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[Zephyr]

Tell us how you started your farm zephyr. That will tell the tale.

Debt is a necessary evil for anyone starting or expanding a farm. I would need to clear $600k every year after living expenses to be able to buy another quarter of land each season. To clear $600K would require a 2500 ac farm free and clear to generate that cash flow.

Just one thing about your hyperloop idea. Canadians don't want to visit each other. People in each Canadian province visit the US more than any other province in Canada. Makes little sense to connect an already divided country.

There is only one way for Canada to be capitalized like you suggest and that's let the US do it.

Your post is nonsense

And you've never started a business from scratch and it shows.


Your only contribution is hoping USA takes us over... And then what? We work with Americans and people from 40+ other countries.

The story is the same everywhere... If you can't make it here you won't make it there.

The problem isn't that we aren't American.

The problem is we are too lazy to solve our problems and are hoping somebody else does it for us

[jazz]

And you've never started a business from scratch and it shows.

Really? I educated myself, started a farm from scratch and built a million dollar stock portfolio, from scratch.

You sound like you have never been off the farm before and you don't know what this country really is. Your real world education is lacking. Canada is poorly capitalized and once you find out the reason why that is, things will make more sense to you.

[Zephyr]

Really? I educated myself, started a farm from scratch and built a million dollar stock portfolio, from scratch.

You sound like you have never been off the farm before and you don't know what this country really is. Your real world education is lacking. Canada is poorly capitalized and once you find out the reason why that is, things will make more sense to you.

380 employees. 4 companies. 6 manufacturing favilities my brother and I started that from scratch.

We do business in 40+ countries

Our farm is a small part of a very large machine.


But please do tell me how your million dollar stock portfolio and know more.... Especially after the continuous pompous and ignorant bullshit you post on here on a daily basis.

[Zephyr]

Somebody said I should post more..this is why I don't


Every time turns into a personal attack or having to defend, not factual points of an idea or policy, but my person.

[farmaholic]

380 employees. 4 companies. 6 manufacturing favilities my brother and I started that from scratch.

We do business in 40+ countries

Our farm is a small part of a very large machine.


But please do tell me how your million dollar stock portfolio and know more.... Especially after the continuous pompous and ignorant bullshit you post on here on a daily basis.

And you actually have the time to waste on AV?

[sumdumguy]

380 employees. 4 companies. 6 manufacturing favilities my brother and I started that from scratch.

We do business in 40+ countries

Our farm is a small part of a very large machine.


But please do tell me how your million dollar stock portfolio and know more.... Especially after the continuous pompous and ignorant bullshit you post on here on a daily basis.

Zephyr, you sound very interesting. Success stories are out there, for sure. Some successful guys got there by being brave, some by being smart and some by being crafty. Some slow and steady, some 1 good shot. But what defines a human in my eyes is the ability of some to look at things from all angles and take a stab.

[bucket]

If a person can save enough to start farming in todays world....just for the land and good equipment not new.....if you have saved that much money without debt....

Don't go farming....it is that simple....

while I admire zephyr's logic....the numbers for land and a decent line of equipment are staggering and with todays grain prices its a very slim margin business...we do not have indexed grain prices but every input has been indexed...

Why do we not have 1980s fuel prices with the price of oil where it is????

Or fertilizer.

[makar]

I see now why people can preach farm economics, not one cent comes from the farm.

[Zephyr]

I see now why people can preach farm economics, not one cent comes from the farm.

Our corporation does not subsidize the farm. Not one cent no need to.

If you have no debt and decent land the margins are actually quite good in primary agriculture.

The problem is there's way too many useless costs farmers attach.

Mortgage interest. Lease interest. Loan interest. Agronomist market advisor.

This magic foofoo next magic foofoo


We don't grow the biggest yields we go for the biggest net profit. Sometimes that includes cover crops and missing a cycle, then growing a crop on next to no fert.

We don't run on the treadmill whose speed is set by others. We go for runs in the mountains at our place and time of choosing.

Do you really think the liquidity and cash flow issues are only on the farm? Half of this country's business world is about to collapse.

And for mostly the same reasons.

I'm proud to say we still haven't tapped into any federal aid and have everyone working again.

With any luck we will get new orders. A saving grace is we work in some nation's not very affected by covid-19.

[Zephyr]

If a person can save enough to start farming in todays world....just for the land and good equipment not new.....if you have saved that much money without debt....

Don't go farming....it is that simple....

while I admire zephyr's logic....the numbers for land and a decent line of equipment are staggering and with todays grain prices its a very slim margin business...we do not have indexed grain prices but every input has been indexed...

Why do we not have 1980s fuel prices with the price of oil where it is????

Or fertilizer.

Have you priced out a new cnc mill? Or a robotic welder? Makes a combine look cheap.

[Zephyr]

And you actually have the time to waste on AV?

Rarely which is another reason I post very little.

[LEP]

Rarely which is another reason I post very little.

I think we went to University at the same time. If you are who I think you are, you're the real deal.

What he says is true and he did what he says he did. 👍

[farmaholic]

Zephyr.

I think we can agree not all farmland is equal and the different areas that farmland is in isn't either.

There is no "one size fits all" in Ag.

It's how you manage what you have. And knowing knowing what it's capable of.

In my opinion the worst crop expense that doesn't account for the land's ability to produce a crop is canola seed. If the Ghetto can only grow 45-50 bu/ac and SF3's Garden of Eden or Caseih's Swamp can grow 55-60 bu/ac.....who is getting better value. Fert I can cut back on. Herbicide doesn't differentiate the land's ability either.

Not to be disrespectful either, but some people also have to rely on their farm to feed, clothe and put a roof over their family's head.

[furrowtickler]

Zephyr.

I think we can agree not all farmland is equal and the different areas that farmland is in isn't either.

There is no "one size fits all" in Ag.

It's how you manage what you have. And knowing knowing what it's capable of.

In my opinion the worst crop expense that doesn't account for the land's ability to produce a crop is canola seed. If the Ghetto can only grow 45-50 bu/ac and SF3's Garden of Eden or Caseih's Swamp can grow 55-60 bu/ac.....who is getting better value. Fert I can cut back on. Herbicide doesn't differentiate the land's ability either.

Not to be disrespectful either, but some people also have to rely on their farm to feed, clothe and put a roof over their family's head.

Very well said
Just curious Zephyr, could you maintain your current family living with only the farm and zero income from your businesses? Not dig , glad you’ve done well off farm , others on here have too but it’s a different perspective for most with zero off farm income .

[vvalk]

Or build a business from the ground up and have the discipline to grow it with cash.


It's a massive hindrance in Canada. Debt.

Every person business farm etc has so much debt, these entities have no freedom or power over their destinies.

Small businesses in Canada have so much debt, it doesn't add to productivity.


If taking new debt doesn't increase output and profitability it is bad debt.

Every dollar of debt you take on has to increase productivity by $1.50 or it isn't worth the risk.


There are some farmers and business people with low debt levels and cash reserves these will be making a killing going forward

5 year fixed is 2.3%. 10 year fixed is 3% or less and can be written off. Just curious why that needs to return 1.5 to 1?