Well, I was raised on the "small" farm during the '60,s . Graduated HS in '69 . Your question about "how did they make it on such small income". my Dad was as frugal as they come. We had 80acres and rented another 100. Their were 4 of us "free labor" boys and mom and dad. We used old, small tractors and small equipment. Ferg 20/Olly S55/ later on 2-Case 830,s. Case 600 combine...ALL paid for. We also NEVER used weed spray/chem fert or anything like that. We kept seed for next year from a minimal acreage of certified seed. We learned the correct way to cultivate . We didn't have manure loaders...we WERE the manure loaders. Butchered all our own meat. Only owned one car and an older 3/4 t pick-up truck for farm. So , you see, it is NOT how much you make....it IS how much you are able to KEEP. You see, we never had a bill at the elevator for fert/spray/seed etc. We never had a payment at the bank for machinery. Our grocery bill for a family of 6 was probably the same as a family of 2 in town. We didn't have any car payments. The farm that he paid $ 18000 for in 1961 was paid off in 1975. Did he have a huge savings...he11 no. He paid the bills and raised 4 scrappin boys to value life and family. He retired to mail carrying later on and retired from there and maybe this is where the "payoff" came...He sold the farm (without a realtor/commission) for $ 140,000 in 2002 or so. Put it into investments and the interest paid in full for he and mom s apartment rent. He died at 78 and mom at 83 and with that farm money (us 4 boys never got allowances) and a little inheritance from our grandpa, us boys ended up with $ 100,000 each ...pretty good "allowance" I'd say. Moral of the story....you will never make more than you can spend..so..you'd better spend less than you make. That's how we lived...and it worked. Stop paying everyone else and making a living for everyone else. That's how farmers used to "make it"
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Today's Featured Article - The Revival of a John Deere Combine - by The Red, John Fritz. For several years I had been driving by a farm house on the west side of Indianapolis that had a John Deere combine parked in high weeds in a lot behind the house. The gentleman no longer farmed because the entire area was developed with housing and light industry. I had stopped several times and knocked on the door but no one would answer. My curiosity was up and I wanted to contact the owner. I wanted to see what he planned to do with the combine.
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