# Opinions needed on possible expansion



## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

Looking for some input on the feasibility of a potential expansion..

80 acres of irrigated municiple wastewater land thats rent free, required to cut twice a season. I have not looked at it, however I was told on the phone it is OG mix and may need reseeding (at my expense)

32 road miles away from my farm including passing through 2 towns with moderate traffic

At this time I only have a 95 hp tractor, 55hp tractor and 45hp tractor with loader, 10' discbine, older square baler, old rollabar rake. Due to the need to run the irrigations to pump off the wastewater I am figuring small squares are out of the question due to time constraints. Assuming I round bale, at this time I can carry about 10 rounds safely on my trailer.

If I were to accept this opportunity 2 purchases I know would have happen.
1) Rotary rake (coming 2013 regardless). 
2) Large round baler w/ netwrap.

My questions here are,
1) is it worth the travel time both hauling/moving equipment and hauling hay back to the farm? 
2) is this 80 acres enough to support the purchase of a new or barely used round baler?
3) any other points/thoughts to consider in this?

All my ground right now is within 5 miles of the farm so I am not accustomed to travel expenses and time.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Two things would be important factors to me before I considered this.

1) The market for round bales in my area.
2) The condition of the field and crop.

If the hay needs reseeding this year then it may not produce the quality and quantity to make the profit this year you need. It is one thing to add equipment when you feel the reward will soon pay off. it is another thing if an addition becomes a money pit.
If there is a demand for the product then the work, hours and expense does not leave a bad taste in your mouth.


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## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

Round bales this winter were going for $35 (4x4 string) to $55-70 (5x6 Netwrapped). Demand is fair, however I have only had a few people inquire if I had rounds. I am hoping to stop and look at the fields tomorrow afternoon for a better field condition report.

I do have my own cattle to feed I forgot to mention, but only use about 50 bales a year.

Mushroom plants to the north of us about 2 hours that are usually buying hay if all else fails. I do not know what they are paying though.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

There are some folks who won't buy hay that was around municipal waste of any type. I'd make sure you have a market. 32 miles is a long way to go for 80 acres of hay, lot of time or money investment in getting equipment moved.


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## dbergh (Jun 3, 2010)

Ben,
Putting up hay over long distance can be very challenging Unpredictable weather always manages to throw a wrench in the works and you end up with the wrong equipment in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aside from that fact the deal certainly sounds appealing from an economic perspective though. My first thought though is why isn't someone closer already taking advantage of that offer? Ditto the comments on using wastewater-some folks are very sensitive to that idea. Be careful leveraging yourself financially with the new baler just to put up an additional 80 acres. I think you need to cover more acres than that to justify the expense. Maybe you can take advantage of additional opportunities to use that baler doing custom work or more of your own hay. Having said all of that sometimes you have to get established in this business by doing things that others don't want to mess with and things grow from there.  Good luck and let us know what happens.


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## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

There was an ad in the local classifieds this week for this ground. I called and got the details however the superintendent was on vacation and they told me to call back on monday. They did tell me that a dairy farm had it before but did not know why they gave it up. So there is always a possibility that someone has already claimed it before I get ahold of them tomorrow. I am trying to get some opinions so that if it were still available that I can claim it ASAP if its feasible.


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## foz682 (Jan 10, 2013)

32 miles is a long way to move gear and haul hay, and it would be ideal if you could find reliable sale right off the field, but with my experience, buyers rarely show up when they say they will.
The haying business has a lot of risks as it is,and this place seems to have a few too many strikes against it IMO

I know It's hard to pass up on rent free land, but I don't think I'd want to take on something that has that kind of potential to sink me.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I've thought this over a bit more, do you know what the yields are likely to be for your area? Is there absolutely no storage area for round bales? To me the biggest obstacle is going to be removing the bales if they only give you a short window to hay it.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> I've thought this over a bit more, do you know what the yields are likely to be for your area? Is there absolutely no storage area for round bales? To me the biggest obstacle is going to be removing the bales if they only give you a short window to hay it.


Exactly.
Storage or removal would play a big part in my decision. There is enough planning, work and luck in getting hay baled. Then we have to do something with it.
I decided to forgo a free lease in 120 acres of Bermuda. The land owner needed to make a change. The farm is 35 miles of back roads from my place. I could have hauled the equipment for that number of acres with no problem. I had to be realistic and realize hauling the hay would not be feasible for what locals are willing to pay.
The land owner said the previous guy sold as much as he could out of the fields for $20 - $25 per roll. I would have had a hard time over coming the mind set of the locals on that.

Another option would be tarping the hay at the edge of the field and selling from there. Problem with that is transporting something to load the hay with.
Funny thing about farmers is we are always optimistic and can usually talk ourselves into making something work. Then we are either too stubborn or have too much pride to admit we did all that and just broke even.


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## wheatridgefarmMD (Sep 14, 2008)

Thanks guys I have talked to a few locals who are also discouraging me from taking it on based alot on the points you have mentioned, plus the fact that I would have to reseed it if needed.

So I am going to let it go at this time.

Thanks again


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