Welcome to Lucas County Land Baron. That is a name given to me by some co-workers when I bought some farm land in Lucas County Iowa a few years ago.We joke and jest about the title, but becoming a "young farmer" at the age of 52 has been an interesting experience. It is now 8 years later and the adventure is still going. I hope to use this blog to share some thoughts about farming and the experiences that I have had while working full time and farming on nights, weekends and on an occasional "day off".
My adventure as a Lucas County Land Baron began in 2003 with the purchase of 416 acres of land in Lucas County in partnership with my brother. The farm consists of 315 acres of farm land, about equally divided between uplands and river bottom. The balance is wooded areas, roads and such. It is located only a few miles outside of the town of Lucas, Iowa and is bordered by Whitebreast Creek on the south and the east. Whitebreast Creek has been an integral part of the adventure as it has a penchant for overflowing if the area receives more than 3 inches of rain in a 36 hour period. And this has been happening more frequently than I would care to count.
Over the past couple of years, we have purchased a couple more parcels of land, bringing the total to 650 acres with about 500 tillable.
The foray into farming was something that I eased into. It began with the purchase of a tractor and mower (an IH 1066 and a brushhog) to clear the cedar trees that had grown on the land while it was in the CRP program. I intended to rent the farm out after clearing it, but then bought a no-till planter and the adventure took a new turn. From there, I added a combine, some wagons, a truck, and several more items. And voila', I was into farming.
I justified the move by saying that I was doing it to give the boys something to do. But in reality, I think I really got into it to give me a diversion from the everyday grind. I find spending some time on the tractor or combine quite relaxing in an "exhausting" way.
Farming can be fun, but it can also be frustrating, exciting, dangerous and tedious. It requires brain and brawn, but most of all it requires fortitude -- sticking to it despite the weather, the markets and the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies the experiences.
So welcome to my blog -- I hope you find this interesting.
Cool Dave :-) I did not know you were so new to farming. Sounds like any side line business, you have to have a love for it to make it work. How does that saying go, something like this "Love your work and you will never have to go to work". Do not know why but it is using my girl friends name, this is Mike B.
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