Free State Wyoming Forum

Prospective Free State Wyoming (FSW) Members and Interested Parties => Prospective Free State Wyoming (FSW) Members and Interested Parties => Topic started by: Sodbuster on July 27, 2006, 08:05:04 PM

Title: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on July 27, 2006, 08:05:04 PM: Hi everybody, I'm a 39 y.o. ( no really, I am ;D ) single male farmer. I collect ( accumulate ?) firearms and antique tractors. It's time to leave these parts due to a massive influx of suburbanites and increasing loss of freedom. I was thinking eastern S.D. as it is closer to the major old tractor shows but am now reconsidering.

I am looking for between two and three hundred acres to grow hay, exercise the old iron, and build one serious rifle range, 500yds. minimum. I would welcome friends but don't want many neighbors. I was thinking Crook County but want opinions from the membership. Any other suggestions would also be appreciated. Thanks.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: wyomiles on July 27, 2006, 08:30:10 PM: Howdy Sodbuster !!? Welcome here.? I think Wyoming would be a great place for you.? There are actually several areas with agricultural lands.? If you are just going to grow hay your options are even greater. I would suggest a week long trip to check out areas, if you have the time.? If not here is a web site that lists properties in several areas.

http://search.pfisterlandco.com/search.pl

There are many other listings here but this includes a lot more , houses, ranches etc.

http://www.wyodex.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?Name=&County=select&Key=Real+estate&x=29&y=16

There is also a very interesting thing I have always wanted to try out myself,which you may be able to use. I posted the info here.

http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum//index.php?topic=442.0

Hope this helps ?? Miles
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Hunter on July 27, 2006, 09:08:30 PM: Quote from: Sodbuster on July 27, 2006, 08:05:04 PM
Hi everybody, I'm a 39 y.o. ( no really, I am ;D ) single male farmer. I collect ( accumulate ?) firearms and antique tractors.? It's time to leave these parts due to a massive influx of suburbanites and increasing loss of freedom. I was thinking eastern S.D. as it is closer to the major old tractor shows but am now reconsidering.

I am looking for between two and three hundred acres to grow hay, exercise the old iron, and build one serious rifle range, 500yds. minimum. I would welcome friends but don't want many neighbors. I was thinking Crook County but want opinions from the membership. Any other suggestions would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Consider Niobrara, County. By the way, wanna buy an old (non running) Fordson diesel? ;)
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: clemmac on July 27, 2006, 09:59:26 PM: Come on out and visit Wyoming, look around at farms, talk to some long time farmers/ranchers. On site, hands on evaluation will be worth a thousand words from folks on this forum. You'll also need to change the way you think about farming, this is dry country.

Your neighbors here will smile when they hear you shooting ! Guns are OK things in Wyoming.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: planetaryjim on July 28, 2006, 03:13:04 AM: Dear Sodbuster,

Quote from: Sodbuster on July 27, 2006, 08:05:04 PM
I am looking for between two and three hundred acres to grow hay, exercise the old iron, and build one serious rifle range, 500yds. minimum. I would welcome friends but don't want many neighbors. I was thinking Crook County but want opinions from the membership. Any other suggestions would also be appreciated. Thanks.

I've spent many pleasant hours among the antique tractors and steam engines at various shows in the Great Plains. Wyoming certainly counts as a Plains state. Indeed, the Dakota word "We-a-ming" from which the state takes its name means "great plains."

Crook County is a great part of Wyoming. I really like it. I've been there several times for visits. I'm also fond of Niobrara and Weston Counties. You might also like Platte County or Goshen County.

The two counties with the best access to South Dakota are Laramie in the South, on Interstate 80, and Crook in the north on Interstate 90. Naturally, being basically unhappy with things governmental, I would not seek a home near the state capital in Cheyenne. In my experience, the further one is away from the national capital or the state or provincial capital in any country, the more freedom one can experience. So that takes Laramie County off the list for me, but it has much good cropland.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the natural habitat of the pronghorn is consistent with the sort of lands you'd like to own. All those counties in the eastern tier of Wyoming are good pronghorn grazing lands.

If you are planning a trip, there are good friends in Converse, Crook, and Weston counties that I can think of offhand who'd be mighty pleased to see you.

Out of curiosity, what part of the east coast are you from?

Regards,

Jim
http://vertoro.com/
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Don Wills on July 28, 2006, 11:14:17 AM: Quote from: clemmac on July 27, 2006, 09:59:26 PM
...this is dry country.

Don't underestimate the impact of lack of precipitation and low humidity.? You will need water rights in most places in Wyoming to make a go of it.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on July 28, 2006, 12:08:51 PM: Thanks for the quick replies. Looks like I'll have to throw the camper in the truck this fall when the crops are in and go for a drive.

Soooo...Hunter/Pete, is it a Dextra or a Major or .......( no, must control self, move first, then get more projects! :))

As far as crops, I'm thinking making hay of the native grasses ( provided there is a maket for it ) would be a way to get by without irrigation. Might only get one crop a year, but I'm not looking to get rich.

Oh, I'm from Delaware.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Don Wills on July 28, 2006, 12:36:42 PM: Quote from: Sodbuster on July 28, 2006, 12:08:51 PM
As far as crops, I'm thinking making hay of the native grasses ( provided there is a maket for it ) would be a way to get by without irrigation. Might only get one crop a year, but I'm not looking to get rich.

I'm not kidding about dry.? Without irrigation you may get zero hay harvests, depending on location.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Hunter on July 28, 2006, 04:28:27 PM: Quote from: planetaryjim on July 28, 2006, 03:13:04 AM
? Indeed, the Dakota word "We-a-ming" from which the state takes its name means "great plains."?

I've always been told/taught the word "Wyoming" was an eastern Iroquois Indian word meaning "Big Valley"
As in Wyoming PA. Or Wyoming County PA. Both were platted long before the Wyoming territory was even known.

Is there a historian in the group?
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: laurel on July 29, 2006, 04:43:05 AM: Quote from: Hunter/Pete on July 28, 2006, 04:28:27 PM
Is there a historian in the group?

Not quite, but I'm the self-crowned Google Queen... What I came up with:

Origin of state's name: Based on an Algonquin or Delaware Indian word meaning "large prairie place"
From the Delaware Indian word, meaning ?mountains and valleys alternating?
Origin of the Name Wyoming - The name Wyoming may be derived from the Delaware Indian word "Maughwauwama," which means "large plains."

I'm too lazy to cite all those right now, but it looks like it's definitely an eastern word that was brought west. If anyone is interested in looking for themselves, Google "wyoming name origin" or variations on that theme. :)

Laurel
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: planetaryjim on July 31, 2006, 07:04:57 PM: Dear Pete,

Quote from: Hunter/Pete on July 28, 2006, 04:28:27 PM
I've always been told/taught the word "Wyoming" was an eastern Iroquois Indian word meaning "Big Valley"
As in Wyoming PA. Or Wyoming County PA. Both were platted long before the Wyoming territory was even known.
Is there a historian in the group?

Sure. And, where do you think eastern Indians went when they were forced out of their homes back east? They went West, and took plenty of words with them.

Yes, there is an historian in the group. I've a degree in American history from Columbia University, in New York City.

"New York City?! Getta rope!"

Regards,

Jim
http://indomitus.net/
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: planetaryjim on July 31, 2006, 07:17:07 PM: Dear Chill,

Quote from: Chill on July 28, 2006, 12:36:42 PM
I'm not kidding about dry. Without irrigation you may get zero hay harvests, depending on location.

That's completely correct. Rainfall total for the state is about 10 inches per year.

Platte County's chamber site: http://www.plattechamber.com/PlatteChamber/Demographics.aspx
lists farming as a business enterprise in the county. They also list these figures:

# Rainfall: 12.99
# Snowfall: 41.10
# Average growing season: 155 days

By way of contrast, Georgetown, Delaware shows rainfall of about 44.2 inches per year.

Another relevant eastern county, Laramie, shows about 15.4 inches rainfall total for the twelve months ending 31 August 2005.
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/images/wrds/wsc/monthsum/2005Aug/che_1yrp.gif

So, Chill's warning to be sure about your water rights is a good one. There are state and county regulations on drilling water wells to be aware of, I gather. It is not necessarily the case that any creek or river across your property is yours to dam up as you please. Water rights are very serious, sometimes quite elaborate, and because water is life, people are naturally quite intense about defending their actual and perceived water property rights.

By no means should you be discouraged from making the move, though. There are plenty of farms in Wyoming, lots and lots of which I see in eastern Wyoming on my travels. Farmers find water, so you can, too. Still, don't be mistaken about the water rights when you sign up for a land purchase. Know what you are getting in the bargain and you'll be glad you did.

Regards,

Jim
http://vertoro.com/
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Boston on July 31, 2006, 10:18:00 PM: Howdy, sodbuster, and welcome here!
We're pretty friendly and helpful in the FSW, and I hope that
we can encourage you to join us in Wyoming.

from planetaryjim:
Quote
"New York City?! Getta rope!"
There's also a comedian in the group, too... ;D
Jim's lived in NYC, Houston, and other metro areas.
No wonder he's so itchin' ta git ta Wyoming!

Thanks all, for posting here and helping out sodbuster.

Boston
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Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: MamaLiberty on July 31, 2006, 11:02:07 PM: Sodbuster (and anyone visiting Wyoming), if you come through Weston county (Newcastle) at all, stop and visit with me if you can. I've only been here since April, 06, but I'm happy to do whatever I can to help new FSW folks find their own chunk of Wyoming and get settled. Just let me know when to expect you and I'll send my address, etc.

Welcome! And God speed your efforts to get established here.

MamaLiberty
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Paul Bonneau on August 01, 2006, 12:55:22 PM: We may be over-exaggerating the dryness. I was amazed how lush much of NE Wyoming was when I went to the jams there, and that was in the middle of a drought. And I know it wasn't all irrigated either - far from it. Sure, some (large) parts of Wyoming are dry, but not all of it. And most farms and ranches come with some kind of water rights.

Eastern Wyoming after all, is part of the shortgrass prairie. Prairie implies grass. :)

Of course, if you MUST have a crop ever year, you might have problems. There are large variations in weather, which have wiped out farmers in the past. Just like "buy low, sell high", in farming it might go "buy brown, sell green". :)

BTW hay is one of the major crops of Wyoming, maybe the largest. Sugar beets are big too. Anything that can handle the short growing season...

Sodbuster, you might take a look at the Torrington area. Mildest climate, water from the river, etc. So farming is big there.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on August 01, 2006, 06:33:05 PM: Thanks again everybody !

I've been comparing the daily weather between Sundance and here recently. I never knew that the heat index worked in both directions! Humidity levels in the teens ? I don't think it gets that low here in the winter. As a friend said " That's dry enough to chap the lips on a woodpecker !" :D For comparison, tomorrow's temp here is supposed to be 99 with a heat index of around 115. :o

I'll try an contact some realtors and get some possibilities lined up to look at when I come out and to get an idea of the local land prices.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: clemmac on August 01, 2006, 07:19:15 PM: North East Wyoming can be lush in May, that's usually the month that those of us involved in agriculture and who live in Crook County consider the wettest. We might even get some good moisture in June, but usually by July the rain shuts down and we proceed with what rain the months of April, May and June brought us.

I'll admit that my Crook County experience is limited, but in the 15 years we've been here and involved in ranching, at least half or more of those years have been years of poor hay crops.

Sodbuster, we hope you'll join us in Wyoming ! My comment and comments from others who live in Wyoming should still stand and our advice to think of Wyoming as a DRY country should be considered.

I have also been in agriculture in Minnesota and I know from personal experience that there's a great difference in the way a farmer needs to look at things between there and here.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Don Wills on August 01, 2006, 08:45:45 PM: Quote from: clemmac on August 01, 2006, 07:19:15 PM
North East Wyoming can be lush in May, that's usually the month that those of us involved in agriculture and who live in Crook County consider the wettest.? We might even get some good moisture in June, but usually by July the rain shuts down and we proceed with what rain the months of April, May and June brought us.?

I'll admit that my Crook County experience is limited, but in the 15 years we've been here and involved in ranching, at least half or more of those years have been years of poor hay crops.?

Sodbuster, we hope you'll join us in Wyoming !? My comment and comments from others who live in Wyoming should still stand and our advice to think of Wyoming as a DRY country should be considered.

IANAR (new acronym - I am not a rancher), but I believe that Crook County has the most temperate climate in the state, along with the longest growing season.? It's at the lowest altitude and has the only native stands of oak trees in the entire state.? I suspect it's a good place for you to look.? Come on out!
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on August 01, 2006, 08:56:58 PM: Fear not, clemmac your obsevations are being given serious consideration. I realize that things are different out there and that I will have to learn the Wyoming way. There's few things more annoying than having someone move in and start with " Well, that's not how we did it where I come from." >:(

So a fall trip should give a more realistic picture of the area ?
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: clemmac on August 01, 2006, 09:08:02 PM: Crook County is a fine place to be :) Winters are easier than they were in south central Minnesota where I came from and the sun shines MUCH more than Minnesota. Summers are warmer by just a bit, but much more comfortable because it's not humid here. Winter cold is also more tolerable because of the low humidity.

We HAVE experienced a wider range of temperatures here, the low being -42F and the high was last Saturday at 110F.

A trip to Wyoming in the fall will be a delightful time to visit !
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Paul Bonneau on August 02, 2006, 10:32:52 AM: Actually, it might make more sense for him to look at the Wyoming Climate Atlas (http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/wsc/climateatlas/title_page.html), which has a lot more hard data on precipitation and growing season. Also we discuss climate on this thread. (http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum//index.php?topic=18.0)

Chill, IANAR either, but I've read that the Torrington area is best for agriculture, and has the mildest climate. But Crook is close...
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Don Wills on August 02, 2006, 12:36:26 PM: Quote from: Paul Bonneau on August 02, 2006, 10:32:52 AM
Actually, it might make more sense for him to look at the Wyoming Climate Atlas (http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/wsc/climateatlas/title_page.html), which has a lot more hard data on precipitation and growing season. Also we discuss climate on this thread. (http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum//index.php?topic=18.0)

Chill, IANAR either, but I've read that the Torrington area is best for agriculture, and has the mildest climate. But Crook is close...

What a great web site! The myriad of maps is very informative.

And yes you're right about Crook not being the best area for intense agriculture. However I still think it might be pretty good for growing hay.
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on August 25, 2006, 05:42:52 PM: Hi Everybody

I haven't been posting lately because I've been off researching ( well, that and the fact that I don't chat all that much in person either :)).

I have learned that land seems to run quite a bit higher in Crook Co. compared to farther south, so I've been checking out Platte and Goshen counties recently. I've seen several listings that I'd like to take a look at, particularly around Glendo, so I might have to drive out as soon as I can get away.

Any additional comments, suggestions, or opinions willl be given my full attention.

Thanks
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Hunter on August 25, 2006, 07:44:02 PM: Where abouts 'round Glendo?
Title: Re: Hello from an east coast farm
Post by: Sodbuster on August 25, 2006, 09:08:29 PM: They're around 10 miles east of the reservoir.