# Turnkey hay operation for sale.



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I'm not sure farming hay is exactly turnkey, but here is an ad on craigslist for some guys operation. I'm not entirely sure how one would farm up to 1500 acres with the machinery they are selling.

http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/bfs/3597162318.html


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

_Did a quick calculation with tractorhouse prices.Looks like about 100K should buy it all._

_Must think the BLUE SKY ,is worth alot of money.(Leases and customer list)_


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I have no idea what value could be put on the list, but not $150,000 that's for sure unless that is including paying the leases.


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## Farmall1956 (Feb 15, 2013)

1500 acres of hay is a lot hay to bale. Can't imagine baling that much hay


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

Can't imagine baling that much hay with that equipment. Talk about a nightmare!


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

What are the tons per acre in that area on non-irrigated? From what I see there's no tedding or raking needed. The weather is supposed to be pretty accommodating of haying day after day. You'd need to put up what, 30 acres a day on average? I guess its all in the tons per acre.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Everything you need for a successful business... why are they selling out then?


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Really 1,500 acres in hay is not a REAL big opration. 
I know of one with more ground tied up in pivot tracks than I farm.
They mow with two large Swathers, bale with 3 large square balers, and has 50 hands working all summer season. 
Bales two or three circles an night. Most night for several weeks running.

The trick is to have the Customer base and know their individual needs.
Be able to put up the current Dairy Quality Hay, as well as traditional Dairy Quality Hay, and supply the distant horse market.

Best to have a good reliable water supply an an Arid Climate.


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## gradyjohn (Jul 17, 2012)

Mayne 500 acres and he cuts it three times a year. 3 x 1500 is a lot for what he has.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

In this area non irrigated hay fields yield next to nothing. In fact decent grass or alfalfa will not be alive the next year if there is no irrigation. It would still be an a lot of work to farm 1500 acres if the person had to be in charge of irrigation as well. If the land owners were in charge of irrigation then it would be easier. But to do that much with this person's equipment would be impossible. That swather he has for sale can't even cut decent grass hay at all.	My cousin farms about 450 acres. Has one rotary Hesston, two small balers, and two self propelled 160 bale hay stackers and still didn't have time to get all 1st cutting in without hiring big balers to do 180 acres custom (me and another guy). 1st cutting is the hardest as everything needs to be cut at the same time and that's the heaviest cutting. 2nd-4th cuttings are easier because the fields are ready to cut at different times and there is less per acre.	To be successful you need to be putting up about 80 acres a day or more to be farming 1500 acres. 30 acres a day is way too little to accomplish farming 1500 acres and have any sort of quality. Also yes the weather does promote good haying, but we do get rain showers from time to time that can ruin a lot of hay quickly. A neighbor here hays about 1200 acres and he has 3 rotary swathers, 2 4x4 balers, 2 NH hay rakes, and a Proag large bale stacker. Plus when they are really busy they run loaders and semi trucks to get the hay off. The equipment that is for sale on this operation really is only good to handle about 80-120 acres and put up any quality hay.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Not to hijack, but with nice equipment, fields clustered together, round baling 4x5 hay like me, what is the most hay you think one such as myself could do? Assume medium growth grass hay. Roundness left on fields edge, trucking, fertilizing, spraying are subcontracted.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

JD3430 said:


> Not to hijack, but with nice equipment, fields clustered together, round baling 4x5 hay like me, what is the most hay you think one such as myself could do? Assume medium growth grass hay. Roundness left on fields edge, trucking, fertilizing, spraying are subcontracted.


I used to do 430 acres round baling 5x6 rd bales.1 baler.1 disc mower/cond.1 rake.Bales stacked on ends of fields.Fields spread out over 38 miles on 8 different farms.1 full time(myself) and 2 part time.TO MUCH WORK.









3 times per yr.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Not to hijack, but with nice equipment, fields clustered together, round baling 4x5 hay like me, what is the most hay you think one such as myself could do? Assume medium growth grass hay. Roundness left on fields edge, trucking, fertilizing, spraying are subcontracted.


Are you considering the small fields like you do or large 100-150 acre fields?


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

1500 acres is my goal on my ten year 
Plan. Bet yer bibby there'll be a lot 'ore equipment than that! I just don't see it as possible. That's pretty much my setup on 150 acres. Maybe it was a typo.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

hillside hay said:


> 1500 acres is my goal on my ten year
> Plan. Bet yer bibby there'll be a lot 'ore equipment than that! I just don't see it as possible. That's pretty much my setup on 150 acres. Maybe it was a typo.


 You have a good point there. But then $250,000 is way to much then for sure. One thing though. He is using a 16x18 inch baler rather then the 14X18 inch. I use one of those myself (but newer) You can go through a field a lot faster. Stacking doesn't take as long either. But still not fast enough for 1500 acres.

So for buying an operating hay business. A number of years ago we had a hay broker that would buy hay from us. He financed his whole college education by hauling hay. After graduating and getting a regular job he said no more throwing bales. So he sold his client list, truck, trailer to a teacher who was going to haul hay in the summer. Don't know how much he sold his operation for, but the teacher lasted only a couple of loads hauled and quit. Just thought I would share that little story.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Teslan said:


> Are you considering the small fields like you do or large 100-150 acre fields?


Small fields. 10-50 acres. Clustered pretty close together. One is 5 mile down the road.

Someday I'm gonna land "the big tuna" and then I'll have all the hay my ass can make. Can't wait to get that field.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Dad and I cut 1500 acres total (total of all cuttings) in the summer of 2009. Would not have been too bad except we did it in about 14 days cause it rained the whole summer. We cut, tedded, raked, baled and stored it all between the 2 of us plus spread fertilizer and sprayed. Bout killed us both!


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

haybaler101 said:


> Dad and I cut 1500 acres total (total of all cuttings) in the summer of 2009. Would not have been too bad except we did it in about 14 days cause it rained the whole summer. We cut, tedded, raked, baled and stored it all between the 2 of us plus spread fertilizer and sprayed. Bout killed us both!


What kind of bales?


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Teslan said:


> What kind of bales?


All of the above. Small squares, 3x3's and rounds.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Very impressive. I bet you won't take on that much again. I would say you were lying if you had said it was all small bales.







I've noticed that the larger hay farmers are around here the poorer their quality is. Like baling alfalfa at the right moisture goes out the window and they are baling it when the temp is 98 degrees at 12 percent humidity.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Teslan said:


> Very impressive. I bet you won't take on that much again. I would say you were lying if you had said it was all small bales.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah we tried in 2008 to do 180 acres of alfalfa with a small square. Did all of 1st cut in rounds as balage and made it half way thru 2nd cut and bought a big square baler. 30 acres a day with a small square is pushing it and picking up bales sucks even with an accumulator. 3X3 big square and 100 acres a day is no problem. Working back up in acres again, planning to be in the 200 to 250 acre alfalfa range in the next two years, but with more help and more efficiencies built in.

Teslan, you are right, when equipment and labor is maxed out, quality drops. You just don't have time to sit and wait or can't drive hard enough to beat the weather.


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## BigO (Feb 16, 2013)

I do 300 acres a year. Took me one week with good equipment. Did 1200 4x5 round bales and about 2000 small square. One man. This year I will be adding a new tool to speed up the process. Check it out on you tube.






http://balebuggy.blogspot.ca/


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

BigO said:


> View attachment 416
> I do 300 acres a year. Took me one week with good equipment. Did 1200 4x5 round bales and about 2000 small square. One man. This year I will be adding a new tool to speed up the process. Check it out on you tube.
> 
> 
> ...


BigO, how's about a location in your profile.....that piece looks like a good idea but does it really speed up the process of collecting bales out of the field considerably? I like the Vermeer retrieval trailer, I think Hesston built some, those seem like a more efficient method.....also you said it took you a week, do you only cut one time? Gets back to that location thingy.....


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Gym tractors aren't exactly household names in hay making. There's a hesston 6600 for sale near me with a Chrysler v 6 in it for about $2500. The stack wagon kind of makes it possible to do a lot of work on your own, but the equipment sounds like maybe 100-125 tops sold at auction.


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## Farmall1956 (Feb 15, 2013)

I baled around 400 4x5 round bales last year while working full time by myself. Told wife I had to quit full time job and just bale hay. I had like two weekends off all summer and I am getting to old to do both. She agreed. Hallelujah. I retired in 2004 and was double dipping, so I was contributing to the household.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Gym tractors aren't exactly household names in hay making. There's a hesston 6600 for sale near me with a Chrysler v 6 in it for about $2500. The stack wagon kind of makes it possible to do a lot of work on your own, but the equipment sounds like maybe 100-125 tops sold at auction.


I had to search to find out what kind of tractor that even was.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I think they're Korean. Not that it's bad, but not real well known in US. I always had respect for a guy willing to take a chance on unknown names like that. Most times it doesn't work out.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Teslan said:


> I've noticed that the larger hay farmers are around here the poorer their quality is. Like baling alfalfa at the right moisture goes out the window and they are baling it when the temp is 98 degrees at 12 percent humidity.


I wouldn't say that here.If you are running more acres you are equiped to do it faster.And your hay ground probably comes before other things.I see some small guys raking and baleing bone dry hay after work and end up with sticks.When they should of been out in the morning with a dew on it.Their first priority is off farm job.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> I wouldn't say that here.If you are running more acres you are equiped to do it faster.And your hay ground probably comes before other things.I see some small guys raking and baleing bone dry hay after work and end up with sticks.When they should of been out in the morning with a dew on it.Their first priority is off farm job.


Have to agree. I was one of "them" till I met you all. Knowledge is a wonderful thing!


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

swmnhay said:


> I wouldn't say that here.If you are running more acres you are equiped to do it faster.And your hay ground probably comes before other things.I see some small guys raking and baleing bone dry hay after work and end up with sticks.When they should of been out in the morning with a dew on it.Their first priority is off farm job.


I also agree IF THE WEATHER COOPERATES IN INDIANA! In 2008 and 2009 it rained 5 out of every seven days and the only way you could make quality hay was to have equipment for 500 acres and only bale about 5. 2012 was nice, it never rained, no humidity, no dew and could bale all nite long and make beautiful hay. Only problem is HAY DOESN'T GROW WITHOUT WATER!


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Its all I want to handle with 100 acres in small squares, if we had better weather in this area we could do 500 acres with our equipment. Most of the time its sitting waiting for the rain to stop or the sun to come out.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

My big dream is 500 acres of round bales with just my son or daughter helping me. Great way to bond and never stop learning!!!


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