What's your plan for 2013?

[ALLFARMER]

I am developing my acres but what is everyone
else up too? O ya my one neighbor is going to
mexico for 3 months. Nice 3 month break....some
prescription drug rehab resort. Ya I don't care
much for the guy....lazy city!

[ASRG]

I am hoping to get another 80 acres plowed/rototilled....and "hopefully" planted to round up ready canola.
Hopefully get one house/farmstead of approx. 8 acres subdivided and sold!
If all that works out....hope to get some extended time next winter in Belize/Costa Rica/ Panama trying to find a place to retire.

[ASRG]

Furthermore........for once in my life I would like to live in a climate where I can grow a garden that doesn't have frost free days from June 10th to September 1!

[Horse]

Allfarmer Just curious or just plain nosey but how much does it cost to crash bush and bring an acre into production,in your part of the country ( lacrete I believe) even at the price of farmland here at 1 thou plus it is probably cheaper to buy here as most of what is raw land is the poorer stuff that was left for a reason.
ARSG I agree about the garden thing but as I am getting older I need my medicare more than I think an insurance company would like to pay for.

[ALLFARMER]

ASRG .....enjoying life ....retiring before its
actually a bit too late. Well played.

Horse... I bought a D6D dozer about 5 years ago
at case in Westlock. It was part of a equipment
dispersal from and oil field outfit from Rimby I
believe (Cental Oilfield Services) an odviously
well maintained about 1978 unit. They wanted 42k
but had just lowered the price to 40k as there was
lots of equipment for sale then. I offered them 37
and told them I wanted one cylinder replaced it
had some rust on one cylinder. They took the deal
FCC sent over the money. I found an old v cutter
in a neighbors scrap pile and paid 5000$ to weld it
up better. I used about 2400 litres to cut the half
section, roughly took a week or so. Piling is
usually twice as long. I piled when I had time. An
angry x wife sold me rake for 2500$ generally the
cat burns 20 to 25$/hr in fuel. I have changed the
turbo on it and an alternator. The alternator was
my fault if alternators run hot a long time or in dirty
conditions they die. I should have ran the engine
compartment cooler. This half section of land I
paid 40k for is now worth 500k as open land. No
soughs, no rocks, basically flat land. 750 quarters
sold up here last year 98% of it sold. The reserve
price (gov) was 30 to 50k range most sold for an
average of 70k The land I cleared had birch,
spruce, aspen and willow on it before clearing. I
ran the cattle on this land the last 5 years. Now
the roots/stumps are rotten enought to use a
breaking disk on it and mulch up what's left. I
bought a 2 bottom breaking plow for 900$ spent
$2000 rigging it up to the cat but now decided to
keep the organic matter on top so want to disk it
instead. My cat has had about 7 fires in it but
mainly when I was running it so I made sure they
got put out. One hired neighbor boy once drove it
in a dugout to put out a engine belly pan fire. I
was 3 hours away at the time. I was sure to thank
him. Anyway the cat is paid for and has already
paid for itself. If you have a cat on the yard you
use it. It comes in very handy for pulling cattle
trucks, winching cows out of creeks, pushing
snow when the ground isnt frozen and you get 2'
of the white stuff. Pulling loaded big bale wagons
in winter. Spring thaw mud, pushing manure. I
don't count the pennies I make decisions in a
broad context...like moving from Westlock 10
years ago now. I started farming in 96 with only
400$ and today the farm is worth 2mill and my
mom and dad never owned a operating farm
really so farming and hard work has served me
well. The constant rise in land value is where
most of the money is. I always figure the guy who
never took a chance never had a chance. O ya
cats also work great for driving over your
neighbors wife's car!

[gaucho]

Its only worth what someone will pay tomorrow... I would like ot see someone pay $500000 for a 1/2 section on the edge of the NWT and 50 miles from permafrost

[ALLFARMER]

Numerous 1/4 have sold for 300k or more. That's
what guys are now asking. At the real estate
valuation course I took at Olds College. The 3
most important factors in real estate valuation are
1) location 2) location 3) location

Some land in this area has sold for
500k/quarter....the direct comparison approach to
valuation.

[ALLFARMER]

Gaucho did you hear how much Richie Bros got
for the land that they just recently sold in roughly
your area?

Did anyone hear what the 700 or so bison cows
RBI had for sale went for?

[ALLFARMER]

The income approach to valuation??
50 bu/ac canola x 13$/bu $650x 160 = $104,000 if
land can gross that year after year.....and it does
why not spend 300k on a quarter? More guys
going straight canola snow canola rotation here all
the time. The permafrost kills the club root lol

[grassfarmer]

My plan/resolution is to quit wasting time replying to
ridiculous postings from AF. Life is too short.
I was going to warn ASRG about investing in property
in banana republics where the Government might
steal your land but then I realised the irony of where
we currently live.

[ASRG]

Actually I like hearing what Allfarmer is doing. He might be overly optomistic at times....but that's okay....we all have to have goals and dreams? Sometimes they work...sometimes they don't.
I've always wanted a cat....but wouldn't make a lot of sense here...but still....!
I have a friend who is leaving for Belize in a few days for a couple of months, so I'll get a report when he gets back. A lot of good things about Belize, if you stay out of the druggy areas. It is a former British colony, English the official language, British common law, etc.

[ALLFARMER]

Most of the guys on here are from the south life is
easy and big things can't be done. Most of you
guys on here figure land clearing is too expensive,
the good land has been cleared already. Then
750 quarters comes up for sale and it all sells to
big demand. Hundreds and hundreds of quarters
of land gets opened up but it just can't be done it'll
never work it doesn't pay it doesn't make sence in
your mind ....and yet here it happens every day.

[SADIE]

Allfarmer

I like to hear of your ambition. Your enthusiasm and knowledge over iron--WOW.

I remember being excited and thought I could run for ever too. My era is like per, ASRG, and others. Experience the 1980s high interest rate run on borrowed $$$ and survive that --It makes one caution as one is older. Again I read abit of what Allfarmer is doing and I have a little more ambition to work outside at this ranch that day.

[ALLFARMER]

Thanks Sadie good to hear from you again.

Most Canadian, in my view don't really know how
good we have it. Look at all the people comming
from the Philippines. They smile and work long
hard days for minimal pay at a A&W or a
convenience store. I have a lot of respect for
people like that great attitude and work ethic. One
relative of mine had a very demanding high
powered wife and after raising a family with her he
left. He met and married a Philipino lady and it's
unreal how happy they are together. The x now
with a rich older guy who has his own company
and she is happier now also.

Just spent a day and a half training a younger guy
with a family how to drive a truck and haul logs.
Not great sitting on the bench passenger seat but
he was thanking God & thanking him for me
training him and for the concentration needed to
learn how to drive truck. The appreciation I get
makes it worth while. He previously was making
$18/hr selling parts now he can make $450/day.
Experienced truck drivers are also never out of
work. There is always another job. I would bet you
could get a trucking job in any town or city in
Alberta.

[tweaker101]

Allfarmer, As I was reading your post about have a cat around the yard and then you listing all the things that you were using it for sure brought back a lot of fun memories...My parents used to be in the road building/bush clearing business....the stuff we did with those cats and other machines around the farm still make my friends laugh...LOL. Back then there was no such thing as getting stuck in the mud,its was more of a story of like...go back the the shop for more tow cable...lol. Good to hear that you are giving someone else a chance at making there life better by having a good job.