So many tractors, so little time

extrasharp · Jan 23, 2012

Just bought 67 acres in KY for wildlife habitat. 57 is mature timber and will stay that way :thumbsup: Looking for a tractor, I know we need 4 wheel drive and a loader. Trying to decide on a brand and how many HP. Will be using it for some corn crops, mowing and moving dead wood.

10 acres - grass so keeping it mowed.

Have some hills, would like a fishing pond.

Muhammad · Jan 23, 2012

Welcome to TBN.

TripleR · Jan 23, 2012

Welcome to TBN, it sound like you have some nice propert with plenty of potential as well as a good general idea of the kind of tractor needed, now you just have to find the right one..

extrasharp · Jan 23, 2012

Thanks for the welcome. Lucky enough to work with the NRCS and Conservation offices so I know what programs will help. CRP (conservation reserve) WHIP (Wildlife habitat).

We're losing so many farmers and land to subdivisions. I know farming is a tough job, most have to work another job just to farm. I want a place I can sit on the porch and watch the deer, turkeys and ducks.

I know there are loans on farm equipment but we won't do enough to justify buying new.

TripleR · Jan 23, 2012

My father in law and I worked with those programs and have reforested about 50 acres, established Native Grasses and some ponds.

We have bought new and used equipment both.

It is just an expensive hobby for us and had regular jobs for income.

My father in law has passed on and my wife and I are retired now; never been so busy in my life it seems at times, but love it.

extrasharp · Jan 23, 2012

Sounds like what I want. My boss uses his farm as test plots for warm season grasses here in Ky. He has close to 300 acres.

My home hobby is Japanese koi and Japanese Wakin goldfish. I know they wouldn't have a chance by themselves in a mud pond. My home ponds are netted to keep the heron from having sushi.

I do want a nice fishing pond on this property. Just got our farm # and will be working with conservation on soil types and best location, hoping I don't need a liner, just bentoninte clay.

Its a get away for me and hubby. The surrounding farms were so happy we weren't coming in and logging and gutting the farmland. I will have forestry come out and help us tag the trees that need to go. And you are right, its an expensive hobby but so needed with farmland disappearing.

So many of the farmers here are getting older and no one to take over so subdivisions are moving in. 2 of my supervisors are 90, I think farming is what kept them going.

TripleR · Jan 23, 2012

We have a total of about 500 acres owned by my brothers and I as well as my wife and her brother set up in a combination of LLC and trusts to protect them and with built in TOD to provide smooth transition to our children. We use a CPA and financial adviser to keep things in line and legal.

We have several stocked ponds with crappie, bluegill, bass and catfish.

We have been working on some of them all our lives and some since 86; we will never finish and hopefully our kids and grandkids will enjoy it as much as we have.

My wife is very much an active participant. "Her" tractor is our BX2660, but runs the L5030 especially if I am on the M8540.

extrasharp · Jan 23, 2012

Kudos to your wife, I'm hoping to get healthy by working the farm and to have my own tractor but "our" tractor will come first.

We have a perfect field for clay pigeon shooting when we get some time.

Looking at all the different forums on the board, nice. Wondering if there are many KY people. A TN member on the koi board, told me about this board.

TripleR · Jan 23, 2012

"Our tractor" turned into "her tractor" when we bought the Kubota GL5030, so I fully understand the necessity of "our tractor", this is expensive.

We have a pistol range in our back yard and combination rifle and pistol range on another farm four miles away. My wife is a deer hunter and has her CCW, but none of us do any shotgunning. We have a couple, but they live in the safe.

There are several Kentucky members here with JOHNTHOMAS coming to mind, he is on his fourteenth Kubota. He lives in central Kentucky.