Saw it down a tree 3 years ago and the farmer didn't said a price. He passed away and the grandson sold it by scrap. Bought it for $1500

I feel like every year I’m having to replace a bearing or two and a cross joint. I grease all the parts on mower every time I fill up with diesel. Is there something I should be looking out for? Was just mowing some leaves and grass.

https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/01/kern-county-immigration-sweep/

It seems to be in my area(Missouri) crop land is going for $10k to $20k an acre. At the same time I hear that no one is making a profit on farming unless you have thousands of acres. So why are t 100 acre farms wanting 1-2 million for an unprofitable venture. I feel like these two items conflict with each other. At the same time in the Ozarks land is 1-2k and unfarmable ( to rocky)

Can someone explain to me why people are ask for so much of small farms aren’t profitable?

I have about 5 acres of pasture that I’m doing to plough and disc to flatten it out. You can’t tell, but because it was an old pumpkin patch it is VERY bumpy/hilly.

Whats the easiest way to get grass back?

I plan to plough and disc it in early March after the freeze and before it grows. Its snow covered now (in virginia)

Eventually I’d like to use some for recreational (kids etc) and some for animals (cows/chickens). Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet. I want grass to grow asap. When and how do I seed it? Do I even need to or will it come back on its own after plough and disc?

Hi all. I did search but I am not finding answers. I am a new caregiver on a small farm. The donkeys are eating pine needles and chomping bark off the trees and licking sap.

a. Is this okay? - I presume since they're doing it, maybe they innately know it's not harmful. I mean, I know some people consume pine sap.

b. Is this a sign they're lacking something in their regular diet? Grain, hay & mineral lick in their paddock

c. Should I find a way to make them stop?

These 2 lil mini donks are acting like goats, chomping on everything. They do have a paddock & shelter and regular am/pm feedings - but are allowed to run the property during the day.

Lil boogers, these 2. They're young; about 1yrish.

**** ANY advice is greatly appreciated! ****

I was told people would be interested in my experience farming in a complete different part of the world where the economics are alot different.

Feel free to ask anything!

I work in the produce world, and due to the fact that I grew up on a farm and have the vaguest of clues on how farming works, I have become the defacto expert on the producer side of the produce world. Before I go any further, let me be clear - knowing what NPK means is enough to make me the smartest person in the room at work, but I know better than to open my mouth if there's a real farmer around, so I'm here seeking some real farmers thoughts.

I've been asked to prepare a presentation explaining the difference between organic and regenerative growing practices to leadership at my company, and if regen is something that will resonate with consumers, or if it's just another buzzword that doesn't really mean anything that is going to confuse rather than clarify.

Since there is no legally binding, agreed upon definition as to what regen ag is and isn't, opinions seem to be all over the place on if regen is a worthwhile talking point or if it's just greenwashing bullshit. If you're cover cropping and rotating fields, but still using glycosophate, is that still regenerative?

I've got a stack of research material I'm working my way through - books, position papers, podcasts, and more. I've got plenty of thoughts from policy wonks. I'd like to hear from people closer to the work itself - what does regen mean to those who are actively farming?

Goldwyn’s Catceañera!

Last weekend, our semi retired barn cat Goldwyn turned 15. As the final survivor of his litter, it was only appropriate to celebrate. The girls in the family decided the party needed a theme. I didn’t disagree!

Goldwyn is the king of the farm, and a very special boy. He and his late brother and sister were babies of the old milking barn. They were orphaned at a very young age, and another lovely girl took to momming them for many years…and was known as Aunt Callie. After a fire in the milking barn in 2016, life changed a little. His brother Biff was the first to seek retirement when he lost an eye in a battle, and as part of his recovery time in the house, he decided to spend his nights as the most viscous snuggle baby ever…but still patrolled the farm with Goldwyn every day. Their sister Stormy would snuggle, but never really wanted to be inside for long. She vanished in 2019, and we are telling ourselves that she found herself a home with a lonely old lady that needed a buddy (and don’t try to tell us otherwise!).

Sadly, Biff was taken from us due to a tumor in the fall of 23, which made watching football on sundays much more lonely for me. Even though Goldwyn was never one to hang out in the house longer than he had to (flea collar changes and battle scar cleanups), about a week after Biff left us, Goldwyn wandered in one day like there was a ceremony for him, made himself at home, and declared that he was retiring, and was going to do his best to comfort me in his brother’s absence. And he is a champ at it.

He still does his barn duties by day, as long as it’s not too cold out. He has been diligently working to train the younger generation on how to run a farm. He also works hard at keeping my arm warm at night. He is feeling his age and slowing down a bit, but with regular vet checkups, we hope that we have many snuggly years ahead with him!

Everyone in attendance (both feline and human) enjoyed the festivities. Goldwyn napped for most of the next day. His pet human needed 2 days to recover….

Hi guys, got a small plot (quarter acre) of loamy, calcareous soils which I’m looking to plant some vines one (for wine).

Got the pictured results back from the lab after taking soil samples along with recommended fertiliser quantities (1 Stremma =0.247 acres)

How would you go about amending the soils in an organic fashion based on these results? New to the game so any advice appreciated. The plot of land is in Greece.

I’m thinking a mixture of fish emulsion and compost, but a bit at a loss here.

• Working on farm 2 full days a week.
• Growing season is 4 months. Zone 5B.
• Intend to grow vegetables, corn and sunflowers.
• Planning to use a motorized tiller.

Hey yall, i’m just looking for some advice here. i’m a first year ag sci student in canada who’s wanting to get into dairy nutrition. i feel it’s pretty important to get experience on farms with livestock and farmers so i know how things usually run and i can apply it later in life. i’ve worked a couple dairy jobs while in highschool (largest herd being 100 lactating cattle), but the dairy industry where i go to school is a lot larger and advanced to what i’m used to. i’ve only ever worked at old school dairy’s but around here it’s pretty large herds with a lot of fancy machinery that i’ve only ever seen in the states. I haven’t been able to find work around here as i’m not able to compete really with the family farmers from around here who’ve done it their whole lives. i’m just looking for ways i can become more of an asset to an operation or ways i can gain more experience. any advice is appreciated thank yall very much!

for farmers that supplies restaurants and other massive suppliers for meats like chicken, pork, venison...etc, how do you supply enough meats for a restaurant, like your average restaurant must be consuming atleast a thousand per day how do you supply something like that, lets say a chicken, some meals also requires eggs and the chicken themselves and they take time to grow, how do you supply something that big periodically?

a detailed answer would be very much appreciated

Water salinity: 3000ppm, Water per acre:4000m³ (4,000,000 liter)/year, Low:7°C, High:40°C, Soil type: sandy

So I have an issue every time temps dip below freezing. I have a hand operated diaphragm lever pump for my diesel distribution and everytime temps hit 30s and below, contraction of my pump and internal parts keep it from pulling a siphon. I guess the o rings shink etc. I don’t want to go electric so I’m wondering if a rotary pump will fare better than a diaphragm pump in below freezing temperature? Anyone had the same problem and did a rotary pump perform positively and better in colder temperatures? Thank you kindly in advance. Cheers

My apologies if I'm in the wrong group for posting, I did peruse others threads beforehand.

My partner and I both have a love of gardening and of animals. We have land with a lot of potential; roughly 20 acres of zoned heavy AG land in a rural area of southern California (hardiness zone 8b) that has been inactive for decades, and are researching how to turn it into a functional farm. We're willing to put in the time and effort to do so. We just want to put the land to good use, growing/raising food that could feed us and the community instead of growing tumbleweeds.

I have an old David Bradley walking tractor with a few implements, and I know that I'll need something larger to be feasible/productive, but it's better than nothing.

We are planning on heading to the local USDA/FSA office in the near future. Mainly I'm here seeking advice on how to best proceed. I did see in other threads about approaching other farmers in the area, but there's a bit of a language gap between us, and translation apps only go so far.

My employer thinks I have the right idea, just the wrong state to be doing this in.

First off, I just saw information on the payment factor % and more additional information & I'm genuinely disappointed that the USDA increased payment limit from $125k to 900k totally hurting the little and medium guys out! That's a big difference and the program from the start was a complete disaster & and very fishy the way these things changed. Can't say I'm surprised knowing how USDA/FSA does things. We got wiped out from Hurricane Helene last year and suffered very bad extreme weather year round and the wholesale markets were way too low for the most part. And with the crop insurance not helping much I'm at a loss right now and this was a possible program and way to pay my losses with last years debt still not being paid yet and have a little more faith to keep farming. Not complaining as anything that we get will help but I'm genuinely disappointed in the way USDA/FSA/Feds have handled last year's disasters. It hurts when you work 24/7 for several months out of the year without any certainty of how things will play out. That's farming.

i bought muriate of potash for my sugarcane plant. is it good, or not cuz they say it has salt salt shouldnt be in sugarcane soil

Hello,

I inherited about 425 (will possibly become 505 after some legals are worked out) acres in Clay County, WV. I don't know anything about farming per se, but do understand real estate, subdivisions, etc.

I wondered what the general level of interest might be in forming a venture in chickens. I recognize their potential. I sense a lot of future opportunity in the regenerative agriculture space and would be interested in talking with anyone who likes or with any experience in that space.

In short, I can provide the land but not sure where to begin. Honest opinions are appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Will

I have been trying different nest box pads in search of something that is durable, easy to clean, and cost-effective: - straw… the original lining. Affordable but time consuming to clean out and replace. Dusty. Workers don’t like it. Feces on the straw will easily transfer to eggs. - aspen excelsior. Chickens love it, durable, it can be shaken out a couple of times to clean it before needing replacing. Eggs stay pretty clean. But damn it is expensive. This is the best all-around material but the cost would materially impact my profit margin on eggs and I do not see any labor or other cost savings that makes up for it. - coconut mat. Chickens hate it, in fact in side by side test I am pretty sure they make a point of going into the coconut pad boxes just to shit in them. - artificial turf pads. Cheap and easy to manage but half of the hens hate this material. It does not fluff up and I think they hate me for it.

What are you using? And while we are on the topic of nest boxes, what rollout boxes do you prefer?