# What % for haying



## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

What % do you that bale on a % get. 60/40 70/30. 60/40 around here is the norm. Some want 50/50. Guess it don't hurt to want. I had a man call this morning offering 100 acres of Bermuda/Dallas.Wants me to make an offer. Meeting later this week. Was just wondering what percentage others work on.


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## ANewman (Sep 20, 2012)

Most landowners around here want a 50/50 deal. There are very few I would do that for. I like a 1/3 for owner 2/3 me deal if I know they have not fertilized. I would rather just charge them to cut rake and bale and let them keep the hay. Last year I did a 50/50 deal on about 60 acres of 2nd cut grass. It had alot of Johnson grass in it. All I had to do was roll it. Land owner cut and raked.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

Around *HERE* I think it's mostly 50/50. BUT about 3 or 4 years ago one custom baler was @ 60%.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I do one field 50-50. The land owner fertilizes and it is good grass hay, 5 rolls per acre. I could not afford to do it if the hay was 2 rolls per acre.

If the owner cuts and rakes, that would be a sweet deal at 50-50.

Consider yield, proximity, field conditions and quality of hay.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Tim hit the nail on the head, it's all about the yield....and the yield is all about the fertilization program, if he's got 2.5 tpa I'll do it at 60-40, less than that....I ain't doing it at all unless they pay me at a rate of 5 bales per acre.....don't want the hay...


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

I wouldn't do it for less than 60/40 unless it was like Tim/South deal. I like the 2/3 for me a lil better. I'm gonna shoot for 70/30 (can try) if not that, the 2/3. I still gotta go see what it's like in that field. Biggest draw back is it's 25-30 miles from here. In the mean time I got hay on the ground. Going rake and bale 4x5s on my place. 50% rain forecast for tomorrow.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

If I do all the work and fert and Lime, then its 100% for me. In anything we just rent the land @ around $10 an acre for the year. Its just to costly to split. I have several plots that they beg me to hay it, they know if some one doesn't hay it, they are paying at least $75 an hour for a bush hog in the fall. One field pays me a reduced rate and purchases the hay from me.

It's not only the cost of the equipment and maintenance, but my time and or labor that becomes the sticking point, just not enough time and sunny days in a year to worry about breaking even.


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## Williams Farms (Oct 1, 2010)

I am not that far from you, about 15 miles north of Beaumont. I do a good bit of baling on shares. I do 60/40 on fields that are fertilized by land owner(60% to me). I do good fields that have not had fertilizer on them in a couple of cuttings for 75/25(75 to me). No one around will do 50/50 anymore, the cost of equipment,fuel,etc is just to much to come out that way. I still get calls from people wanting me to do it for that. I just let them know how much i get and usually hear back from them in a few days(after they have called everybody else looking for the 50/50 deal). I bale my own land also and for me my equipment,fuel,and maintenance are bigger expenses than the land so the equipment should get a larger share than the land.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Your % sound good Williams.

I'm headed out to look at said hayfield.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Got it if I want to go ahead with it. 70/30 for this year. 2/3 / 1/3 or 60/40 next year. 100 acres in 1 field. I might could like that. Dallas/bermuda with a few weeds. Lil past prime for this cutting, but may get another this year.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

AndyL said:


> Got it if I want to go ahead with it. 70/30 for this year. 2/3 / 1/3 or 60/40 next year. 100 acres in 1 field. I might could like that. Dallas/bermuda with a few weeds. Lil past prime for this cutting, but may get another this year.


How does the land lay? Does it seem to be a field you can make good time mowing?

Sounds like you did really well.

Does he have to move his own hay?


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Flat land Tim. For most part it's all open with no trees. Some trees in about front 25 acres. Should make good time in it. I agreed to move his hay to side for this year. I kinda like moving his off, as that way his people won't be running all over the new growth. He offered a few miles of levee at another place. But the place he has that borders the 100 acres looks even better. And then I got him entertaining the thought of me making all his hay. He and his son run about 400 mama cows. Time'll tell how it all pans out. Just need some sunshine to get at it.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

AndyL said:


> Flat land Tim. For most part it's all open with no trees. Some trees in about front 25 acres. Should make good time in it. I agreed to move his hay to side for this year. I kinda like moving his off, as that way his people won't be running all over the new growth. He offered a few miles of levee at another place. But the place he has that borders the 100 acres looks even better. And then I got him entertaining the thought of me making all his hay. He and his son run about 400 mama cows. Time'll tell how it all pans out. Just need some sunshine to get at it.


 Does the landowner fertilize and lime on this deal? That would be nice to make 100 acre field in one piece and flat land at that...I can only dream of fields like that, around here fields are small and unless its bottomland there is no flat ground. Hope it works out to be a good deal for you.


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## Williams Farms (Oct 1, 2010)

Andy i believe you will come out ok on that deal. If you can get it cut pretty quick it will take most of the weeds out and leave you a pretty clean last cutting in late September or early October.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

FC, I'll get into who's what on all that next season. I don't know how much he did this year.

WF, the weeds shouldn't be much of a problem for most of it. The worst weeds I seen were about a 3 acre patch that were bad. Then after that they were spotty. I only road about 1/2 way through the place as it was raining. Soon as the window opens I'll be cutting it. After I finish the 10/15 acres here,

Sitting here on generator power. Had a thunder storm come through this evening and lights been out almost 5 hrs now. And lost another big pecan tree.


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## Williams Farms (Oct 1, 2010)

If your forecast is the same as mine you may be shut down this week. I'm not complaining though its been getting pretty dry here. 100 acres in one field is rare in this part of the country. I do a few large fields and it sure is nice compared to the little 20 and 30 acre fields.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Williams Farms said:


> If your forecast is the same as mine you may be shut down this week. I'm not complaining though its been getting pretty dry here. 100 acres in one field is rare in this part of the country. I do a few large fields and it sure is nice compared to the little 20 and 30 acre fields.


 I have to smile when you say a little 20 and 30 acre fields....around here a 20 to 30 acre field is a big field. 5 to 10 acres is the size of most of the fields I work. I'm trying to get a 35 acre field for next year....that's about as big of a field as there is right around me and its not flat land by no means but it is a nice gently rolling field....would be a pleasure to work.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Williams Farms said:


> If your forecast is the same as mine you may be shut down this week. I'm not complaining though its been getting pretty dry here. 100 acres in one field is rare in this part of the country. I do a few large fields and it sure is nice compared to the little 20 and 30 acre fields.


Guess we getting same weather conditions. No haying this week. Maybe next week.



FarmerCline said:


> I have to smile when you say a little 20 and 30 acre fields....around here a 20 to 30 acre field is a big field. 5 to 10 acres is the size of most of the fields I work. I'm trying to get a 35 acre field for next year....that's about as big of a field as there is right around me and its not flat land by no means but it is a nice gently rolling field....would be a pleasure to work.


 I know what you're saying. My flat ground hay has been in the 5 acre range. One is 8/10 acres. On the levee hay, I have mile long windrows. Always leaning to one side or the other. Levees are a PIA, but it's hay.


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## Williams Farms (Oct 1, 2010)

Andy same for me, no baling this week. I,ve got 200 acres of custom baling to do and about 150 acres of my own fields to get done pretty quick if I'm gonna stand a chance at another cutting this year.

Farmercline the only field i don't have to haul my equipment to is the one's here at the house. It's just hard to come out on the smaller fields for me. Years ago i did alot of smaller fields as time went on i got larger fields. Now i have a 20 acre minimum. I have one 12 acre field that i lease, but it is on the way to one of my other fields and it is a very good field,clean and smooth. All our fields are flat we're not that far from the coast. I can cut right at 100 acres a day with my two cutters,those are the size fields that i make the most profit off of.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Williams Farms said:


> . It's just hard to come out on the smaller fields for me. Years ago i did alot of smaller fields as time went on i got larger fields.


I used to do a lot of smaller fields back in the day of Setaside acres.Guys would put the odd sized shittiest fields into setaside.Typically was oats and was allowed to hay every yr it got a little dry.Then they chanded it to allowing haying after Sept 1 every yr so the smarter guys seeded it to alfalfa.

Road time kills.I always say I could farm twice as much if it was in 1 spot.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

A guy a mile away has at least a thousand acres in this county basically continuous. He is on the county line. Not sure how much in the next county. I was told this year his renter is from Albert Lea. Maybe 150-175 miles away? Top dollar rent PD for here.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

deadmoose said:


> A guy a mile away has at least a thousand acres in this county basically continuous. He is on the county line. Not sure how much in the next county. I was told this year his renter is from Albert Lea. Maybe 150-175 miles away? Top dollar rent PD for here.


I wonder if he had 2nd thoughts after the heavy rains aroun Albert Lea this spring?Well maybe he had that insured big and just collected PP.

I hear some guys are having issues with ins co in SE Mn on PP acres.Why neighbor got it in and they didn't.Maybe they have to much ground to far away from home?

If they want to farm the whole country insurance shouldn't cover their ass.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

The way it seems, the big get bigger and get all kinds of government dollars handed to them, and the little farmer fades away. An old farmer told me years ago, that it would one day be corp. farms and tractors would drive their self. Seems there's something to what he said, long long ago.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

My grandfather told me to fly under the radar. Once you shook hands with the government they had you by the nads.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Couldn't agree more. Grandfathers are wise. What the government don't, can't hurt you.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

Got the other portion to the 100 acers. It's now 135 acres. That's the good. The bad, the first 100 dallis, has "ergot-like" fungus called Claviceps paspali. Can't even pronounce that. From what I'm gathering that is not good. Needs to be topped to about 12". Owner will provide the topping. 35 acres good to cut. And he has another place within a couple to a few miles from that big place for me.

Any feed back on that fungus would be welcome.


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## jrcrumiI (Jun 10, 2013)

You need to rotate something in like beans for a year or so to kill it. The only other way I have heard is deep tillage. Being in LA I would put some other crop in for a year then soil test to make sure you got it. It will poison cattle and kill a hay business. I bought some hay 6 years ago that killed my son's show goats one week before state fair, may it was a long winter for me and the guy I bought the hay from...


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