fence to fence in 640 acres, so not really that big of deal.

 

[capt jack]

This is just a curiosity question. I read at times people here that have hundreds of acres of land, and I知 wondering do you all manage tall that land or just a few home acres and leave the rest just sit?

Do you fence that much land?

I have been looking at some auction with hundreds of acres but that amount of land seems overwhelming to me.

One of my other thoughts how do you keep people off that much land?

Anyway just thought I'd post and see if I can get a better understanding.

I "manage" it all (me and the cows). I weed spray all of it one time a year, mow (bush hog) a lot of it, maintain fences, build new fences, (more feet of interior cross fences then perimeter fence) and manage about 100 cows. It is a lot of work, but the price for not keeping things up is worse. When I bought it (in several stages) it was over grown in brush, fences were laying on the ground, grass was almost non existant etc. and I'm told the man who owned it before me kept it as a show place before falling into poor health 10-15 years before I bought it. All this plus 56 hr. weeks at the fire station and a contracting business. When you hear about people kicking back at the ranch this is what they are talking about.
Jack

 

[chh]

This is just a curiosity question. I read at times people here that have hundreds of acres of land, and I知 wondering do you all manage tall that land or just a few home acres and leave the rest just sit?

Do you fence that much land?

I have been looking at some auction with hundreds of acres but that amount of land seems overwhelming to me.

One of my other thoughts how do you keep people off that much land?

Anyway just thought I'd post and see if I can get a better understanding.

With me part is managed for hay, part for cattle, and a bit strictly for wildlife.

It is all fenced and crossfenced.

I'd rather work on a big piece than waste the time mowing the heck out of a 5 acre yard.

Get real "nasty" to a few and the word gets around. Always carry a gun.

BTW: it is a full time job and it does not necessarily pay well for the hours worked.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

How it is managed all depends on the owner and what they want to do. We have some of ours fenced in, some is in grapes and apples, some is hay, some is corn and a bunch is in brush and food plots for hunting. it keeps me busy but it is what i want to do.

 

[vsteel]

As mentioned it is a full time job. I have spent years and years doing it.

1. Keeping people off. Well it depends on where you are. I grew up miles and miles from town and our nearest neighbor was 2 miles away, so if someone wanted to be on it, they had to drive for miles. Its a lot of rolling hills and there isn't a lot of desire for people to go out there anyway. On a side note the last I new it was still legal to shoot cattle rustlers in South Dakota.

2. Yes, its pretty much always fenced. There is some open range stuff but that is a lot of headache. Private propery is pretty much always fenced and yes, there are miles and miles and miles of fence to keep up.

3. Up keep. Well for us, hundreds of acres are hay ground. Hay is cut with a Heston 8200 windrower (swather) with a 15 foot draper head. It then can be bailed with a little John Deere baler 338 square, Heston big round baler, or stacked loose with a 1&1/2 ton truck converted into a farmhand haying machine.

The cows keep the other thousands of acres mowed enough down.

The thing to remember is that when people have huge farms they don't keep the pastures and fields mowed like a lawn. Its either growing something to harvest or growing grass for animals that will eat it. It is a full time job. (For example to plow for grain it can take days and days on the tractor (12 hours or more a day). )

You farm/ranch because you love it, not for the money. A farmer/rancher 's per hour rate would make most people cry and want to give up.

 

[woodchuckie]

I manage mine for timber. That doesn't take much of my time that I wouldn't be out in the woods anyway riding or making trails. It's too much for me so I have to pay someone to do the site prep and tree planting. The part of mine furtherest away (3 miles) I let someone who lives near, to hunt and that keeps the surrounding hunting club in line.
We just planted 60 acres in long leaf pine this past winter.

I've got 60 more acres in mostly hardwood which I don't really manage the timber for harvest and hope I never need to have it cut. That's where the squirrel are, the prettiest view and where we go camping with the grandkids once or twice a year.

On 80 more acres, where I can hardly get to much less someone else, We have a pine stand planted 10 years ago.


I've 120 acres around my house that I intend to clear cut and replant when the market gets better. It has scattered 30 year pine growth but will also require some site prep. Once that's done I can just watch and kids or grandkids can just wait and not worry about doing anything to it.

 

[marimus]

Do you fence that much land?

You betcha! And not just once around the outside, but to divide it up, keep cattle off crops or away from trees (plantation forestry), and to provide laneways for moving livestock

I have been looking at some auction with hundreds of acres but that amount of land seems overwhelming to me.

I have 400 acres that I know every tree and rock on. Would like at least 2000, but we shall see how that pans out.

One of my other thoughts how do you keep people off that much land?

Electric fences work well

 

[silverdollar6]

My first question on a lot of acres would be about property taxes?

 

[rgood]

Farmers pay the bulk of property taxes while the CEO in town pays very little.

 

[tanglefoot]

Property taxes seem to always go up. When I go to the appraiser's office to get the assessment to a more appropriate value, then the next year the rate goes up. I've started just trying to keep it level instead of trying to get it to go down.
I own 82 acres and lease 30 more for pasture. I use about 35 acres of mine for hay, but I graze it also. There's always work to do.
Butch

 

[woodchuckie]

Property taxes would be a big problem in places but here in Alabama with the most powerful lobby probably being Farm Bureau, and enough rural people to vote down increases our taxes are low. 320 acres with house around 700 dollars a year.

 

[tallyho8]

Property taxes are usually much lower on undeveloped property.

Taxes on my 160 acres of undeveloped forest land in the Arkansas Ozarks are about $200 a year. Taxes on my small home and 16 acres in Louisiana are over $2000 a year and this is with homestead exemption.

 

[Western]

The most we had was 386 acres.

One thing I have learned is when building fence, corrals, chutes, cross fencing, water gaps what ever.
1 think it out
2 use the best materials for the job you can.
3 Do the best possible job.
Nothing worse than creating more work with half A** job, allot of times you have to "improvise" but always try to do it right the 1st time. saves allot of work and headache.

As far as Taxes, use every loophole you can find. agricultural exemptions, maybe home stead the house and a few acres. Any Ag projects you can do to offset the tax.

As far as trespassers, I think personally, that you should "over" mark your boundaries as to "avoid" excuses, and deal firmly and swiftly with them, use the sheriff, game warden or who ever. Soon you will get a reputation of no tolerance, believe me this will get around.

I don't think you can have too much land, its a joy and a good feeling at the end of the day. It has its frustration for sure, but I would rather build fence, then sit in rush hour traffic.

 

[LBrown59]

Why does any one want so much land that it becomes all that work with little if any pay perhaps even a loss?

 

[LBrown59]

Property taxes would be a big problem in places but here in Alabama with the most powerful lobby probably being Farm Bureau, and enough rural people to vote down increases our taxes are low. 320 acres with house around 700 dollars a year.

About what I pay on a home 2 pole barns and 2.33 acres here.

 

[chh]

Why does any one want so much land that it becomes all that work with little if any pay perhaps even a loss?

If you don't know you would not understand.

 

[two_bit_score]

.....don't think you can have too much land, its a joy and a good feeling at the end of the day. It has its frustration for sure, but I would rather build fence, then sit in rush hour traffic.

Amen.