On Wednesday, May 30, 2012 7:38:31 PM UTC-6, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
Thanks to all for the replies. The round irrigation makes some sense.
I'm in southern Ontario, Canada, where there's usually plenty of rain for the crops and the irrigation systems are linear.

-John

My wife's uncle and cousins are dry land wheat and beef farmers. The high plains of eastern Colorado are officially desert, at least in large areas. That type of farmer needs to bring in one harvest in four years to survive.. Those with center pivot type irrigation must bring in a crop every year or they are likely bankrupt. There are other irrigation methods here. I have a customer that farms 62 acres of corn and they seem to do just fine with the simple life; nice house, nice people. I have another customer that lost his large farm in Iowa during the corporate takeovers of the 1980's. He's now in a game foundation that awards are large number hunting rifles to youth and is also in a large motorcycle club. He is no friend of ADM or Cargill.

When my wife's uncle put 2500 acres in set aside several years ago (native grass land banking) he bought his first Mercedes. His upfront cost was $32,000 for a drill seeder to plant Buffalo Grass, which he did for a number of other farmers.