# Think we may have gotten into a bad deal



## Creekside Quarters (Dec 24, 2009)

Think we may of gotten into a bad deal.

Heres the situation:

Usually we would only cut and bale our own farm so we don't know alot about custom farming. Well this year a friend and neighbor asked if we could cut and bale his pasture. He has about 10 acres of orchard grass and field is pretty rectangular and flat as a pancake. He offered to split 50/50 the hay which we baled or if we could sell it out of the field split the total amount 50/50 and not knowing any better we agreed. Well after agreeing to it and cutting is yesterday, I started thinking that maybe it wasn't a smart move on our part. We will be the ones doing all of the work with the exception of him helping us pickup bales outta field, and we will be using all of our equipment and our fuel and our time operating the equipment. So the way I figured, if we split the hay or value of the hay with him, we still have to account for our time, machinery, fuel, etc, he will end up making more on the deal than we are.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated









Think we should've charged by bale or something.

Thanks,

Dave
Maryland


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## Haymike56 (May 3, 2010)

Dave,
I do the same deal with people in my area. The way I look at it I don't have the money to go out and buy property here (aprox. 18k per ac.) or pay the $150.00 plus per ac rent so if they have a nice piece and there is plenty of hay on it I will keep the deal. If the yield is not up to what I thought it would be I will give them the option to find someone new or increace my share for next year. I am a stand up guy and if I make a deal I will complete it.


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## OneManShow (Mar 17, 2009)

Around here custom work goes around 50-65 per ton. So depending on hay prices in your area, you're probably doing OK with a 50/50 split.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

50/50 split is customary here in Illinois for hay ground. But, it all depends....

Is the field good quality forage? Easy to work? Fertilized? Limed? 2-3 cuttings for orchardgrass or fescue per year? Figure what you would spend per acre for rental ground and that an acre typically produces 2-4 tons of forage/acre (2 for grass, 3-4 for alfalfa), then check what hay is going for in your area (get the auction prices from the USDA site). A 50/50 deal on one cutting may be a good deal...or not!

All you can do is try it, then evaluate. But, having committed for this year, I would suggest you stay with the deal. If you want to change it, change it next year after you have a better feel for how it worked. And allow for the weather, which is out of both you and your friends control!

I try not to do business with friends or family. I value the relationship more than the deal. And sometimes deals go sour even under the best of efforts by everybody involved.

Ralph


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## Creekside Quarters (Dec 24, 2009)

The field is actually dual purpose. He uses it as pasture for his 4 horses and they usually cannot keep up with the growth and then it ends up needing mowing and baling. Its a mix of orchardgrass (70%) and clover (30%). I am pretty sure it doesn't get limed and the only fertilizer it gets is whatever the horses leave behind. But I would imagine 2 fair cuttings a season.

In our area there is hardly and ground available to rent for haying operations, row crops dominate atleast 95% of farmland in our county. Usually row crop rentals are anywhere between $65-$90/ac. and have never heard of any rates for hay ground in our area.

Hay prices around here usually average between $3-$6 dollars for a square bale and $40-$60 for round bale for horse quality. This field is really matured and probably should've been cut in early May, it was like 3 feet tall and completely seeded. So i would imagine it's gonna be cow or goat quality, $2.00 bale.


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## Feed Hay (May 30, 2008)

I do some 50-50 split in Southern IL. They do fertilize it and it is a clover/OG/timothy field I did not have to plant. Ground down here is expensive and hay ground hard to come by because row crops rule. I think you did alright.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Creekside Quarters said:


> The field is actually dual purpose. He uses it as pasture for his 4 horses and they usually cannot keep up with the growth and then it ends up needing mowing and baling. Its a mix of orchardgrass (70%) and clover (30%).
> 
> This field is really matured and probably should've been cut in early May, it was like 3 feet tall and completely seeded. So i would imagine it's gonna be cow or goat quality, $2.00 bale.


If it's being used as horse pasture, you could end up with piles of manure in your bales. These could then cause toxicity problems when fed.

For orchardgrass, it's waaaay past prime! Orchardgrass peaks at about 12% crude protein around May 15th and looses about 1% every week after that until it gets down to about 6-7%.

You will probably get a decent 2nd cutting around September 15th.

Ralph


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## David in Georgia (Aug 30, 2009)

Sounds like a very bad deal to me. You'll have manure in your hay and then people will complain and the word will spread like wildfire. Around here people ask all the time about doing a 50/50 split but it's not worth it even when you get 2/3 here. No one fertilizes, limes or sprays so it's always full of junk. If it were me I'd do it this first cut and then inform them that it's not worth while. Either way it goes I wish you luck.


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## JDSafeman (May 10, 2010)

I feel your pain. I do a couple of fields on halves. Coastal bermuda, 3 to 4 round bales per acre. (5 x 5 bales) It is a good deal for both of us.

But... I recently did a "favor for a friend of a friend", 35 acres of rough ground and poor grass. Less than 1 bale per acre. Not only did I lose money but the "friend of the friend" complained that the last people who baled it made more bales.









The field was so rough I broke my rake.
I will not be doing that field again.

If you have committed to do it, then stick to your word. Otherwise find a nice way to back out.

I know some people who bale anything. Horse manure in it may cause problems as mentioned.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

[quote name='rjmoses']If it's being used as horse pasture, you could end up with piles of manure in your bales.

If you have a tedder it will remedy 95% of the horse manure. The dry manure will scatter to the ground very finely. The wetter will outweigh the grass hay and go straight to the bottom(ground).









Regards, Mike


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

I think your deal can be ok if handled right. Like VOL said, I would run a tedder thru it to disperse the manure and roll it up. In between cuttings, I would pull a pasture drag over it to break up the piles. Hopefully you will be able to get 2 more good cuttings of quality hay of this land. The split is not a bad one if the hay has some quality. Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

On shares I get 2/3's, custom rate is $12.50/acre for mowing, $5/acre for tedding (each time if more than one pass is required), $5/acre for raking, $8 a bale for round baling.


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## blueriver (Oct 19, 2009)

Creekside Quarters said:


> Think we may of gotten into a bad deal.
> 
> Heres the situation:
> 
> ...


So, how did this work out for You? I have one 40 acre on 50/50 he does the lime and the fertilzer per soil test. I have another 35 acres on 60/40 the land owner covers 40% of the lime and fertilizer per soil test ... One 25 acre field he wants nothing to do with expenses so I am 70/30 on that one ... and the others I get all the hay Just to keep the places cleaned up.


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