Late onset agriculture

[cuerro viejo]

Well, I’m in PA so these cows get full hay feed from Nov-April and I also put out 30% protein tubs Jan-Mar.

Weened calves get hay and a few pounds of grower feed Nov-April.

Then everybody goes on pasture with high mag minerals in May.

My 70 acres of hay is just enough to get me through and I’m about maxed on pasture too. I def can’t handle any more animals.

aw that makes sense.

 

[Ranger 692]

As far as growing veggies and things like that you don’t need a ton of acreage. Commercial level commodity production, critters, and hay ground you generally do.

One acre of sweet corn is a crap ton:

 

[spur60]

In 2012 I put together a business plan to start farming from scratch. I would have been taking over 570 acres of tillable between my dad's land and my mom's/aunts' land. Plan was to work full time for my buddy's farm and use his equipment to custom farm "my acres;" and I would re-invest a certain percentage each year into equipment of my own. I had cash rent agreements in place with my family (with significant discounts off market rate for being "family"), I had a line of credit ready from a lender, and I was a resignation letter away from pulling the trigger on it. For various reasons my wife and I decided together to not move forward with it. Glad I didn't. I'll putz around with some of those acres when I retire. In the mean time I scratch the itch by doing some spring and fall tillage work for friends.