[AT] Cockshutt 30/ Auction Farm Size

Ralph Goff alfg at sasktel.net
Sun Dec 31 11:25:57 PST 2006


Gene Dotson wrote:
>    Ralph;
>    Quite an impressive sale. Curoius to know what size of an operation 
> would be required to support all this equipment? How many sections would 
> they have to farm and is the land owned or rented?
>    An operation that size here in Ohio would require from 5000 to 7000 
> acres and spread out through 3 or 4 counties.
>    Inquiring minds and all that!!!
Hi Gene
You are probably pretty close in your estimate of farm size . I went 
back over the listing and there are plenty of operations right here 
around me with that much and more. In fact one right beside me is around 
the 8000 acre mark. And I would say that the majority would be cash 
rented now.
  I was surprised to see only one combine at this sale. Maybe they 
leased another one for harvest. Most big acreage farmers seem to use two 
or more big combines now. Also the air drill is only 45 feet so I think 
5 to 7000 acres would be enough to keep them pretty busy. My neighbour 
with around 8000 acres pulls a 64 foot air drill for seeding.
Also no semi at this sale which is uncommon now. Most of the big guys 
seem to have their own semi plus a 700 bushel grain cart to keep the 
semi out of the field at harvest.
Seeing a farm this size being sold off kind of puts down the theory that 
only the small , inefficient farms are being pushed out of business by 
today's economy. If you can't survive with 5, 7, 8000 acres then I guess 
theres something wrong.
Nowadays I find myself looking more at the old antique tractors and 
trucks more so than the modern ones.

Ralph in Sask.



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