SW Iowa - Almost Heaven

[KaiB]

Audri was born in Corning, and although the family farm no longer exists as it was, from her great grandfather through her Dad, the family worked 3,000 acres about 10 miles NW of town. I never visited the area 'till this weekend.

I'm flabergasted. The area is as pretty as any I've ever known, soil so rich you could eat it with a spoon...and a true sense of family. I met three generations of folks, old teachers and friends of hers and her father's, visited the church (Strand) where the entire history resides, and came away wondering why we bleed to keep what we have here.

Last night, Aud and I had one of those honest discussions about life and paradigm shifts; we commited to researching the possibility of moving back to her home spot. I can honestly say I felt much more at "home" there (as I grew up in the hills of Virginia)...it just feels right to me. Audri too. We own our farm here, and are lucky to have good water and pasture on it...the good IA stuff is going for 2.5 times for land here, but I think the reasons are obvious.

What say ya'll? If you know the area, I've seen the good, what about the bad? What do ya'll think about pulling up stakes and commiting to a new part of the world (we're right at 50 w. no kids)? If we get serious and do it, we're probably looking at two years to make it happen.

 

[schmism]

we pulled the trigger and went (or are going from) from city folk to country folk.

not to many "kids" doing that these days

Dispite the "tons of work" and stress that it has been. The more and more time we spend there the more we come to relise that it was more than worth it.

 

[cp1969]

we pulled the trigger and went (or are going from) from city folk to country folk. not to many "kids" doing that these days

Nope. Most are going the other way, except around large cities where people are buying up farm ground and moving out. But they still want or need to be close to a "big" city. Even at that, $4 gas will send some them back. The true rural portions of many states are being emptied out at an alarming rate.

...had one of those honest discussions about life and paradigm shifts

Now there's something I've never done...sit down with the wife and talk about paradigm shifts. I've heard that term at work, but nowhere else.

 

[BTDT]

Touching story. I say go. I have lived in the same county all my life. I lived in the same small town (less than 800 when we left) for about 45 years. Went to the same school all my life. If you like it (and it sounds like you did), I think your wife would love to go home. Reminds me of the Cheers song line, "where everybody knows your name".

 

[hudr]

I love my hometown. All my "folks" are here. I have kin going back as far as when the founders said "that's it, not one more step, we're done. Build a town here." I grew up on the same 100+ acres that Dad and Mom bought and paid for twice (no way were they filing bankruptcy when they got out of the dairy business). I have been lucky enough to purchase ~55 acres of my own that connects to Mom's place (we lost Dad in Jan '06). Some of my closest friends have not only known me all my life, but grew up w/ my parents and grandparents. We have a couple houses on our "block" nearing 100 years old, with their original occupants.
Long story short, if you and the wife both feel at "home"...go. There is no feeling like driving through town and seeing several people that you KNOW, not just "know of".

 

[KaiB]

Thanks all. We spent a little time on the net last night.

Land ain't cheap there. Tillable acreage is approaching $4K an acre, pasture around $2.5K. With ethanol on the front page, and corn bringing good money, acreage prices are in flux at the moment as nobody seems to know what the future may bring.

The good news is the fact that we wouldn't have to invest but a fraction of what we have budgeted for terracing, retaining walls and soil improvement (actually soil construction here in OK!) for our project. Cash rent for pasture is also almost ten times higher than what we get here.

There is a good reason for all this. Good dirt.

 

[bigtiller]

Thanks all. We spent a little time on the net last night.

Land ain't cheap there. Tillable acreage is approaching $4K an acre, pasture around $2.5K. With ethanol on the front page, and corn bringing good money, acreage prices are in flux at the moment as nobody seems to know what the future may bring.

The good news is the fact that we wouldn't have to invest but a fraction of what we have budgeted for terracing, retaining walls and soil improvement (actually soil construction here in OK!) for our project. Cash rent for pasture is also almost ten times higher than what we get here.

There is a good reason for all this. Good dirt.

Good dirt is right, it's not uncommon to get 200 bushel corn in my area.

 

[redlevel]

What does average farmland sell for in your part of Oklahoma?

This is sort of amusing. My whole family has lived in South-Central Georgia for 150-175 years now. We are about 100 miles South of Hotlanta, and while it is still fairly rural here, it is nothing like it was when I was growing up in the 50's and 60's. I predict we'll be almost a suburb of Atlanta-Macon-Columbus in another 30 or so years. That won't make a whole lot of difference to me and my wife, but it will to our daughter, who shares our love of the land and rural/country traditions.

The reason that I said it is amusing is because my older brother spent several weeks in Oklahoma about a year ago. He came home telling me that the part of Oklahoma he visited is like it used to be here in our part of Georgia. Not nearly as many people per square mile. He said we should consider selling out and buying property in Oklahoma and moving there. My wife says I would never move, and she's probably right, but when I see the new highways and influx of people who don't know rip about living in the country, I have ideas. I have thought about taking a week or so this Fall and driving out there with my bird dog and checking things out.

What could a Georgia Cracker expect to pay for a 100 acre or so farm in your part of Oklahoma? What could you expect to find on a place like that, meaning open land, woodlots, and grass?

 

[ScottOkla]

If you are looking more than 40 miles from a metro area, you can find some good acreages for about $1500 per acre in the eastern part of the Oklahoma. That would buy you some good pasture or timber in the east, some fair pasture with poor timber in the middle or west of the state for a little less.

The further away from desk jobs you go, the cheaper the land will be, starting at $5000 just outside of good suburbs, to $500/acre in the middle of Little Dixie (SE corner) which is really isolated.

The annual rainfall ranges from about 45 inches in the SE, to about 20 inches in the NW, so that gives you an idea what you will find growing.

 

[KaiB]

Tulsa area that much, huh? I can't imagine paying $5K/acre to be near the exhurbs.

We're on a quarter+ north of Enid. Thinking about pulling out the stakes and setting up in IA. Come to think of it, we could sub-divide in to 50 acre pieces, sell with minerals and covenance to the lake for all...nah, wouldn't do that.

I just don't think I could add to urban sprawl.