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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Costs of Farming

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IaGary

10-03-2006 03:28:07




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When I was picking up parts the other day for the combine I asked what it would cost to trade for a newer combine with less hours.

Well a 6 year old machine with 1500 hrs was $105,000. With no heads.

Mine has 2900 hrs. and is 14 years old and they want $70,000 to trade.

How in heck am I suppose to be able to upgrade at that price?

Gary




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Dan-IA

10-03-2006 11:28:43




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
Well, the way we do it is to be married to one make/model of old, common combine. 510 Masseys for the last 30 years. They go for not much more than scrap price nowadays, so we pick 'em up for parts anytime we can. Found out 550s share a lot of parts, so we snag those too. A total of 7 combines on the place, 4 of 'em could be in the field in under two hours.

third party image
Out having some fun with a 550.

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Glen in TX

10-03-2006 09:02:33




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
Yeah to pay for it you have to cover lots and lots of acres but by then it's worn out again so doesn't make much sense does it? Everything else has quadrupled and commodities staying about same price is problem. Does the general public or govnernment care? They might someday when they don't have anything to eat?



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billyiron

10-03-2006 06:20:24




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
talked to my cousin at the elevator line up,,they spent 28000 bucks on there combine,it was in the shop for a couple of weeks,,got it home,picked 1 load,and it broke down,,,billy



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Hard knocks

10-03-2006 06:00:47




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
I still cut hay with a sickle bar mower and have been baling with New Holland 851 I paid $300 for at an auction. It may be slow but at least its all mine when I finish and no payments to worry about.What's the hurry anyway? Most that finish quick with new equipment just watch TV or worse yet have time to run to town and spend money.Plus have to worry about the making payments



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Hard Knocks

10-03-2006 14:30:40




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to Hard knocks, 10-03-2006 06:00:47  
You'd of lost your bet I farm full time beef cattle and meat goats.I cut over 300 acres of hay a year with Allis Chalmers twin wheel drive mowers.Have tried a couple of haybines and did't see where I was gaining anything plus I had to use twice as big of a tractor to pull the darn thing AND use tedder because the haybine throws the hay more in a pile than a sickle bar mower does.Plus sickle bar mowers are low maintanence.
Cows don't seem to know the difference.

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knerl farm tekamah

10-03-2006 10:28:48




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to Hard knocks, 10-03-2006 06:00:47  
How much do you cut? I am thinking about "doing it the hard way" because a sickle mower is more affordable to buy and would work easily with my M. I only have a few acres to cut a few times a year and I'm starting from nothing. Any suggestions?



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P Backus

10-03-2006 09:34:15




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to Hard knocks, 10-03-2006 06:00:47  
I know what you are saying, but I"ll bet you don"t earn your living with that equipment.
I am about 3/4 time farming (cash crop), although it"s basically full time hours (maybe 80 or 90 hrs a week in summer, much less in winter). I have always had other jobs for income, but as I moved into more farming, I realized that I wasn"t going to be able to earn any income with my Farmall H and 7" sickle.
I guess what I"m saying is that I don"t think that people with newer equipment just rush to finish sooner so they can sit around. Upgrading is necessary if you hope to be efficient. Did you ever wonder why there are people farming 2-3000 acres or more? It"s not because of greed or ego. It just that we"ve gotten so efficient that the profit margins are so small per acre that you need more acres just to survive. It"s fun to farm with all 1940s equipment, but it won"t earn your living anymore unless you grow a specialty crop like strawberries.
I don"t think one needs a $150,000 combine to do the job, but a $1500 combine will cost you more that if you hired someone else to do it.
Sorry for the rant, but these are issues that I"ve been dealing with myself as I farm and do custom work. No, my equipment is not new either.
Paul

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jddriver

10-03-2006 05:20:39




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
newest tractor is 1989 oldest is 1948 and combine is 1978.But there all paid for.Dont see how the big farmers are making it even with lease payments somebody has to come up with a lot $$ Steve



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WyoDave

10-03-2006 04:56:00




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
Wow. That's why I suspect some of the neighbors with only new stuff have it all financed or leased, or their farming is a whole lot more profitable then mine.
David



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Allan In NE

10-03-2006 03:52:23




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
Geeeze!

And I'm just trying to figure out where in the heck I can scrape up $110 for a muffler. :>)

Allan



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VADAVE

10-03-2006 03:43:19




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to IaGary, 10-03-2006 03:28:07  
That's why my combine is 26 years old and makes harvest real slow. Tractors are 30 years old.
With profit margins as tight as they are I an only work with what I have paid for. To upgrade on creit would break me.



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Dachshund

10-03-2006 10:37:57




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 Re: Costs of Farming in reply to VADAVE, 10-03-2006 03:43:19  
It used to be that you updated equipment to be able to farm more acres. Now you farm more acres to afford to update equipment. You CAN make a living farming with older stuff, you just have to live within your means and not have to HAVE that new truck, or tractor, or combine, or..... Never ceases to amaze me how a guy can buy a new pickup, new planter, new combine, etc, in the same year and then sit around in the coffee shop and complain about being $300,000+ in debt! I'm a firm believer that we need to regroup and simplify things, and learn to be more self-sufficient. The only ones making a living with all this new, high dollar, equipment is the banker. I will now stumble down off my soap box.....

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