Realty Agency.....

[farmaholic]

Blackpowder. what is your explanation of all the failed large scale corporate(non family--ouch) attempts?

Is what I stated wrong? Besides it just happens to be "my" opinion. Do any of those clowns actually realize what it takes to succeed? Are any of them willing to make the financial and time sacrifices?

...or is it so ****in lucrative that they made their pile, fold the tent, and leave? Ahhh I think it's not even close to that statement.... probably all the other comments I made ring truer.

[blackpowder]

I am not poking a stick at family farms. Nor that big companies are better. Not at all.
Just suggesting thats not always how its done elsewhere in time or place. And that long term ownership is the key as opposed to tenancy. Land cannot rebuy itself. Nor pay for itself every year. Pike/One earth models will always fail.

[burnt]

As for family farms - based on what I am observing here in southern Ontario, I believe they will - and already are - resurrect and take a whole new appearance.

They will be very small, very labour intensive and diversified. I am seeing these operations producing pork, beef and chickens, selling them direct to the public and charging a price which reflects the true cost of production - an unbelievable premium to store prices.

Some are keeping a few sows and selling weaner pigs at prices easily double to what commercial-scale operations are getting.

They are low overhead, small scale and very consumer-friendly. Their popularity among their customers is practically god-like! :-)

This works where the consumer is within driving distance of the farmer. In some cases, these people are deriving their entire livelihood from their farm while in many others, one of the family has an off-farm job.

Are these farmers making a fortune? Obviously not.

But they are filling a good market and producing kids that know what it means to use their hands for working rather than just punching the face of a stupid phone.

It's almost like it was maybe meant to be that way...

[furrowtickler]

Well , doing my part , as are a few others here.
Seeded 1.2 AC of sweet corn , about 45,000 plants with the kids . It's their project with some help from us.
They have a garden stand and pick corn on the weekends in the morning then sell in town during the day. They have learned a lot , but so have I .
Kinda neat when you show the kids you can grow $20,000 per AC . Now we just need to help harvest the rest and get it to market for them .
Agree with you burnt . Out here in western Canada though I see two things . Very diversified farms still with a base of 2000 to 4000 AC , or large run family farms 15,000 or more with not much I between . The set up has been happening for years now.
As far as OneEarth/Pike/Broadacres - IMO they will all fail because there will always to many hands in the cookie jar and Mother Nature to slap them around regardless of how much money is backing them . Ask Sprott

[bgmb]

Size isn't a predictor of success in grain farming. I see guys making a living off of less than 1000 ac and then we have the big guys going broke in some cases.

It comes down to capitalization and management.