# What to Pay for Hay



## mncattle (Jul 23, 2010)

I have a guy asking me if I would be interested in cutting his grass hay. It is mostly brome with some orchard mixed in, not much of any clover or alfalfa. He is not interested in any of the hay and would like me to pay by the bale. I am thinking $15 a round bale(4x5) what do you guys think? He also would be interested in me paying by the acre but I told him it would work better paying by the bale since it has not been hayed in awhile and grass hay is pretty much a 2 cutting deal here. Is $15 a pretty fair deal.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Where is your location? Makes a huge difference. Are you baling, and hauling the hay also? I would just try to find out what prices are for rounds in your area and deduct the costs of whatever it is you do from that average price and then make your offer. For my area that would be dirt cheap hay.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

$10 is a fairer deal, sounds like he may just want his grass cut, I know it's not fertilized so basically you have some filler hay, what's the market for that type hay, figure 25 at least to cut and bale, is the market $40? If so you need to pay him $5, if its 45...10$, if its 50...15$........remember you have to sit on this hay, you have to haul this hay, you have to store this hay, you have to load this hay........


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## brandenburgcattle42 (Sep 6, 2012)

I pay $10 for my 5x6 bales but most of my grass hay fields I am doing them a favor by keeping their place looking nice. I tell em beat you spending yor money to mow it. Most of these fields are marginal in feed quality so I don't feel bad. Depends on competition to with other rancher. I have none. Good luck


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Location in your profile would definatley help! last fall I paid $10 bale to next door neighbor for the pleasure of putting up corn stalks I had them sold for $35 before starting. Mined you this required no cutting but its hard on equipment. Also some were paying $10 acre which would have been better as I avg aprox 2 + bales an acre. Martin


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## mncattle (Jul 23, 2010)

Sorry about the location thing I guess I assumed the mn in mncattle people would have figured Minnesota.

So I would be the one baling and hauling, would probably mainly using it for my beef cattle and also selling it as beef hay. I know this hay should be worth $50 at least next summer. I mostly raise alfalfa hay and do some custom baling, mostly for neighbors. I just have not done much of the paying per bale.

I know this hay would not have alot of feed value, 2nd cutting would be better.

Thanks guys


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I would have a hard time paying anything. In our location the hay would not sell for much more than the cost to bale.
If I was going to have to pay for fertilizer and chemicals then around here I would be backing up if I had to pay rent or by the bale.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Minnesota is a big state. I would think some places that is way low others way high. Location is key. Here that may be fair to a tad low. 2 hours north extremely high. South and west probably way low.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm not paying anyone to cut their fields. You want your fields cut? OK, fine, but I keep the hay.
Crap, the guys getting his fields cut for free, what else do they want? Cows milked? Driveway snowplowed?


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## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

I agree, JD, i just picked up 10+ acres 3/4 of mile away. It's small patches and side hills but perfect for my small equipment. Mushroom guys come in and bale and just give a few bucks per big square bale. Land owner is a very nice guy, told me you cut what u want/tell me what you want to bale and i will keep the mushroom guys out or tell them to stay away completely, says whatever i can't cut as far as to steep or whatever he will come in with his disc mower and take it down lol. He knows by me haying it, it will get cut more often and i told him i will spray for weeds, he also is open to me planting new hay in a field or two this fall if it goes ok for me this summer. Ground needs lime and i may be able to get him to pay for the lime costs or help out. My ppoint is if the land owner is trying to get rich then he would be leasing to row cropers right? He just wants his fields cut at your time and labor.

I say as long as you are happy and feel like you can make money off the deal then it's a good deal on your end. I myself just offered a cousin $50/ac for lease on 7ac cause i knew it was flat ground that is better dirt then mine, and figure i just had to sell 100 bales to cover th lease.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

whitmerlegacyfarm said:


> I agree, JD, i just picked up 10+ acres 3/4 of mile away. It's small patches and side hills but perfect for my small equipment. Mushroom guys come in and bale and just give a few bucks per big square bale. Land owner is a very nice guy, told me you cut what u want/tell me what you want to bale and i will keep the mushroom guys out or tell them to stay away completely, says whatever i can't cut as far as to steep or whatever he will come in with his disc mower and take it down lol. He knows by me haying it, it will get cut more often and i told him i will spray for weeds, he also is open to me planting new hay in a field or two this fall if it goes ok for me this summer. Ground needs lime and i may be able to get him to pay for the lime costs or help out. My ppoint is if the land owner is trying to get rich then he would be leasing to row cropers right? He just wants his fields cut at your time and labor.
> 
> I say as long as you are happy and feel like you can make money off the deal then it's a good deal on your end. I myself just offered a cousin $50/ac for lease on 7ac cause i knew it was flat ground that is better dirt then mine, and figure i just had to sell 100 bales to cover th lease.


That's exactly how I built my hay business. Most people who owned land came to me because the BIG farmers were just that - too big for their property. They liked the idea of smaller, lighter equipment not doing excessive damage. They also like the idea of a neighborhood person caring for their land, not a guy from 25 miles away (although I think that's flawed thinking). 
Now I'm in the process of becoming a little bigger. I have to remember what got me here and not lose sight of that. Property owners who have guys like us farm their land look at us and ask themselves "will they leave big ruts"? "Are they going to damage my driveways,lawns, etc.?" 
My biggest hurdle moving forward is I have almost zero barn space. I have to address this issue or I won't be able to store quality hay and keep it dry.


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## hayward (Jan 26, 2012)

Jd I don't know if you can find any old ckicken house trusses around you, I didn't have a barn til last yr. poured some piers with plate imbedded in concrete, welded 8" channel iron five feet tall to plates, trusses set down in channel 7" r so an welded truss to channel. Anyway it'll hold 600 4x5 RB, cost 7000 for material. Payed friend 1000 to help. Cheapest thing I could come up with. 150'x32 12' eve


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I want to try to find a person who will give me the opportunity to build a pole barn. I think it can happen, but it's tricky business building a structure out of my pocket on someone else's property. 
You know the old saying "possession is 9/10th's of the law". 
It would involve some kind of land rental lease.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

You can put one up here.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

JD3430 said:


> I want to try to find a person who will give me the opportunity to build a pole barn. I think it can happen, but it's tricky business building a structure out of my pocket on someone else's property.
> You know the old saying "possession is 9/10th's of the law".
> It would involve some kind of land rental lease.


Sounds like a good option for hoop barn.If things don't work out you could move it or resell it.


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## ForemanTX (May 7, 2012)

Like what has already been said,I have one hay meadow on halfs,he has to fertilize it and the other I keep the hay but I do have to fertilize it and spray weeds. This way landowner keeps his ag exempt and doesnt mow,I get hay,win win for both...


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## Roller (Aug 1, 2013)

With cost of fuel, fertilizer ,twine Equiptment ,repair how can you sell hay under 30.00 per roll..triple 19 @ 634.00 per ton I am lost


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Roller said:


> With cost of fuel, fertilizer ,twine Equiptment ,repair how can you sell hay under 30.00 per roll..triple 19 @ 634.00 per ton I am lost


You can't ......unless you like losing money...


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