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[ArgentCy]

a few things at play here - people talk about how no one young *not from a farming background* is getting into farming... that's the tragedy of the commons, isn't it. You need low barriers to entry yet the wise personal choice for landowners is sell for as high as possible. What is good for the individual is bad for the industry.

County zoning often disallows subdividing land into smaller chunks, so they often only come up in ~40 acre chunks. For a population that usually hates government intervention, most conservative boards of supervisors have zero problems with incredibly restrictive zoning laws. If you want new people in farming don' make them buy gigantic chunks of land.

There are several counties around here still with no zoning. They don't have any more new farmers than the others. This is an economy of scale problem and not attributable to zoning. A 20 acre plot won't make any money, unless you want to call like $5,000 / year a good salary for your hard work.

 

[SoapyCy]

I have never heard the the 40 acre rule and have never seen it happen. Seen many 5-6 acre chunks for acreages or livestock set ups sold. So I don’t agree with that part.

What don't you agree with? It''s not an opinion.

Grundy County has a 35 acre minimum for new parcels in Ag zones. Marshall County has a 35 acre minimum, Black Hawk County has a 35 acre minimum, for example.

 

[DeereClone]

What don't you agree with? It''s not an opinion.

Grundy County has a 35 acre minimum for new parcels in Ag zones. Marshall County has a 35 acre minimum, Black Hawk County has a 35 acre minimum, for example.

Many counties don’t have zoning laws.

Unless you are raising a specialty crop, farming less than 40 acres will not be big enough to make a good margin on, anyway.

 

[ArgentCy]

What don't you agree with? It''s not an opinion.

Grundy County has a 35 acre minimum for new parcels in Ag zones. Marshall County has a 35 acre minimum, Black Hawk County has a 35 acre minimum, for example.

Those zoning laws are meant to crimp residential acreage construction and protect farmlands. Not the other way around.

 

[Al_4_State]

I 100% believe you that "picking up rocks" is an actual necessity for farmers, but for some reason when I read that I had to chuckle.

This was my entire June as a kid. Walking through fields, picking up rocks, and loading them on a wagon.

Nowadays we do it with skid loaders ahead of spring tillage.

I would argue that I’ve picked more raw tons of rock than anyone alive.

 

[jpete24]

Do you want to know what a normal farmer does, or do you want to know what my dad who is a farmer does?

This fall:
6am - wakeup, mill around the house for at least an hour drinking coffee and watching some shows about Ancient Aliens or something else
7am - Gets dressed to go out to shop. Most likely will be on the phone by then talking to either A) brother B) one of 5 other farmers or C) parts store or implement dealer
8am - Farm helper shows up, sends out to dump a load of grain at the town...all while still on the phone.
7am - 10am - Continues to be on the phone
10am - Realizes it's 10am and hasn't actually started any work or combining. In a mad rush, runs out of the shop and heads to the field.
10:15am - Gets to field, realizes forgot something
10:30am - Goes back and gets _______ and now back in the field
10:30 - 11am - Combine warm-up and looks over combine for 15 minutes
11:00am - Actually starts combining
11:15am - Combine breaks down
11:15 - noon - Swears and spends a lot of time trying to figure out what happened.
noon - 2pm - Lunch and drives to Deere dealer for parts
2pm - 4pm - Actually fixing the combine
4pm - Test combine on a couple of rows of crop near the house
4pm - 5pm - More tweaks of the combine before taking it back out
5pm - Farm helper goes home, doesn't actually use him all day except for that one load he drove to town.
5pm - midnight - Takes combine out to the field and actually start to harvest. Most likely skips dinner and eats Planters Peanuts all night
Midnight - Comes into houses, falls asleep on recliner.

 

[ArgentCy]

This was my entire June as a kid. Walking through fields, picking up rocks, and loading them on a wagon.

Nowadays we do it with skid loaders ahead of spring tillage.

I would argue that I’ve picked more raw tons of rock than anyone alive.

My only question about this is how is new rock coming up into the fields? Are they just that prevalent that no matter how many times you go through there are always more? Or is erosion causing more to be on the surface?

 

[mywayorcyway]

If you feel like farmers have an easy job then have at it. Lots of land for sale and I mean, just throw a few seeds in the ground. Get back to us on how much money you rake in for no work.

I grew up on a farm. Crops only, no livestock. I was in the tractor every spring and every fall. I occasionally go back and help when it fits into the schedule.

I would have absolutely no idea what to do if it were just me and all of the equipment was staring me in the face.

 

[mywayorcyway]

My only question about this is how is new rock coming up into the fields? Are they just that prevalent that no matter how many times you go through there are always more? Or is erosion causing more to be on the surface?

Short answer - yes, they keep appearing. You can pick a field clean and go back out next year and there will be new large rocks turned up sitting there waiting to **** up your day.

 

[SoapyCy]

Those zoning laws are meant to crimp residential acreage construction and protect farmlands. Not the other way around.

my point was for people who generally do not like government regulations they uphold very strict zoning laws, which are government regulations. If they wanted freedom they wouldn't have such high acre-minimums for new lots. they'd let people buy/sell/split land as they desired.

 

[BCClone]

What don't you agree with? It''s not an opinion.

Grundy County has a 35 acre minimum for new parcels in Ag zones. Marshall County has a 35 acre minimum, Black Hawk County has a 35 acre minimum, for example.

Those are non existent in north central Iowa.

 

[DeereClone]

My only question about this is how is new rock coming up into the fields? Are they just that prevalent that no matter how many times you go through there are always more? Or is erosion causing more to be on the surface?

Combination of tillage, erosion, and rocks slowly working their way up in the soil over a number of years (I think freeze/thaw cycle has a lot to do with this).

 

[DeereClone]

my point was for people who generally do not like government regulations they uphold very strict zoning laws, which are government regulations. If they wanted freedom they wouldn't have such high acre-minimums for new lots. they'd let people buy/sell/split land as they desired.

The problem with that is we would have new houses popping up all over the country-side, then all those new houses would complain about manure, spraying, equipment going by late at night, etc. I think even the most conservative, small-government people realize we need some planning/zoning when it comes to where people live, work, and farm.

 

[Land Grant]

If you feel like farmers have an easy job then have at it. Lots of land for sale and I mean, just throw a few seeds in the ground. Get back to us on how much money you rake in for no work.

Farming is an occupation. A farmer deserves no more, and no less, consideration than anyone else who works or runs a business. I don't begrudge farmers anything, but I don't need the Farm Bureau narrative of the farmer as the hardest working American hero who selflessly feeds the world. First, I don't eat ethanol. Second, we all work. Third, its been a long time since Hamlin Garland stories of backbreaking toil characterized farming. Fourth: where backbreaking labor remains, its being done by hired fieldworkers--not the pickup jockeys mentioned in this thread.

 

[DeereClone]

Farming is an occupation. A farmer deserves no more, and no less, consideration than anyone else who works or runs a business. I don't begrudge farmers anything, but I don't need the Farm Bureau narrative of the farmer as the hardest working American hero who selflessly feeds the world. First, I don't eat ethanol. Second, we all work. Third, its been a long time since Hamlin Garland stories of backbreaking toil characterized farming. Fourth: where backbreaking labor remains, its being done by hired fieldworkers--not the pickup jockeys mentioned in this thread.

Completely agree - I farm because I enjoy it and am trying to make money at it. I don’t need anyone patting my back about it or putting me on a pedestal for it.

 

[BCClone]

Farming is an occupation. A farmer deserves no more, and no less, consideration than anyone else who works or runs a business. I don't begrudge farmers anything, but I don't need the Farm Bureau narrative of the farmer as the hardest working American hero who selflessly feeds the world. First, I don't eat ethanol. Second, we all work. Third, its been a long time since Hamlin Garland stories of backbreaking toil characterized farming. Fourth: where backbreaking labor remains, its being done by hired fieldworkers--not the pickup jockeys mentioned in this thread.

Not sure if I’m a pickup jockey or hired labor since I do all the work. Maybe both??

 

[BCClone]

Completely agree - I farm because I enjoy it and am trying to make money at it. I don’t need anyone patting my back about it or putting me on a pedestal for it.

I agree. I have also said I fully support 100% elimination of farm subsidies. I have said to do it over 10 years so there is planning time and not total chaos at once.

 

[Neptune78]

Ha I can see that! It sounds weird but is very essential - we pick rocks out of the field that are generally from the size of a volleyball to the size of a large beach ball, with some of them as big as a small car. If we don’t get them picked up they will cause damage to our equipment.

I guess I lucked out growing up on a farm outside of LeMars in NW Iowa, as I never heard of picking rock until moving to MN after college.

 

[BCClone]

I guess I lucked out growing up on a farm outside of LeMars in NW Iowa, as I never heard of picking rock until moving to MN after college.

How about walking beans? My dad did not believe in knives or hoes so it was hand pull everything.

 

[Blackhawk6515]

From a recent trip to Northern Iowa, looks like all the have time to do is put Trump/Pence signs out.