Farm implements

[lilguy]

I may need to plant 5 acres that I use to have farmed by local farmers. Need to know what I need to run Corn or Soybeans. I have a Kubota B2601, is it even possible to do it with this tractor?
Taxes increase approx $100/acre to $2300/acre if the land is not farmed. I can buy most inpliments except the seed planter reasonably. Could probably rent one for as little as it’ll be used. Don’t need to be in business or make money, just needs crops growing on it. Any input greatly appreciated.

 

[D2Cat]

I'd put an ad in Craig's List or your local paper or Facebook farm forum and someone will be glad to farm it. Take a percentage of the harvest, or rent per acre.

 

[lilguy]

Thanks for the input. Trying that, only interest is if I pay them to plant. I’m being told that It’ll cost $300 / acre to get a crop planted. Don’t know what you can get off an acre. We also have a significant deer population which everyone brings up. This can adversely effect yield. They all know it’s a tax issue for me, one guy even said he’s a greedy bastard, what am I willing to offer up. I’m a retired auto tech trying to hang on to our 16 acre island in a storm. We may be beat.

 

[KennysNewFarm]

If the kind of crop doesn't matter could you plant clover and small bale to provide income to prove it is an income property? You could use smaller implements like a seeder, disc mower, hay rake, and small baler.

 

[FrozenOrange]

A simple solution that jumps out right in the tax assesors eyes may only require simple implements. Get a tiller (good for many uses) and till up your field. Buy sunflower seed and simply throw seed. My grandkids would be helpful for fun like that. Sunflowers seem to thrive without much maintenance. Your field will be bright by mid summer. A bit of bright color never hurts. Put a sign near the road "you pick sunflowers" and dang near give them away or harvest and sell as birdseed during the winter. In the fall you till under everthing and plant again in spring with seeds you harvest in the fall (self perpetuating) with very little cost to you. May be oversimplified but might be worth a try.

 

[bucktail]

If your near a city of size and you don't mind having people on your property, you could rent out garden plots. Wouldn't be for me, but I don't know you. For that, I'd get a tiller, a disk, and a subsoiler if your ground is heavy. Possibly a bush how to manage crop residue.

When you're looking for people to farm your ground, I'd stay away from conventional farmers that do it for a living. Their equipment will be too big for it to be worth their while. I'd lean more towards smaller hobby farmers or vegetable farmers. If you don't hunt deer and know anyone that you trust to hunt your property with equipment, that would be another angle.

For corn and soybeans, if you can go no till, that would make life easier, even if you need to rent the planter. For spring tillage, a field cultivator with a spring tooth harrow and it would be nice to have a disk. For fall tillage, a moldboard plow or a chisel plow. If you need to harvest it, you'll need a combine for beans and a combine or corn picker for the corn.

Small grains or hay would probably make your life easier if they qualify for tax purposes. The $300 per acre to plant figure would include rent, seed, fertilizer and herbicide, at least where I grew up, although the figure is probably a bit dated.

 

[D2Cat]

My next move would be to talk to my tax preparer. Get the facts, not ideas or opinions (including mine). I think the tax laws for farming are NOT requiring you to show a profit each year, only that you're attempting to produce a profit.

I had a similar situation a few years back. I had 3 acres I needed to do something with to outfox the real estate tax collector. I had a B8200. I planted Christmas trees every 7' center to center, the rows 7' apart. I bought the trees from K-State in bundles of 50 each. White Pines, Scotch Pine, and a couple of others. Those 50 "trees" would fit in the diameter of a 32 oz soda cup! They were about 10-12" tall. I borrowed from the county a tree planter and planted over 2500 trees. I planted trees on all the neighbors property, where ever they wanted them! You could do the same thing with a sub-soiler and a plate welded to it.

All I had to do was sell some trees in a few years. I gave away a few trees to some of my wife's friends with children who didn't have the funds for a Christmas tree. I sold enough to landscape companies to pay for the land! But I didn't do much, as far as work goes, for 5-6 years. Then I watched the landscape guys dig trees!!

If all the trees die, well....you tried. Just had a crop failure!

Like guys have mentioned here, just think outside the box!

 

[prof.fate]

PA (and other states I assume) offer a 'clean and green' program - if you enroll you land yo only pay taxes on buildings - not the land. Could be woods, pasture, crops, etc.

Your tractor can pull a single bottom plow, perhaps a double bottom. $300-500 new, maybe hit up some auctions.

then you need to disk it, similar price from what I've seen.

then drag it. harrow or other options (some home made).

then plant it..if you don't care what you grow...grow wheat or oats - broadcase plant and then plow under or mow with a brush hog.

There is a cost to seed too.

Sunflowers, corn, soybeans - lots of choices.

What about hay? timothy, alfalfa, etc? Only need to plant it every 3-5 years.

They sell haying equipment ($10k for ALL of it) for your size tractor - makes small round bales.

 

[Wbk]

Would it be possible to hire a neighbor to plant corn for you? I have a friend with a corn maze up the road who makes a small fortune every fall, or possibly plant table corn and start a small U pick. Just my thoughts!

 

[Russell King]

Look at putting bee hives on the property and see if you can get ag exemption for that. It may have a time lag but after a few years the bees do qualify here. You don’t have to sell any product just have the bees for “human benefit” like pollenating local fields.


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[Bulldog777]

Milo(sorghum grain) or sunflowers could be planted with a hand seeder.
You can use a disc alone, it will take longer, but you can do it.
You could have someone break it up for you, you hand seed it, and drag it with an old piece of chain link fence with your tractor.
You can buy "uncertified" seed for around $8/50lb bag of Milo. It's cheaper, but you can double your rate of seed and get a good stand.
This would get a crop on your place cheap.

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[Bulldog777]

Just a thought, how about approaching the Ag teacher at the local school? Maybe the kids could plant your 5 acres as a school project? If not, the Ag teacher may have options.

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[bucktail]

Just a thought, how about approaching the Ag teacher at the local school? Maybe the kids could plant your 5 acres as a school project? If not, the Ag teacher may have options.

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Or a 4-H club.

 

[lilguy]

There are no local farmers any more, negotiated best last night, will pay 2500.00 this year to a farmer to travel 16 miles and do soybeans, he keeps any profit from the beans. It’ll save me +- 9 grand in taxes next year and give me time to research all the suggestions here. I can start accumulating the equipment I’ll need for next spring.
Thank you all

 

[ItBmine]

Wow, that is unbelievable. I never thought I would ever see anywhere you would actually have to pay someone to use your land and they keep all the profits!!!

Sure ain't like that up here. You would think people would be happy to farm your land that YOU are paying the taxes on.

 

[Creature Meadow]

Wow I concur glad out property taxes are not like that. I have 10 acres in one parcel and the taxes not even listed as a farm is $230.00 a year. It would be less if I listed it as a farm and could show a profit off it every 5 years.

Some good ideas on how to elude the high taxes and now you have some time to prepare.

I travel to Illinois every couple of years to deer hunt and see quiet a few cows on the land near and where we hunt.

Did not see this mentioned, could you fence in the property and raise live stock and sale a few cows every couple of years. Just another idea.

 

[FrozenOrange]

Lots of great options. I like Christmas tree farm idea. Defers things for several years. I have planted 20 apple trees and 5 pear trees on 25 ft spacing. It covers a good bit of ground. I put 3x3 wooden boxes around the base of each tree to protect them. I smoothed the ground and planted clover. It gets mowed every two weeks in the summer. Makes for a nice parklike atmosphere yet serves as an orchard as well. Extreme hardy cold weather apples and pears

 

[Daren Todd]

I kinda like the tree route. Either plant fruit trees and do a pick your own depending on liability. Or tree farm.

May be able to sell the trees to a local ag store, or set yourself up a little heated shack and allow folks to pick there own Xmas trees.

 

[bucktail]

Wow, that is unbelievable. I never thought I would ever see anywhere you would actually have to pay someone to use your land and they keep all the profits!!!

Sure ain't like that up here. You would think people would be happy to farm your land that YOU are paying the taxes on.

If he has to run 16 miles for 5 acres, it starts to make sense. Especially with big equipment, that's a lot of messing around for 5 acres.

 

[D2Cat]

Does your property have any perimeter fencing? You could actually use a couple of strand of elec. wire fence, but "field fence" would be much better.

You could buy one calf in the Spring, say May. Let it graze the grass all summer. You would need to have water available for it. Sell it in the fall. Simple, but it's still a farm!