# How Much to Rent a Hay Field?



## Tim/South

There is an established 30-acre Bermuda hay field about 8 miles down the road from me. The owner is an older gent who once had cattle. I have noticed the field from the road just like we all do when driving. The field is well-maintained and looks to be fertilized.

A local who bales some hay on the side told my son that the man had offered the field to him on halves and he turned it down. The owner has sold half of the hay in the past.

I do not know his previous deals with those who baled the field before. I do not know if they split fertilizer costs or what. Most places around here will let you cut the old hay fields just to keep them clean. Fertilizing is your option. I would like to make an offer to rent the field from the man. I would fertilize and keep the hay. I am trying to carry more momma cows, retain heifers, and graze my land rather than keep parts for hay. I would be feeding the hay.

Any idea on how much per acre would be a fair offer on an established hay field?

Any input is welcome.
Thanks,
Tim


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## MorganT69

I rented 20 acres of Tifton 44 Bermuda for the last two years and this year I am letting it go because of the landlord raising the rent, however, I was paying $1200.00 a year for that ground for the first two years, and that is $60.00 an acre when she told me that she was going up to $2000.00 a year, I laughed at her and told her I wouldn't be renting it anymore. $100.00 an acre for hay ground is ridiculous, she has offered it to several of my friends, just called them up and told them the price and they laughed at her. 

I am willing to bet that ground doesn't get farmed this year and she will get nothing, but Oh well, I lost 20 acres and added 40 acres to my own farm so I am going to save that money and keep it in my pocket.


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## Tim/South

Thank you Morgan for the insight.
I can not imagine paying $100 an acre to rent for hay ground.

I had a friend face pretty much the same deal you had. He spent 3 years getting a T-44 hay field back in shape, lime and fertilizer. The lady doubled the rent after the third year.
I guess I need to drive over and just talk to the man and see what he has in mind.


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## swmnhay

Tim/South said:


> Thank you Morgan for the insight.
> I can not imagine paying $100 an acre to rent for hay ground.
> 
> I had a friend face pretty much the same deal you had. He spent 3 years getting a T-44 hay field back in shape, lime and fertilizer. The lady doubled the rent after the third year.
> I guess I need to drive over and just talk to the man and see what he has in mind.


I would love to rent hay ground for $100 acre HERE.


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## Nitram

This past year I went 60/40 with my brother (landlord ) and as stated on another thread the shares concept really does promote both sides to work together for mutual benefit. Perhaps they found out they could make 100 for cattle rent...but that would have to have fences and water. I would avoid cash rent here because one wind storm could cost you big time! IMHO


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## evan

Even $100 an acre would be a bargin here


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## Cozyacres

The average rent I pay for hay land is between $20 to $50 an acre. I pay all seed, fertilizer etc. I always get at least a 5 year lease with price locked in.


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## haybaler101

cozyacres said:


> The average rent I pay for hay land is between $20 to $50 an acre. I pay all seed, fertilizer etc. I always get at least a 5 year lease with price locked in.


WOW! Where do you guys find these landlords. $20/acre will not even pay the property taxes here.


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## Lazy J

If the ground is typical farmland then the rent should be similar to what is paid by row crop farmers PLUS an extra amount for the established hay crop.


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## MorganT69

Lazy J said:


> If the ground is typical farmland then the rent should be similar to what is paid by row crop farmers PLUS an extra amount for the established hay crop.


Thats what mine equated to, Row crop land around here rents for $40.00 to $100.00 on the top side of an acre. I just couldnt see paying premium when I already owned enough land to make up for it, so this year I am planting 40 acres. It doesnt make sense to me to rent when I already own but it was a good field that was already established, made sense at the time but not anymore.


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## Tim/South

Taxes: We have the lowest property taxes in the U.S. The state allows farmers a Current Use exemption. I pay between $4 and $6 per acre/year on agriculture property. Our state revenue is in sales tax. We tax those who spend, not those trying to buy a home or land to get ahead.

I met with the man yesterday. It was not the field I thought it was but one close to it.
The grass is fescue and clover. With the warm winter we have had it looks good already. He said he fertilized. Later he said that fertilizer was too high so he put 1500 lbs per acre of Basic Slag instead.
Last year he had it baled on halves and they sold the hay for $20 per roll.
Around here it is hard to get someone to bale on halves.
I tried to rent the field and he refused, said he may need to sell it if times get tough.
I decided to cut it one time on halves and see how it works out.
I would love to fertilize it but can not afford to for only half the hay.
He said they got a little over 100 rolls per cut last year.

We shall see.


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## mlappin

MorganT69 said:


> Thats what mine equated to, Row crop land around here rents for $40.00 to $100.00 on the top side of an acre. I just couldnt see paying premium when I already owned enough land to make up for it, so this year I am planting 40 acres.


Around here most ground in that price range is either suitable for tumbleweeds or rice.


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## swmnhay

mlappin said:


> Around here most ground in that price range is either suitable for tumbleweeds or rice.


Heck,1 guy was up to $80 acre for road ditch.HERE!

He filed bankruptcy once already.


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## MorganT69

Do you know if the fescue is endophyte free or not. If its not then its not going to be worth your time, read this The Fescue Endophyte Story around here you cant hardly give the stuff away. First question out of peoples mouths is does it have fescue in it. Some will buy it but they are the ones who will buy anything as long as its cheap. If Im going to spend my time in a field working, I mine as well be makeing money instead of for free. If you roll 100 rolls, and you get to keep 50 of them at $20.00 a roll, thats only $1000.00. By the time you pay the fuel and wear and tear and maybe a breakdown, you are working for dirt cheap. If you find some quality grass to bale you can make double that amount in the same amount of time and the same amount of wear and tear and fuel. Time = Money, I dont work cheap, I cant afford to.



Tim/South said:


> Taxes: We have the lowest property taxes in the U.S. The state allows farmers a Current Use exemption. I pay between $4 and $6 per acre/year on agriculture property. Our state revenue is in sales tax. We tax those who spend, not those trying to buy a home or land to get ahead.
> 
> I met with the man yesterday. It was not the field I thought it was but one close to it.
> The grass is fescue and clover. With the warm winter we have had it looks good already. He said he fertilized. Later he said that fertilizer was too high so he put 1500 lbs per acre of Basic Slag instead.
> Last year he had it baled on halves and they sold the hay for $20 per roll.
> Around here it is hard to get someone to bale on halves.
> I tried to rent the field and he refused, said he may need to sell it if times get tough.
> I decided to cut it one time on halves and see how it works out.
> I would love to fertilize it but can not afford to for only half the hay.
> He said they got a little over 100 rolls per cut last year.
> 
> We shall see.


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## LaneFarms

I do not see how you can pay those kinds of prices for hay land. Down here a typical hay rent is from $20-50 and acre for bermuda grass. Cropland that is atleast a square 160 acres will bring $100 up to maybe $150 with a well. With the the amounts of fertilizer required on our porous sands it just doesn't pencil to get carried away with land rent. Just for an example of how poor our sand is if you can grow 100 bushel corn on dryland you have done something to be proud of.


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## Teslan

Interesting conversation here. In Colorado we are leasing out one of our farms for $250 an acre. The farmer has it in grass hay. It's a different ball game here I guess. If you have a good pivot sprinkler system, good irrigation rights, and an irrigation well then you can get top dollar for rent (this is what our farm has). Doesn't matter what kind of crop the cash rent is the same. It all depends on the irrigation water and irrigation systems. If it's flood irrigation then it is much less in rent. If there is no water then it's approaches the kind of rent you folks are talking about below $100, but then it is only for dryland wheat or pasture. And not many farmers are going to be interested in 35 acres of dryland for dryland wheat.


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## Cozyacres

haybaler101 said:



> WOW! Where do you guys find these landlords. $20/acre will not even pay the property taxes here.


You can get low rental prices, or free, from guys that own land, mostly wooded with some tillable parts, for hunting. They come up from the southern part of the state near the bigger cities a couple of times a year to hunt. If you keep an eye on the land for them and they can get an ag assessment for taxes, everybody's happy!


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## blueriver

Just want to share what my part of the world does. I have a 60 acre field on 60/40 the landowner pays 40% of the expenses ... I have a 50 acre field on 50/50 that landowner pays for the fertilize and weed spray I cover the equipment and expenses...Another 30 acre field I do it all and the landowner gets 30% ... I just leased 80 acres about 40 acres of grass and 40 acres of tree's ... $12.50 an acre took a 5 year lease... take out the tree area and thats $25 acre for the bermuda field.... and I have a 40 acre parcel that the land owner does nothing, I pay nothing ... its year to year and he just wants to keep it cleaned up ... I roll it for cow hay... the last 80 is on a 60/40 and the landowner is supposed to fertilize and spray.

These are all Coastal, Bahia and Native prarrie grasses. And if we keep getting the good rains we have been getting I may get to bale a little hay this year ... last year we got first cuttings at about 30% of normal and then we watched them burn up.


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## Texasmark

Around here land rents for $14 per acre up to 100 ac. Usually it is worn out so regardless of what you want to do with it, you have to sock a lotta bucks into it.

Mark


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## DSLinc1017

Here in Vermont I have seen an average of $40 and acre strait rental. A 50/50 split is common for 1/2 the hay with the owner doing some tractor work or a 40/60 split with no land owner work. I have some friends who get the field and hay for free, in trade for just keeping the fields fields, especially for the city folk land owners who have their second (third and forth) homes here. granted, some of these fields are 5 and 10 acre plots with tree lined narrow cuts. some of the bales end up with a lot of branches, in the fall the bales tend to be very colorful from the foliage! However it really depends where you are in the state.


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## JD3430

DSLinc1017 said:


> Here in Vermont I have seen an average of $40 and acre strait rental. A 50/50 split is common for 1/2 the hay with the owner doing some tractor work or a 40/60 split with no land owner work. I have some friends who get the field and hay for free, in trade for just keeping the fields fields, especially for the city folk land owners who have their second (third and forth) homes here. granted, some of these fields are 5 and 10 acre plots with tree lined narrow cuts. some of the bales end up with a lot of branches, in the fall the bales tend to very colorful from the foliage! However it really depends where you are in the state.


What an interesting thread. Your situation is closest to mine. What I usually do is offer to bush hog rolling ground, under trees and little paddocks in lieu of paying for lease for a hay field. If a field is left un managed in my area, russian olive will take over in just a few years. 
What I wish I could learn is how to look at a field offered to me and know "is this good stuff, or does it need more work than it's worth"?


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