[AT] Moving West...

[Indiana Robinson]

On 9 Oct 2005 at 10:32, kgw wrote:

> 
>     Shoved off by suburbia
> 



	Hi Gene:

	I can easily identify with this... A number of list 
members on this list have been here to my farm. Some just 
for visits, some for Cubfest. Most would be surprised at 
how much the area has developed in just that short time 
since Cubfest. I am surprised myself some days and I live 
here.   :-)    Houses are popping up at night like 
toadstools. I swear at times you can hear them go "pop" as 
they come up. I am trying very hard to get things changed 
over to be ready for what I cannot stop. I do not want to 
move... Folks that bought 8 to the 12 acre lots off of the 
part of the farm across the road closest to me are not 
really a problem. I have made a point to make friends of 
each of them as they built and moved in. They are all nice 
folks. The problems I fear most will come from the 500+ 
starter homes squeezed into one back field of that farm 
that I worked in as a child and teenager. We already have a 
problem with young trespassers that have not been taught 
any thing about what private property is. It is not of 
course just the starter homes but the 1500 other homes that 
are already in the works between me and town. Then there is 
that new bypass going in right now right through the middle 
of the whole mess. I just read a legal notice that the100+ 
acre Garst Research Farm which lays between me and town and 
where I was the first farm manager is being rezoned for 
housing development. A field I used to rent near it is 
already all houses. I have seen the handwriting on the wall 
for a long time and have been lucky that my non farm 
neighbors have not complained when in a very dry season 
(not this year) that my tillage has enveloped their houses 
in massive clouds of dust. I try very hard to watch the 
wind and the levels of dust but there comes a time when 
push comes to shove and you just have to keep going. Hay 
fields and baling is rarely a dust problem. It is my 
intention to have the whole field in grass. I expect to 
plant enough corn next year to sell a little, have a little 
for feed and have enough for a corn stove. Probably about 
10 acres. In 2007 I may not plant any at all... 	
	These are some of the reasons that I am rapidly switching 
from grain crops to boarding and pasturing horses. I once 
considered running cattle but in order to make anything the 
animal count would have to be too high and there would be 
too many problems. Then also there is the whole mad cow 
thing hanging like a sword from a horse hair.
	I believe that most will be quicker to accept a fairly 
small number of horses. Eventually 30 or less on 100+ 
acres. The manure from that many horses, mostly on pasture, 
and a few in stalls spread on the back field should not be 
too much of a problem.  The  biggest problem is building 
all of that fence and shelters, both cost and labor. Makes 
me wish I was 10 years younger... I surveyed and flagged 
off 8 one acre lots last week. They have sat there all week 
and not a single fence post has sprouted.   :-)   I hope to 
have the water line run to the first 4 lots and the first 
lot fenced yet this month (Son Scott is going to bring home 
the big trencher). If I can get 3 more horses boarding by 
Thanksgiving (we only have one at the moment, two others 
were sold by their owner) Then I will let it all sit until 
spring and spend the winter in the shop.
	I believe that we have enough buffer that my old tractors 
will not be a problem in my lifetime unless somebody 
complains about the non running ones. I am more concerned 
about vandalism to them.
	It will all make me rich on paper but my wallet will still 
be empty unless I sell out... Not an option... Well, OK 
maybe if it gets to 5 million I'll think about it...   ;-)

-- 
"farmer"
Hewick Midwest

The master in the art of living makes little distinction 
between his 
work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and 
his body, 
his information and his recreation, his love and his 
religion. He 
hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision 
of 
excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide 
whether he 
is working or playing. To him he's always doing both. 
 ~ James A. Michener, attributed

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson at svs.net