| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 22 2005 : 09:12:53 AM
My new tagline should be, "okay, so we just moved into our new house/farm."
Okay, so we just moved into our new house/farm. We have 9.5 acres of overgrown, brushy nightmare to walk through it kind of land. The previous owner is an outdoorsman who wanted space and was apparently letting it "go back to nature" with no real management.
We've realized that with no tractor/serious mower we're in trouble as far as turning this back into a farm (the woman who originally owned the place/built the house had as many as 60 dairy goats at a time). But, we have no idea really what our options are. There is John Deere of course, but what else is out there? We don't really want to do anything vintage because my husband is no mechanic and neither am I (we don't even change our own oil). Is there a tractor that is just as good as John Deere that might be a little less money? We want a tractor that we can have a blade for snowplowing, a tiller for obvious reasons and a rough cutter to whip our land back into farming shape and to make it possible to put up fencing.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Sep 14 2005 : 11:01:16 AM
Hi Shirley,
Goats are in the works. We just got the electrical in the barn safe. Now we just need some fencing. I'll have to give the pigs some thought though. They weren't in the plan. Now we just need some rain so we can burn that pile of sticks without setting the whole county ablaze.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
| Shirley |
Posted - Sep 14 2005 : 12:08:03 AM
Laura,
why dont ya just get some goats for the brush and pigs for the plowing. Within a year you will have it fertilized, plowed and cleaned up. All you will have to do is stack the sticks and make a burn pile. :))
shirley in oly who is getting tired of just being a farm girl in training BLAH |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Sep 13 2005 : 4:03:58 PM
Laura, our land was just like yours when we moved onto it eleven years ago, so you have my heartfelt sympathies!
After many expensive experiments, we learned that when it comes to taming overgrown land, it is better to pay somebody who knows what they're doing, and has the right equipment to do it, than to try to do it yourself. ("The right equipment" is so expensive and task-specific that it only makes sense to acquire it if you expect to make a decent living doing nothing but clearing other people's land.)
Professional land-clearing people in our area grew up in families that have farmed locally for many generations. They really know their stuff. They are happy to share their wisdom about things like what kind of soil amendments we should concentrate on for different areas of our proerty, and even where to get the required topsoil, sand, and so on either for free or at least without getting ripped off. Last, but not least, they have taught us how to control invasive plant species commonly found in our area of Virginia -- such as Japanese Honeysuckle and even Ailanthus trees (a.k.a. "Tree of Heaven") -- without resorting to herbicides.
Another lesson we learned is that a pickup truck is worth its weight in gold. (If you want to use it to push a snow shovel, as Clare suggested, I think you would need the power of a 4x4 type.) Your pickup will allow you to take advantage of the many essential things you can get for free, or for much less, if you have a way to drive off with them yourself. Unless you have to travel over very rugged terrain, an entry-level pickup like my little Chevy S-10 is perfectly fine, and they are relatively inexpensive compared to any tractor that would be worth having.
Since investing in professional heavy-duty land clearing and sowing good quality pasture grass where we don't have crops, gardens, or specimen trees, we now maintain most of our property by just paying a man an affordable amount of money in summer to Bush-hog every couple of weeks and keep wooded areas and hedgerows within reasonable boundaries. I find I can manage the rest myself without any kind of power tools. I use a non-motorized push mower to cut the grass around the house. To keep weeds under control, I just pull 'em when I see 'em. Heavy mulching makes this easy. (Beautiful well-composted mulch is free for the hauling at our landfill.) We don't burn firewood at our house because the chimneys are no longer safe, but if we needed firewood, I might consider getting a chainsaw.
Our experience, for what it's worth... |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 11:24:08 AM
Hi Lisa,
Do you have to spend a lot of time keeping the tractors running? There was a Ford across the street for sale and I went to enquire about it but the man who owns the shop wasn't around (although his radio was on and his door was open, small towns are kind of nice). It's gone now though. My husband thought it looked too bad to even ask, but I saw the man out tooling around on it and seemed to be running well. No black smoke pouring out or anything. I'll keep watching
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
| lcesnick |
Posted - Sep 06 2005 : 10:43:06 AM
Ford produced a line of tractors just for small farms. I have 2 1949 Ford 8N tractors that we use for everything on our farm from mowing the grass with the finishing deck to plowing the small fields. Many implements are avaiilable, buckets, blades, back-hoe, and discs and plows...
I paid $2500 for the last one I purchased in June 2005.
Good Luck. |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 30 2005 : 09:13:19 AM
I really do hate reality checks, but I am glad that we checked before we leaped into yet another long term payment.
The university idea is a good one. We are surrounded by land owned and used by MSU's agriculture program. I guess we will just have to save and keep our eyes open.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
| newlywood |
Posted - Aug 30 2005 : 08:37:17 AM
Too bad, tractors are as expensive as they are. If you do decide later on to go shopping, don't be scared of used tractors. Especially if you know the person you owned it. I know that between my husband, his dad, and brother, they have 6 tractors and all but one are about as old as my husband. They have a very long life. I would look for one that has been kept in a barn or shed so there is less worry about a machine that has had weather damage. If there is a university near you with an Ag program, you might be able to buy a small tractor from them. I know University of NE here, sells off their "old" tractors nearly every year.
Erika in Nebraska
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| WisGal35 |
Posted - Aug 30 2005 : 07:25:42 AM
You'll be surprised how far you can get with determination, a garden tractor & a heavy duty weed wacker...not to mention a couple of goats.
The first summer we lived here, my DH & I spent huge amounts of time cutting the front & back lawn (about 1 acre) with two push mowers. The farmers would drive by & do a double take! It wasn't long before a neighbor offered the services of his grandson & a riding mower.
Have faith in the neighbors & luck! |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 30 2005 : 07:10:20 AM
Well, I think that we have decided to "make do" for a while without a tractor. While I realized that a new tractor with a few attachments would cost as much as a new car my DH apparently did not. When he visited a dealer and found out I think that he suffered a little shock. A friend of ours who just bought a new, bigger lawn mower gave us his old garden tractor in trade for computer services. It won't be anywhere near what we really "need" but it will help a little bit along with the heavy duty weed whacker we just bought. The work will be harder and slower but we'll do what we can with what we have for a while and maybe some kind neighbor with equipment will see us struggling and offer some help (I can hope). I think that a few cattle panels and some goats are in order and much more affordable. Thanks to all of you for your advice. Someday I'll own a nice, medium sized tractor, but, for now, we won't be adding any additional debt.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
| Mari-dahlia |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 5:46:19 PM
Laura,
We have a L5020, whatever that means. It is medium sized. A good salesman is a must. You tell them what you need it to do and they can direct you. The kubota has it's hydrolic lift in front so the snow plowing is not bad. It can also pick up massive amounts of heavy snow and move it where ever you need. We have heavy farm tires due to the mountainous terrain in this area and they are weighted and four wheel drive. I just, 2 months ago, traded in my car for a pickup. I don't like grocery shopping with it but it beats the hell out of moving manure in your trunk.
Marianne |
| WisGal35 |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 1:26:08 PM
Laura-
I agree on not wanting to depend on the kindness of neighbors, especially new ones! Our 'trades' with the neighbors just sort of happened, we don't have anything formal. It all started when they came over and plowed us out our first winter here -- we had never really even met them. I called my Dh at work and told him the 'plow fairy' had been here. :) And we DO always feel like we owe them many more favors than they owe us, though they claim its the opposite. Someday, when the budget is right, we'll get another tractor, this time newer.
A dear farmgril friend of mine went the begging/borrowing help for a while to clear her 10 acres, and eventually broke down and bought a small John Deere tractor w/bunch of attachments. She loves it...but it was pricy at nearly $20,000 new. And I know she spends at least $500 annually to keep it maintained, new tires, repairs, etc.
MY DH often says its not the price of the couple of horses that will get you, its all the stuff you end up getting to keep them that gets expensive. :) |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 10:58:39 AM
Marianne, do you know which model you have? Is it one of the smaller ones?
Clare, we don't havea pickup, which is also a problem that will have to be resolved at a later time. We are planning to continue driving the cars that we have now for as long as we can before replacing one of them with a used pickup.
When we first decided that we wanted to buy land it was just to have a couple of horses for myself and the kids. Then my husband picked up a copy of Mary Jane's book and we realized how much more we could do and how satisfied we could be doing it. I have always done a great deal of gardening, both ornamental and vegetables, so now I will just be doing it on a much grander scale and adding some animal husbandry to the mix. My husband raised goats as a child and teenager, basically until he went away to college so we will of course have goats.
We're just really excited and wanting to start out right so that we aren't spinning our wheels for years trying to get this place back into shape. Of course, I don't want to end up bankrupted either!
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain |
| Mari-dahlia |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 10:40:56 AM
Laura,
I am new to the sight and we have only had our farm for 2 years. The best thing we have done so far is to buy our Kubota tractor. We bought it the first week here. It has many attachments available and the attachment does not have to be a kubota brand attachment. It came with a bucket loader on the front, a must have. I even learned how to operate the thing. It drives like a dream and no shifting necessary just the foot peddle to go forward or back.
We have bush-hogged our fields, pulled out bushes and small trees, moved rock and lumber, put up fences, plowed snow, fed large bales to the cows.
After buying the farm we had very little money so the whole thing was financed by kubota at 0% or we would not have been able to do it. It is expensive but worth it's weight in gold.
Marianne |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 10:34:22 AM
This is all great advice. There is a neighbor to the back of us that has horses. The seller said that they were occassionally mowing the back open field for them, but I feel funny asking them about it and especially asking for help with all the stuff that needs to be done up around the house and buildings. But, maybe we could do a trade like you have done with your neighbors Cathy. Help with their work for help with ours. I still would love to have a small tractor of our own so that I can jump on it when I see something that needs doing when I think it needs doing. It's frustrating waiting for the kindness of strangers sometimes. Maybe I should try to look at it as a way to excercise and stretch my occasionally limited patience. Of course, all of this may be moot since my husband seems set on getting a tractor right away. He's really worried about snow this winter and since he has to leave for work around 4:30 am it may not be practical to wait for a service or a kind neighbor to come and plow us out.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain |
| WisGal35 |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 09:36:01 AM
We feel very blessed that we have 'neighborly' neighbors, and we tell them so at every opportunity.
One more bit of farm wisdom I'll pass on from a retired farmer we used to buy hay from. He told us we were doing a great job with our place, and we laughed and said we'd never get it into shape with our budget/time constraints. He then offered the following: "It took 100 years for your place to get that way, you're not going to change it in one summer. Save some work for the next generation!" |
| WisGal35 |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 07:52:51 AM
Laura- LOL & congrats on "okay, so we just moved into our new house/farm."
We have a similar size farm at 10.5 acres, 5 of which I call "prarie landscaping" because it just sits - the former owner planted a bunch of trees, which cracked me up because 100 years ago, some farmer probably half-killed himself clearing the land of trees.
We've gone both routes. DH bought an old, used tractor, which hardly ever ran, then sold it at a loss because we realized we'd never be able to bring it back to its former glory. And, our wonderful neighbors brush hog the field for us two times a year, every other year to keep it relatively tamed & to keep the brush and box elders from establishing.
We have paths cut around and through it for riding, walking, etc., that we maintain with the rider mower. The neighbors won't take money for being neighborly, but we go over & help them stack 2,000+ bales of hay every summer and help out with other projects as they need. I bring them stuff from the garden, and when we had chickens, they were on the list for free eggs. They are the first ones to swing by and plow us out in the wintertime, too.
One other suggestion: Goats LOVE brushy fields -- get a few, and let them go to town on that field, even if you have to stake them out until you can get fences up (under supervison, of course). Much more cost effective than a tractor.
But, if you have your heart set and the budget allows, there are many small tractors suitable for small acreage, which is what the tractor folks consider 20 or less acres. Go to the county or state fair, and every tractor and mower dealer in the tri-state area will be there for your window shopping pleasure :)
Cathy |
| hapyhrt |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 01:39:53 AM
Congratulations on the new house/farm! As for tractors, I'm not much help, sorry but I like Brambles idea to have someone cut for you until you're settled in and have time to research what tractor would work best for all that acreage. Good Luck!:)
"Think happy thoughts...any others aren't worth your time!" Ü |
| bramble |
Posted - Aug 22 2005 : 09:59:47 AM
Another idea for the time being is to see if anyone around will cut the fields for you once or twice a year (or more often) until you get a handle on things and have time to check out all your options. A friend lets her fields go every other year to let them "replenish) and then has the neighbor do a spring and fall cut to keep it manageable. Might be a way to get started and meet new people without the enormous cost of a tractor, new or used..
with a happy heart |
| jpbluesky |
Posted - Aug 22 2005 : 09:59:17 AM
Laura - to get a running start, it may be more cost effective to rent a tractor or bushhog, or hire someone to come in and clear your land as you want it. Then it would be a matter of upkeep, and you could invest in a smaller tractor. I have seen small tractors with a snowplow attachment. Some snowplow attachments even fit on the front of a pickup truck and work nicely, if the tractor you choose does not have that capability.
Try Allis Chalmers in addition to John Deere. Also keep checking your local farm equipment ads - there really are many used ones that are in good shape. And you might ask some of the farmers around you for advice as to what they chose.
Good luck, you lucky farmgirl you!
jpbluesky
heartland girl |
| LJRphoto |
Posted - Aug 22 2005 : 09:52:06 AM
I do realize how expensive new tractors are, which is why I am researching and asking for advice. I have nothing against getting a used tractor, I just don't want anything vintage or collectible.
A class on large engine maintenance is a great idea. There is also a small shop that does tractor engine repair directly across the street from us. Maybe I could buddy up to him and hang out there once in a while to learn some stuff.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain |
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