Needing help!

[herefordman88]

I was just wondering I am trying to get back into the family business by building myself up from the bottom. I was wondering if anybody has advice for me on how many acres I should start out with? I am plaining on corn right now, or should I start out with something differn't and I dont have a clue how much it is to rent by the acre around Nebraska. This is something I have always wanted to do and I want to leave something for my son when my time is up. Any help or advice would be appreciated

[Blacksandfarmer]

We need more info. How many acres will you have available? What part of Nebraska would you be farming in? Western NE is much different that eastern NE. Will you have access to irrigation? Do you have livestock? The land rent business is a real dog eat dog world these days... Do you have family owned land to work with. How good is your credit? If your credit is poor forget starting on your own from the bottom. Do you have a good job or retirement to support the farm when it can't support itself? Starting from the bottom is tough, many in this business really don't know just how tough it is to start with nothing..... Mom, dad and the generations before them did the hard part. If you really want to pursue agriculture ask yourself some of these questions.... Maybe give us a little more info. There are many on this site with some great knowledge who could help you with advice. Good luck!

[idalivered]

You can marry more in 20 minutes than you can make in a lifetime. .

[BA Deere]

You can make a small fortune in farming, provided that you start with a large fortune   Seriously, it isn`t a get rich quick scheme.  Sure if you look at the last 4 yrs it`s been super, but to get to that point it was alot of really tough years. This is probably a hot button issue, but I don`t know of any genuine "self-made" farmers.  Everyone that I know had an inheritance or note co-signer.  Some have taken a small amount and created an empire through plunging that miraculously paid off big time.  I have seen guys buddy up to a rich businessman to get a start.  One cellphone magnate that likes to hunt buys land to hunt on and rents it to his farmer friend below the going rate, wealthy car salesman that likes farming partnered with a very very lucky farmer, a implement dealer that`s a BTO farmer on the side allows his very very lucky "Ramrod" to rent land on his own and use machinery off the lot and buy his seed, fert and chem with his big shot discount. Asking to questions that you do Herefordman tells me that you`ll need quite a bit more experience.  Good Luck.

[Nebrfarmr]

Are you good with a wrench? If so, start small, go cheap on machinery, and fix it yourself. Don't laugh, but my brother and I farmed close to 500 acres with a 1066 ($6000) a 766 ($8000) a 4 row planter ($900) and an old 1440 with a 4 row head ($6500 for both) along with a cheap cultivator, and disk. (prices are best guesses as I remember them) . Yes, we put a lot of time into repairs and maintenance, but im a good welder (welded patches in the clean grain elevator where it was leaking that held for 5+ years, along with other stuff most real mechanics wouldn't believe). We worked hard, and get things done in a timely manner (old stuff can be reliable if you take care of it) and probably have machinery expense as low as anyone. I just got another 1440 with all the parts wore on our old one in near new shape, and a new hydro, for $4000, and literally expect to get 8 or 10 years use out of it. Am looking at a $1800 straight truck that is straight, but needs a little tinkering. Believe it or not, I get the same price for my corn picked with a 1979 combine, hauled with a 1973 Loadstar, as the BTO does with his $500,000 combine, and semi. Also check around on rents on small or irregular fields others may not want to mess with. Nebraska has a lot of those, as you move West. My widowed Mother in law rents out her pivot ground for $190 an acre, to a smaller farmer whom she knows will take extra good care of things, even though $225 to $250 is pretty common. She wants things cared for the way her and my late dad in law would have, while at the same time are cutting a break for a young feller starting out. I seriously doubt one can make a go starting from the bottom, unless they can get a break on the rent somehow, like this guy got, or you have to have enough capital or a cosigner to get going.