# Bale Yourself or Hire Out



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Saw this on AgNews....this has been discussed a few times by us.

Regards, Mike

http://www.agriculture.com/crops/other-crops/hay-and-forage/bale-your-own-hay-hire-out_158-ar23769


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

They missed one point of baling yourself or getting a custom person to do it. Do you care about hay quality? Do custom operators come at the right time to bale hay? Especially you folks out east that have to deal with rain a lot more then I do. A day late and rain on dried ready to bale hay can cost quite a bit of money.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Teslan said:


> They missed one point of baling yourself or getting a custom person to do it. Do you care about hay quality? Do custom operators come at the right time to bale hay? Especially you folks out east that have to deal with rain a lot more then I do. A day late and rain on dried ready to bale hay can cost quite a bit of money.


totally agree. it is why I now have a round baler-wanted to have someone else do it and it sort of worked but the price was getting too high and others come when they come-sometimes here 2 hours is a lot of difference. Also, being able to rb some more difficult areas to turn a kicker wagon around is going to be a big plus-asking someone to come and bring their baler for 5-12 rounds does not make any sense for them.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Nor does it look at the satisfaction of doing it yourself. As well as better utilizing equipment already owned (tractor in my case). Plus the more money of mine I spend farming means my lazy uncle (Sam) gets less to spend as he pleases. Many different ways to sharpen a pencil. Gotta find the one that fits best for you taking into account all factors involved.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

When you own your own you do not have to kiss anyone's tail end.


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## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

Ten years ago had a bale on shares. After the same cutting got rain on for the third time told him there was no need for him to come back. Bought my own equipment, now it's on me if the hay gets rained on. I'm my own quality control.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

I've played the the game myself with big squares. Last year was it. After waiting all day in the field for them to come. Then finally 6 hours latter with rain coming the next day. I was out most of the night collecting the bales and getting them covered. I couldn't afford nor justify getting a big baler or the tractor to go with it. So this year I'm going with rounds. Going on Tuesday to pick up a 2010 NH7060 silage special! No more waiting, No more pleading. If the hay gets ruined its my falt! It I need to clear a field because of rained on worthless hay. Done!

Besides it was costing me $12 a bale. That added up quick, or translates to a loan payment.

There just aren't custome operatators where we are. It might be different in other parts of the country.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

Years ago, I started out by letting a custom baler cut/rake/bale my hay on shares. Financially, by the time I bought the lime, herbicide, and fertilizer, it was a "break even" arrangement. The good thing is I learned a lot by working with this gentleman. The bad thing is that he was baling his hay first, which means mine was 2-3 weeks past prime by the time he got around to baling it. I also work a day job and his schedule and mine didn't always work out.

As @deadmoose mentioned above, I already had a tractor. I think most people who own acreage do - if nothing else, for bushhogging and keeping the place clean. I'm going to keep a tractor and bush hog as long as I keep the property.

When you look at it that way, it makes it easier to justify the incremental cost of hay equipment.

But once you get into it, here comes the kicker. We succumb to "hay fever" and start wanting newer, bigger, better hay equipment. That $1500 square baler you started out with gets traded in on a newer model. That $2500 disc mower gets upgraded to a mower/conditioner. Ooops, need a bigger tractor to run it.

Goes back to the old adage, "men are merely boys with more expensive toys". We can't help it, we never grow up......


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

RockmartGA said:


> Years ago, I started out by letting a custom baler cut/rake/bale my hay on shares. Financially, by the time I bought the lime, herbicide, and fertilizer, it was a "break even" arrangement. The good thing is I learned a lot by working with this gentleman. The bad thing is that he was baling his hay first, which means mine was 2-3 weeks past prime by the time he got around to baling it. I also work a day job and his schedule and mine didn't always work out.
> 
> As @deadmoose mentioned above, I already had a tractor. I think most people who own acreage do - if nothing else, for bushhogging and keeping the place clean. I'm going to keep a tractor and bush hog as long as I keep the property.
> 
> ...


I always thought letting a custom baler bale on shares would add the incentive to get it done right, but I guess it doesn't. It sure would for me. In fact if I was doing custom baling I would rather have the hay on shares then just hope the guy I was baling for would pay me. A neighbor still owes me $1000 for cutting his grass hay for him about 10 years ago.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

RockmartGA said:


> Years ago, I started out by letting a custom baler cut/rake/bale my hay on shares. Financially, by the time I bought the lime, herbicide, and fertilizer, it was a "break even" arrangement. The good thing is I learned a lot by working with this gentleman. The bad thing is that he was baling his hay first, which means mine was 2-3 weeks past prime by the time he got around to baling it. I also work a day job and his schedule and mine didn't always work out.
> 
> As @deadmoose mentioned above, I already had a tractor. I think most people who own acreage do - if nothing else, for bushhogging and keeping the place clean. I'm going to keep a tractor and bush hog as long as I keep the property.
> 
> ...


doesn't sound like you have perfected the "It's necessary; accelerated depreciation will save us tax payments; I can do more and make more money" speech for your spouse. :lol:


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

RockmartGA said:


> Years ago, I started out by letting a custom baler cut/rake/bale my hay on shares. Financially, by the time I bought the lime, herbicide, and fertilizer, it was a "break even" arrangement. The good thing is I learned a lot by working with this gentleman. The bad thing is that he was baling his hay first, which means mine was 2-3 weeks past prime by the time he got around to baling it. I also work a day job and his schedule and mine didn't always work out.
> 
> As @deadmoose mentioned above, I already had a tractor. I think most people who own acreage do - if nothing else, for bushhogging and keeping the place clean. I'm going to keep a tractor and bush hog as long as I keep the property.
> 
> ...


On the nose Rockmart!! A four basket Tedder is such a waist, when I should have a 6 basket! Oh wait... Is 6 worth it?? If I had 8 baskets..... That's twice as fast as 4...... But wait.... Don't they come in 16...........................

EDIT: 
My next tractor needs to have 2 cup holders!!


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## weatherman (Dec 5, 2008)

Hayman1 said:


> doesn't sound like you have perfected the "It's necessary; accelerated depreciation will save us tax payments; I can do more and make more money" speech for your spouse. :lol:


Works for me...well something like that. Wife wanted me to put 20 acres in hay. If we are going to add more hay ground I will need to upgrade this, get that. So I spent a wad of cash for tractor w/FEL, baler, tedder and rotary rake.



RockmartGA said:


> But once you get into it, here comes the kicker. We succumb to "hay fever" and start wanting newer, bigger, better hay equipment. That $1500 square baler you started out with gets traded in on a newer model. That $2500 disc mower gets upgraded to a mower/conditioner. Ooops, need a bigger tractor to run it.
> 
> Goes back to the old adage, "men are merely boys with more expensive toys". We can't help it, we never grow up......


The equipment will pay for itself...let say two years...right?


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

But once you get into it, here comes the kicker. We succumb to "hay fever" and start wanting newer, bigger, better hay equipment. That $1500 square baler you started out with gets traded in on a newer model. That $2500 disc mower gets upgraded to a mower/conditioner. Ooops, need a bigger tractor to run it.

Rockmart-

I have followed that path but it was intentional- always said if I was going to work my butt off in hay, I wanted good equipment to do it with. Started with old everything. Finally got where I wanted to be about 5 years ago. Trouble is, I bought a used round baler this year and my wife sees me coming...Already thinks I have plans for a JD 459+ or whatever the new numbers will be in two years. She calls it "farmer fate" -its just going to happen and there is no sense in me denying it!


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I was just discussing this with a friend.He is selling some eq for corn and hireing it done.He figures he can hire it done as cheap as he can owning the eq and getting the help to run it.He is heavy into to livestock so he figures he can make more there.

This is quite the opposite of what most think.Not a small farmer either around 1500 acres,and did 500 custom also.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> I was just discussing this with a friend.He is selling some eq for corn and hireing it done.He figures he can hire it done as cheap as he can owning the eq and getting the help to run it.He is heavy into to livestock so he figures he can make more there.
> 
> This is quite the opposite of what most think.Not a small farmer either around 1500 acres,and did 500 custom also.


When we used to do some corn or wheat we would hire the combining done and with corn the planting done, but never hardly more then 150 acres. I would have to go buy a beater of a combine to make it pay to own my own for that little corn or wheat. Then the last time we had either the custom operators go so fast that they send alot of grain out the back. You can especially see this in wheat. I think Teff is going to be my alfalfa rotational crop from now on. Most people around here have their corn custom harvested. There are just several with combines. I guess if you are going to spend the big money on a combine you better keep it moving all fall.


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## MT hayer (Mar 1, 2014)

Well, it just amounts to what you feel like doing! It is a tax write off to hire or rent something so it isn't all bad. A lot of things to weigh here. The biggest thing is we all know there is only so many bales a day a baler can make.

So the guy you hire, is baling two 8 tower pivots beside your place first, one baler, and he hasn't started yet and your hay is on the ground, it just isn't going to work out. I like to get help baling in the heat of things if I see a neighbors machine sitting. It never hurts to ask. If your experimenting, usually renting is a good idea for one time I feel. if it looks like a long term thing, buy the iron, its fun! Hah!


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