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Survey of full time farmers

R

ryanwheelock

Member
Just wondering how many on this sight are full time, (their main income), farmers. I know alot of people use their farm for a 2nd income and some are just hobby farmers. I would love to be a full time farmer but in northern michigan there isn't many left. Theres only one dairy farm in my county and its all family run. Start=up to start my own full time farm is more than a bank would lend me. Just wondering how many full timers are out there, and were there at.
Thanks
 
I'm one.

Fulltime for 8 years. Then I still farmed full time and had a full time job in town for 14 years thru the 80's and 90's.

Been farming only for 10 years again. With just an odd job here and there.

Gary
 
Retired farmer....from row-crop in '02 and cattle in '05; except for time in military, never did anything else. Only drew one check for my labor in my entire life, $15.00 for 5 days work (50 hours) for a neighbor helping him put up silage in the early '60s.
 
I've been a full time hay/cattle farmer for 5 years now, since graduating college. I do substitute teach a few days in the winter when things get slow around the farm.
David
 
How far north are you? I farm full time down here in Montcalm County. You really want to do it the hard way don't you? I milked for 33 years til it about killed me. Anymore,I'm getting so slow,if I just had 40 acres it would be full time. Shoot,for that matter,make me a good offer and you can be farming here instead of me. You'd be the only dairy in the township. A guy just over into the next township stopped a week ago and said their cows are going to Rosebush for the October sale. They're finally wising up and getting rid of'em.
 
Full time since about 1974. Part time before that.Started on my own in 1959. Now development and my health problems are about to push me into retirement.Maybe 52 years will be enough ?
 
After the Air Force in 63 was full time until 02. Quit hogs then, but still have angus cattle and some row crop.
Joe
 
Full time since 1980 + a full time job until 83 with a lot of custom work until 2004, will have my beef cow herd til Feb, after that it will be renting out pasture and putting up hay.
Wouldn't have survived except that my wife has a very good federal job.
 
my wife and i bought this place in 1980, after i had worked for my dad (dairy farm) for 9 years after college. we have grown to 130 milking cows, same number of replacements, 400+/- tillable acres. full-time plus.
 
I worked in a case IH dealership when I got out of college from 91-97. I got the opportunity to farm and have been farming full time since then. Mostly corn and soybeans, about 1200 acres. A few cattle, 40 head right now, just to keep me out of the coffee shops. I"m sitting here in the shop looking up combine parts on the computer. Here in central IL if I go to gathering of farmers at 38 years old, I am one of the yougest people in the room. Not many full time farmers left and the ones that are fulltime are retirement age or considerably older. The face of farming will change alot in the next decade.
bill
 
With the damage done to our economy, and inflation on a tear the last five years I do not think anyone will be able to have one job. Multiple sources of income will be necessary-from completely different endeavours. I realize a lot of farms have been diversified in crops to minimize downturns in one, and provide as steady an income as possible. But with costs in all areas of farming from equipment to land what they are fewer and fewer people will even consider it. To much risk without government subsidies. If you really feel the calling to start small. That way if you can"t make a go of it the losses won"t be too large. Look for opportunities, and look into government subsidies.
 
been farming and ranching on my own since 72.
Its most yrs been tough without additional income from either the wife or me.
Its been better now the last few yrs with just running bison on my 1800 acre.
I did dairy,beef and grain before.( got rid of all that cuz there aint no money there,just headaches, costs only getting up and notting but work dawn to dusk)

I would not wanna trade for any paid job though.
 
Full time farmer, tho my farm is considered hobby sized these days. :) Wife gets a paycheck & heath ins, otherwise I'd need to come up with a different plan - real job & big overpriced equipment & hire out a lot of things like most do around here.

Nothing wrong with that, but I'm happy the way things are for me.

--->Paul
 
But don't jump in with both feet with reliance on subsidies in your plan- the way the gumment is spending money, they're going to be looking at a lot of ways to cut "unnecessary" expenditures, and I think the days of the subsidy are numbered.
 
Sounds like you've never done it; full time for us was 55 hours per week ( 5 and 1/2 ten-hour days) year 'round, except for 6-8 weeks in the Spring and 6-8 weeks in the Fall when we ran 70-90 hour weeks. 1000 acres row-crop and 275 head of mama cows plus 200-300 head of 'back-grounded' calves......with one full-time employee. How 'bout yourself?
 
I need more ground to stay full time. Right now we are getting by as my last off farm gig ended last fall. Things are very tough in this part of NY. I am not optimistic as to picking up more ground as the local land barons have everything wrapped up that is worth farming. The Amish snap up everything else, overpaying in the process, and fortunate their lifestyle is subsistence only. The Amish are also fortunate they got their big payday selling out in PA or where ever because they will never make it back here unless the developers come calling (no housing developments happening within 30 miles of here).
 
I am a full time farmer in northeast Missouri. Anything that needs to be done has to be done by me. I am not married but look forward to it. Mike
 
Bought my 1st farm right after university in the late '70's....just in time to get walloped w/ those 20% interest rates...lost that farm.....relocated to take a position at vo-ag college..met my wife there..started farming again part time within the year..been pretty much full time farming the last 20 years...still do heavy haul, long haul trucking in the winter and occassional trip in the summer. Would not have the farm were it not for my wife's good job that has carried us through some tough years!
 
Ah just wnating to stir a little. I am lucky enough to have a good job with all the benifits and to raise my family on the family farm. Cow/ calf farrow to finish and a little crop ground. It does seem like a pass alot of the same pickups at the coffee shop and local bar on my way to and from work though.
 
Geez Bill,
You make me feel old! Never would have guessed you were that age by the wisdom you plant on this site. By my calculations, it's been 17 years since I was that age.

Jim

PS: Doing a little more thinking, we did do some work on the lagoons at the Princeville plant so they could store and spray pumpkin "poop". You know Joe Streitmatter from around Wyoming?
 
The only income we've had for the last 25 years is the farm.(Maybe a little farm related custom work included)
Our three grown children hate us for having lived so frugally so as to be able to make it. Our family has farmed on this road for almost 200 years, but we had to start from zero.
We finally have a little breathing room financially. Working for someone else was going to kill me, so at least we're still here!(Worked as a farm equip. mechanic for about 12 years)
Someday I might even get smart enough to share pictures. Very much appreciate all who do.
 
I used to be in partnership with my brother full time dairy farmer but gave it up 13 years ago and got a 40 hour/week job, still live on the farm and brother still farms, we are 4th generation on the family farm.
 
Full-time, for now at least. My father and I milk 50 cows, crop 1100 acres, run 260 acres of woodlot (sell logs, firewood, pulpwood and lumber off it), do some custom work and sell some seed. Dad wants out next year, probably have to get rid of the dairy and do everything else alone and look for more land.
 
Full time farmer all my life(so far)tobacco, beef cows, sheep til dogs got em. The local tobacco station is closeing after this year so since I just turned 66 this may be a good time to show my old iron instead of working it. Who knows?
 
Been milking cows since 1978, 10 years ago moved to NW WI, and downsized--kept 25 cows (thats all my wife can handle)lol
 
I'm a fulltime farmer. Not talking much because I've been in the field with the 510 Massey combine and tractor and wagons.

I know it would be spendy to get started in farming if Dad didn't have the equipment, and if not then I'd have to do what he did. His 510s were brought home for $2000 at the max (all that I was there to watch anyway) and so I'd be looking to start up under a local farmer's supervision with a shoestring startup budget:

$1100 Massy 510 combine and heads
$1800 Farmall 560
$225 65 foot grain auger (sudenga)
$3100 John Deere 7000 planter
$10 100gallon water tank on wheels
$50 30-foot spray boom
$700 200-bushel wagon

That would get you started for very little (a little over $7000) in machinery costs if someone was willing to let you play on their land or you could lease cheap. All those prices are actual prices. You'd have to learn to service your equipment and operating it would take a lot of time, this isn't a plant-one-day, harvest-one-day arrangement. Also I listed a dealer price on the planter not a consignment price for some beat up machine because especially when getting started you will want a decent planter, if it's not in the ground it won't grow and hands down our JD7000 is the best planter we've had!

You'd need to plant it, spray it, and harvest it for sure. I'm ignoring tillage for now because there's too many variables. You'll need to store it somewhere so I'm assuming there's a bin or a building to put it in. You don't have to spend a lot on lumber to beef up a garage if it has a cement floor under it.
 
I'm another one, been married 41 yrs. Started out in partnership with my dad and then bought him out in '75. Raised 4 kids all married off now and not a one interested in farming. So it is me and ma doing it all yet. Quit the hogs this past summer but still have a cow/calf herd and fatten the calves to market weight each year. Back in the early 80's when times were tough, I put a bid in on the township road grading and snow plowing their 26 miles of roads. Have been doing that since. Plus my hobby of collecting and restoring pre 1930 tractors, like Hart Parr and Eagle tractors. I guess we consider ourselves a full time hobby farmer with only running 250 acres......but still having fun.
 
I have been running my own dairy farm full time for 28 years, I "em now 48. My wife ,of 27 years works part time as a libary tec. in town. One of my boys ,22 is home with me so I think we better start to milk a few more cows.
 
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