QUESTION: In 2018, In Acres, What is a Small, Medium, Large and Mega Farm

[Crestliner]

Congratulations FJLIP on 50 years! You have seen a lot and probably have the most valuable thing time can give you....Experience.....and yes time goes fast...30 years for me this year.

[GDR]

Big difference in location to answer that question. Some areas have fields that are square and whole sections, some places a 100 acre field would be considered big. Some dryland that is suited well for no till, other areas conventional tillage and multiple passes is a must. Some areas have shorter growing seasons but more importantly shorter harvest windows. Some guys do everything some guys get custom help. No easy answer. We seed 1250ac and have 75 cows and 50 ewes, grow all our own feed and do everything ourselves, Wife and I. We are maxed out with that here, but think that would still keep us in the small farm category. Always wonder the economics of the larger guys, can't imagine net dollars to be much different after the labour and machinery costs, may be more or less stress depending how you look at it.

[GDR]

In the seventies when there were lots of farms around here.....there was softball....community...tournaments...etc. ....now it's just desolate and isolated...

But it's easier to see how it happens now looking back....

And it continues to this day...

Mega farms just create transient workers....after watching the trend for 30 years ....I would rather see 5 -150 or 10- 75cow herds than one 750 cattle operation.......

Better community.....

Agree with that.

I know farming is a business but sometimes wish the true business crowd would stay out of farming, not the same atmosphere of the family farm anymore. More and more farmers not living on the farm anymore too.

[SASKFARMER3]

Reality is its one tough game.

We have for every three quarters two are owned. I would like to get three but with land prices, I'm done buying. More profit buying Oil stocks on down days etc.

I do live in the city and drive out which has its advantages and disadvantages. You're the parts courier for lots of people other than the farm.

But the house prices in the city compared to what a farm home is are quite a way apart. Better investment.

Funny at the end of the Day you get the same plot of land or your ashes are spread on your farm (Hawaii) and someone else moves on it and continues.

We grow food and its the only occupation every one needs but no one really wants to pay 2018 prices for it. Sad really.

37 th. crop this year not sure ill go to 50 but congratulations.

[bgmb]

"Here" operations around 1000 ac are on the smaller end of the spectrum. Lots in the 2000-4000 and in the 8000-12000 would be considered BTOs. Here almost all farms do a good job so they should be making money there are some gongshows though. Large farms are not so large they cant manage things and all do a good job.

[Rareearth]

Above all good comments.

Another half cup full way to look at things,
- good health and wellness
- good family
- wouldn’t change anything, but a lot of woulda, coulda, shoulda

- only 3 harvests left
-etc

[highwayman]

Biggest question facing a lot of large farms including our own is how to effectivfly transition to the next generation. My son at 22 is yet to determine what he is comfortable with in his role on the farm and I realize how unfair it is to place my expectations upon him. I firmly believe that any success we've achieved is a result of being a good team with most importantly my wife. It seems to me that his generation isn't as enthusiastic or driven to take on the challenges that my wife and I did at that age and I can understand and respect that position. At 55 my wife and I are considering our exit plan from the ag life and believe that it is vitally important that our children initiate their own opportunities to build something for themselves which gives them there best chance of success. We recognize the mistakes that we have made in perhaps being over generous to our children at times which can be difficult not to do when your in that position. Our hopes are that we can contribute to what may be a more balanced life in agriculture then maybe what we've had.

[furrowtickler]

Just by the numbers nowadays... less than 5000 , small
5000 -10,000 medium
10,000 to 50,000 large
Over 50,000 get a Trumps Mega Hat

[fjlip]

Just by the numbers nowadays... less than 5000 , small
5000 -10,000 medium
10,000 to 50,000 large
Over 50,000 get a Trumps Mega Hat

Guess we are infinitesimal... yesterdays farmers, going extinct...rarearth you must have an exit timetable, good for you count them down.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Better still measure net returns - the rest is just fluff.

That is the only measure that matters to me and my operation, however none of my neighbors know that number, nor do I know theirs, so if trying to decide who is a mega farm and who is a hobby farm, it isn't hard to calculate acres, times yield times price to get gross income to classify an operation. By acres alone, a BTO here wouldn't even qualify as a fly spec in most of Sascratchandwin. But by gross sales might be closer together.

[Guest]

a follow who was involved in retail in southern alberta moved here to manage a chem/fert retail here. his comment was that a farmer farming 10000 ac in southern alberta would have trouble farming 1000 ac here(his comment , not mine) . 3000 ac is a lot of work here in the swamp . this is a really hard place to farm . we had a taste of the good life here last fall and this spring , no rain in the forecast as far as you could see . sure makes things easier . thats a luxury we don't usually have . usually always scrambling , behind the 8 ball.scared shitless somethings gonna break down and put us even farther behind . the sloughs are full again and back to normal , i guess?. so size really has a lot to do with location , geography and weather patterns

[AlbertaFarmer5]

a follow who was involved in retail in southern alberta moved here to manage a chem/fert retail here. his comment was that a farmer farming 10000 ac in southern alberta would have trouble farming 1000 ac here(his comment , not mine) . 3000 ac is a lot of work here in the swamp . this is a really hard place to farm . we had a taste of the good life here last fall and this spring , no rain in the forecast as far as you could see . sure makes things easier . thats a luxury we don't usually have . usually always scrambling , behind the 8 ball.scared shitless somethings gonna break down and put us even farther behind . the sloughs are full again and back to normal , i guess?. so size really has a lot to do with location , geography and weather patterns

Agreed, when your harvest and seeding window can be measured in hours some years, producers farming 1,000s of acres in the warmer dryer areas have no concept of what it takes to get even a fraction of the acres in and off around here.