Among many reasons, but this is one of them. Was up this weekend catching up on some overdue brush hogging and the girls flagged me down and asked to go fishing. So we dug worms and headed to our river bottoms. Having the freedom and ability to do this whenever we want is priceless in my opinion.




Ol dad

Nice!
I believe you are right. The freedom and peace you must feel being able to experience that anytime you want....priceless.

Agreed

Not interested in selling any of mine either

My home place is only six acres but it is mine, I put in a pond that I am working on making the area a wilkdlife spot for me and whatever. 30 mmiles from town and a huge ranch surrounding us, Cows for neighbors and public land a walk across the fields. On the same highway as my grandparents place but they are a thousand miles to the east. Having your own place to walk , fish ,or just watch the sky and not ask anyone's permission is priceless. I envy no one

Cool

I know we all believe this to be true about ourselves. But there is a price. And we would be negligent to our families if we turned it down. I know folks who went through this. “I’ll never sell!” Then they sold. Because the price was good enough to take care of Everybody for a long long long time.

You sir - have not met my mother. She was born in there house, and will die in her house. Her words and I don't doubt them one bit. There are 52 houses now in her back pasture that was sold off for money for her brothers and sisters. A new school right across the road. My mother will die in her house and then it will be sold. I guarantee you she is too stubborn to sell it.

Ol'dad,
Good on you!

You CANNOT buy the satisfaction of being able to enjoy your own place like you are doing.

NEVER SELL!

I hear you. But......My daughters are the 5th generation to have sat on that same river bank fishing. I'm thankful my great great grandparents didn't sell. Money from a sale would have been taxed and spent long ago.

My daughters will own this farm one day. Hopefully I provide them enough fun memories from it that the tradition will continue when I'm dead and gone.

ol' dad

Swamp Wolf, next time you're up visiting Clay let me know. I'm only about 40 mins away. Come over a catch some fiddlers with us.

ol' dad

Sometimes on those 98 degree days when I work on equipment half the day and bush hog the rest of the day - I think about it

In our area many of our retiring farmers don't need to sell their land as they did in the past. The large dairies are paying very high rents to farm the land so many are putting their farms in trusts and the rent really helps with retirement income and their children can receive rental payments after they pass. Setting up the trusts helps with tax concerns and issues as well. Most of the farms I worked with were not large, but even 200 acres of land with income of 50-60K per year is a good income base for many. Some also raise crops for these large farms and they can continue to farm w/o the cows for several years if they choose to.

Bryce

Same in my area Bryce....works out well.

As much as I dislike all the building and new homes turn the area i live from farms to spread out small acre suburbs( not quite but heading that direction) The increase traffic, noise, and taxes stink. Yet its also a growing customer base for our farm products and programs. So its bitter sweet. I have the fantasy I could sell out make a mint and buy more land in a much more remote location out west. But thats all it is. There is no way im up to the physical task and work the lifestyle I dreamed about would require at this point. I will probably die here watching the city swallow the place up.

Looks like you have an amazing place and the kids love it.

You are a lucky guy.

wws

A mother and daughter that lives not too far from me have made national news by turning down $27 million for their farm that a data center wants to build on. I believe it is 12 or 1300 acres. Sometimes family history and memories are worth more than money

All landowners better hope the tax man doesn't raise property tax to say 1% of value. There would be some selling going on then.

Paid $86.00 an acre in mid 80's. Price nearing $10,000.00 an acre. Do not plan to sell but prices are making us think.

1 acre of tillable ground here here is close to $20,000. In 96 it was $2,500.

That's the good life!
It's sad to see so many kids and grandkids selling off family land their grandparents and great grandparents worked their butt of for.

When my grandfather passed away in 86 unexpectedly they had to sell the farm of 320 acres which brought 400.00 a acre= 128,000 i wish every day I would of been in a better financial way at the time to have been able to buy it but I was young newly married and 2 very young kids I didnt want to go into debt that deep plus the house was in terrible shape fences weren't very good.would of took alot more money to fix the house or build new.the ground was about half tillable and half pasture.

Even though the family sold off 2/3 of the farm dad and I were able to keep /buy 96 acres of it. It always hits me hard when.i see my kids using the same tractor on the same land as their great great grandfather.

Is that the Grand river?

No sir, North River.

Ol dad

Got ya. There are some real pretty spots along the Grand river like that too where a family could spend a weekend and just have an amazing time. Real pretty looking place you have there

Same here or when I spend an afternoon picking up trash others have left behind when I wasn’t there. Being an absentee landowner sucks.

If it weren’t for my son coming up and loving the outdoors I would consider selling out. I also have the memories of hunting public land on opening day and that sucks.