The Good Life v.farming

GTPpower

TCG Elite Member
Jun 5, 2012
6,294
9,609
Nebraska
Just wanted a thread to show what farm life is like, and to kind of keep track of a few changes I have going on. I'll talk a little about how the markets affect us, how crappy this life can be, but also how good it is.

So, backstory....I grew up on a small family farm. Growing up, we had hogs, cattle, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs, and a few horses. As far as crops, we raised corn, soybeans, and a little oats, red clover, and alfalfa.

So, fast-forward to today. I'm 35, my dad is 69. He's ready to retire, and I'm starting to slowly take things over. I've been running a small construction company for the last 8 years, and the money is decent, so I might try to keep that going. We still raise all the same crops, but ditched the hogs maybe 10 years ago. Hog markets are really weird....there is usually almost no money to be made with them, except for maybe a month out of the year they bring great prices. We've sold entire 300 lb hogs for $40, so that's one of the reasons we quit.

Back to this, we started planting corn last week...here are a few pictures. Like I said, we are a small farm and the equipment is not new, but most of it is in great shape. This 4055 was made in 1989, and dad bought it about 1999. The planter is somewhere in the early 1990's, which dad bought new.

We plant corn on 38" rows, which is pretty outdated, but it does have a few benefits. I am looking to switch to 30" rows here in the next few years hopefully. IMG_20210501_142433637_HDR.jpg

IMG_20210501_142741212_HDR.jpg

Here is the monitor for the planter.... it's incredibly simple. A light lights up if a row unit stops planting. It usually doesn't work, and we most of the time keep it turned off.

IMG_20210501_142718880.jpg
 

DEEZUZ

NO PUKESTERS
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Nov 20, 2008
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94,410
NWI
Awesome. I’d like to know how farming truly is. Not that I intend to farm anytime in my lifetime. I just like to learn something new and know how farming gets done. Looking forward to many more posts and pictures.

Basically the only time you're rich is your last day of farming when you sell the equipment and land.
 

GTPpower

TCG Elite Member
Jun 5, 2012
6,294
9,609
Nebraska
Basically the only time you're rich is your last day of farming when you sell the equipment and land.

Yeah, sadly anymore it's be in debt your whole life. Everything we have is paid for, so that's nice. But I do plan to buy land when it comes available. It takes about 15-20 years before I'd actually make a dime off it.
 

Rdrnnr

wannabe racecar builder
Nov 15, 2020
1,361
2,386
Mannnn. I love this. Grew up the same way but never really got to be a part of it and when I tried I always got brushed off so I started the tire truck. I'd love to have what you got goin on but it's alot more to deal with than everyone thinks. Keep the side biz every successful farmer I know has somethin to carry him through hard years and after the spike this years gonna create your gonna wanna put as much if that 6 dollar corn into equity that you can get back out if need be as you can.

Just my two cents from knowing a few guys with alot of stuff sittin around but I'd be stoked with a 4440, a 6 row and a quarter to play with
 

LikeABauce302

TCG Elite Member
Aug 27, 2013
5,873
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South suburbs
Real Name
Matt
Right out of college, I was a field engineer for the engine group at Case. Most of the time I just went to dealers, but every now and then I would get sent out to a farm to log data on a machine. Those were always the best work days. I loved getting to operate the tractors.
 

GTPpower

TCG Elite Member
Jun 5, 2012
6,294
9,609
Nebraska
It rained .60" last night, so no planting today. So I spent most of the day trying to update the tractor with some electronics.

I've been wanting to put guidance on (not autosteer) for awhile to help with documentation and also help when I can't see the marker in the field so I know where to drive.

This is a learning experience for me. So I needed to get a receiver to "receive" the satellite signal. The receiver on your phone or tablet is accurate down to about 15', but we need it more accurate than that.

Greenstar, which is JD's precision ag division sold these starfire ITC receivers maybe 15 years ago, but due to satellites changing, they can't be used with autosteer systems anymore. So these can be bought cheap, and still receive the WAAS signal until about year 2025, which is great for field mapping.
IMG_20210501_083938672_HDR.jpg


I also bought a 2600 display, which is obsolete as far as deere is concerned. They don't support them anymore. But even used with no activations, they bring $1500-$2500 online. Which seems really dumb to pay that for a 10 year old touchscreen tablet...but it is what it is. I got a pretty good deal on it.

IMG_20210501_082843767.jpg

IMG_20210503_114117355.jpg



There is also a place in Grand Island that makes the harnesses for these, so I ordered one of those. Looks like a nice piece.

IMG_20210501_082910275.jpg


Got the display mounted in the cab, which took awhile. No pictures of that yet. Currently we are working on mounting the receiver on top of the cab, but we didn't have long enough bolts. We will finish that up tomorrow, then just need to get power to the harness.

IMG_20210501_082910275.jpg
 

blue-sun

TCG Elite Member
Nov 10, 2020
6,373
11,432
Good stuff. They’re quite a few farms near me. My in laws live smack dab in the middle of 2 farms out in Marseilles. My nephew who also lives in Marseilles worked for a local farmer last summer when he just turned 17. He’s at the Ottawa Farm & Fleet now.
 

Rdrnnr

wannabe racecar builder
Nov 15, 2020
1,361
2,386
It rained .60" last night, so no planting today. So I spent most of the day trying to update the tractor with some electronics.

I've been wanting to put guidance on (not autosteer) for awhile to help with documentation and also help when I can't see the marker in the field so I know where to drive.

This is a learning experience for me. So I needed to get a receiver to "receive" the satellite signal. The receiver on your phone or tablet is accurate down to about 15', but we need it more accurate than that.

Greenstar, which is JD's precision ag division sold these starfire ITC receivers maybe 15 years ago, but due to satellites changing, they can't be used with autosteer systems anymore. So these can be bought cheap, and still receive the WAAS signal until about year 2025, which is great for field mapping.
View attachment 88336


I also bought a 2600 display, which is obsolete as far as deere is concerned. They don't support them anymore. But even used with no activations, they bring $1500-$2500 online. Which seems really dumb to pay that for a 10 year old touchscreen tablet...but it is what it is. I got a pretty good deal on it.

View attachment 88337

View attachment 88338



There is also a place in Grand Island that makes the harnesses for these, so I ordered one of those. Looks like a nice piece.

View attachment 88339


Got the display mounted in the cab, which took awhile. No pictures of that yet. Currently we are working on mounting the receiver on top of the cab, but we didn't have long enough bolts. We will finish that up tomorrow, then just need to get power to the harness.

View attachment 88340
Be lucky it's the older stuff and you have half an idea what your doing. The new stuff costs more than a new car and 3 days of someone riding around with you to set it up it seems. Might have somethin to do with deeres thirst to fight right to repair tho
 

GTPpower

TCG Elite Member
Jun 5, 2012
6,294
9,609
Nebraska
Be lucky it's the older stuff and you have half an idea what your doing. The new stuff costs more than a new car and 3 days of someone riding around with you to set it up it seems. Might have somethin to do with deeres thirst to fight right to repair tho

A new starfire 6000 receiver, which is the latest and greatest deere offers is about $3700. As for displays, the most common modern display is the 2630, which is about $3500. But, if you need more accuracy then they offer out of the box, it costs more money. And any activations, such as autotrac cost more. You can spend an insane amount of money on precision ag equipment.
 
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Rdrnnr

wannabe racecar builder
Nov 15, 2020
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I mighrve got smoke blown up my ass but somethin bout a 13k screen and those boys keep to those iPads like I do to my surface. Farmin is no idiots game and I'm slightly envious of you knowing the old ways. After 08 market burst anyone left knew what they were doing and threw money into other ways to make it to stay afloat and most more recently have gotten away from those.

From what I've seen in just the tire business that isn't bein talked about mainstream alone decimates anything I remember of back then and is alot of the reason I got out before I got buried again. Buddy up with a good agronomy and broker and try not to contract into any more than you need to to make the bank happy. I really wanted to play this game but I think I'd get bored with it anyway. Long periods of time and straight lines aren't my strong suit
 

GTPpower

TCG Elite Member
Jun 5, 2012
6,294
9,609
Nebraska
I mighrve got smoke blown up my ass but somethin bout a 13k screen and those boys keep to those iPads like I do to my surface. Farmin is no idiots game and I'm slightly envious of you knowing the old ways. After 08 market burst anyone left knew what they were doing and threw money into other ways to make it to stay afloat and most more recently have gotten away from those.

From what I've seen in just the tire business that isn't bein talked about mainstream alone decimates anything I remember of back then and is alot of the reason I got out before I got buried again. Buddy up with a good agronomy and broker and try not to contract into any more than you need to to make the bank happy. I really wanted to play this game but I think I'd get bored with it anyway. Long periods of time and straight lines aren't my strong suit

Yeah some are easily worth that. Even my old screen with 3 activations on it will bring over $10k at auctions. 2630's bring about $3k more than that. A new 4640 is $8500 with no activations.


It would be easy to spend $50k on all this. Luckily, unlike most electronics, this is like typical JD products where they don't really lose value.
 
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Rdrnnr

wannabe racecar builder
Nov 15, 2020
1,361
2,386
Thats cuz you guys are stuck in your ways and they keep screwin you out of fixin it yourselves so they make 200 bucks an hour when their known weaknesses show.

Love the guys at the dealership here they're cool beans. But the company, might as well be part of gm.
 
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