[cloudmountain]

Not desperate or dumb. Most of us LOVE being farmers and feeding the world. Many of us see it as a sacred trust. My family has farmed in South Dakota since before it was Dakota Territory and I come from one of the largest (and wealthiest) farm/ranch families in the state history but every year it was still a risk.

Hmmm, you JUST finished saying that you were "not going to lay out 2.5 million per year in HOPES I have a crop" and OTHERS take the risk, not you.
You aren't desperate or dumb. You are smart. You OBVIOUSLY love the land and the entire idea of farming and ranching....but YOU just don't take the risk.

You have your cake...and eat it too. Good for you.

[reaganaut]

I’ve done it in the past, I am too old to do it now. I loved it when I was actively farming and now I love that there are younger farmers who are willing to do it. Part of retirement is being able to rent the land rather than sell it. I don’t have a 401k or pension - this IS my retirement fund.