Thanks for the kind words everyone. I really enjoy it here, you'd have to burn the sunriverditch down to get me to leave! Course I would try to put the fire out!
DMC/ Dave, it is hard to say how it will turn out. We have been lucky that we did not overspend on machinery the last couple of years. Four dollar wheat is just insane right now. Input costs and land rents are way too high for that price. I doubt that you will see bread drop in price though! I hate to sound like a whiner, but to loose money on every acre is depressing.
My dad had a 39 bushel spring wheat average. Ours is 18 bushel. I really believe that the current wheat varieties need more fertilizer than the old ones. Dad used 60 pounds of 18-46-0 or 11-52-0.
We use 120 pounds of 20-17-5-5 and dont cut the bushels that he did. Some of his ground had been in production for 80 years. I even thought about applying another 28 units of liquid. Glad I did not do that!
Some farmers are using upwards of 300 units of nitrogen to raise a crop. The banks have started terming out operating loans for 10 years. A bad sign.
We spend too much money to cut these kinds of crops. Might just be time to plant the rest of the damn thing to grass.
When a lot of farmers put land in CRP the citizens howled. They did not like the fact that they were not buying as much fuel and fertilizer. It sucks being at the bottom of the food chain!
Beef is good this year, like last year, so we have a chance. I try to keep on the sunny side! Sorry for the rant. I really do like it here. Great place to raise a family if nothing else.
Anyway, got the old combine rolling today. Aaaaaaaaand then it broke down! Not major, just the main drive belt. John Deere is open in the morning till noon so I will try to get another, if not we saved the old one we took off several years ago. Its shit, but it might make a few days. I never throw anything away, Dad calls it shopping at home.