Maybe its just around where I live and hunt, but farmers are tearing down every plum thicket, every hedge row, hundreds of acres of timber, and plowing up all the crp grass land to plant corn. Its kind of disappointing because its their land and they can do what they want with it, but its just sad watching the wildlife disappear. What are your thoughts?
I've never paid that much attention. But there are lots of little water ways and fence rows being made in to farm ground around here. With what some of these people pay per acre they need to farm all they can to pay for it.
Could be worse. Around here the farms that used to have fields/woods are all getting developed into subdivisions of $500,000 homes.
Isn't the bottom falling out of the corn market? I know its doom and gloom around here among farmers.
history is probably going to repeat itself....just like back in the 1920's when they plowed up everything to plant wheat and the market fell out.
On Commodity Wrap this morning on Rural Radio Network corn prices are down substantially they said. Said corn on corn planting across the country is likely to be down next year. Don't think its just ethanol that was driving corn prices up before they started falling. Regardless, hard to fault farmers so long as they aren't breaking laws or intentionally harming the environment. I must be lucky as the farmers land who I hunt all practice good conservation measures. And one who does the most is buying up all the farmland they can and farming the land with about 6 families within the family. One local guy complained how they were making it hard for a young farmer trying to start out. I think its great because its a big family pulling together to make it a lifestyle for generations. Hardly a corporate outfit. Anywhoo, they're doing well but hard to fault a guy for wanting to succeed at what he loves to do.
Round here we have enough land that just isnt farmable that the deer and critters have lots of refuge.
Yep... Cut out an island of trees that was the center of the property and separated the corn from the beans. Used to house 3-4 families of does and now they're gone... Sent from my Moto X
do I hate ethanol? YES. Do I blame it for de forestation? Not really. Around here almost every field is for sale - and every one is being bought by developers who plan on holding it (leased back to the farmer) until "housing rebounds." Yaaayyyy. More McMansions driving my property value down and my property taxes up. Shoot me now.
What's funny is corn isn't my best cash crop....I've not even had any corn for two years prior to this one. Right now grain sorghum is looking like it'll make me far more profit than my corn too. It's a lot more complicated than blaming ethanol. People from the city where pay is good move out and buy property for recreation, paying top dollar and keeping land high. In turn, to compete...big operator farmers pay higher prices to keep growing in both purchase and rent. Couple that with drought and record low crop production in 11-12-13 and the low US commodity stores and grain prices hit highs due to short supply and great demand worldwide = high grain prices. Back to record production numbers this year and high supply has hit the grain prices hard. Either way it goes, BTO's try to squeeze every grain they can from a property so it's not very accurate to blame any one thing. I have a BTO near me that took out all the brush on the property across the road from a farm I operate on his 350 acres. That kind of operation is not environmentally responsible in any way, shape or form. I don't operate that way but I can certainly understand the mindset. $350,000 combines don't pay for themselves any more than $10,000/acre farm ground does. As one of the "next year people", I see we get too caught up in trying to "get ahead" of the curve. When brush causes crop damage and increases crop damage from critters besides taking up land that could be in production, it's easy to see why it's appealing to remove it. Don't worry, it'll all crash someday and brush grows back very fast. Deer don't need much cover anyway, though they do like it.
Well were I hunt in Taylor Wi we have the ethanol plant and frac sand mine. The farmers are kind limited on plantable terrain but some are selling some of the most prime hunting property to be mines out for frac sand. It's kinda makes me sick. But I under stand every ones gotta make a livin. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I dont mean to come off as blaming farmers , some of my best friends are farmers. We give each other crap all the time on the subject. Just as they hate the deer for eating their crops, I hate that they take away their cover. I do understand that they have make a living and pay for equipment and land. Its just that things got outrageous the last few years with trees dissapearing and the EHD disease , its put a toll on the population around here.
From what I've heard, the ethanol thing kinda turned out to be a flop and that's partially why corn prices are so low. I don't know if this is true or not but if it is ethanol isn't the culprit Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
