First generation farmer.

[Montanaidiot]

Everyone here has helped me so much with my cattle hobby I thought I would run this adventure by everyone.

This fall 340 acres of irrigated hay ground is coming up. And from past auction I think I can afford it

Now this is where it gets scary. I have been making a giant excel sheet trying to see if it's feasible to do and its starting to look like I can pull it off.

I have actually worked this place before as a young man and literally right across the road is lots of support and experience to keep me from doing too stupid of things.

I will put up a screenshot of what I have so far. Please let me know what I'm missing and if figures look correct.

Also any advice?

 

[SBMF 2015]

Looks like your on the right track. Your repairs might be a little low, but 5K is a good avg to shoot for.

 

[Nkline]

What kind of hay are you growing? Is that a long term price per ton average? Can you consistently get good hay made?

 

[Montanaidiot]

What kind of hay are you growing? Is that a long term price per ton average? Can you consistently get good hay made?

What kind of hay are you growing? Is that a long term price per ton average? Can you consistently get good hay made?

Grass and alfalfa, and yes I believe so. 120 is kinda a long term number I feel safe using. Even tho this year during a drought it's going for 250. I was told 3.5 ton an acre for first and second cutting but I really try and play out worst case.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Looks like your on the right track. Your repairs might be a little low, but 5K is a good avg to shoot for.

Looks like your on the right track. Your repairs might be a little low, but 5K is a good avg to shoot for.

Ya maybe 10k would be a better number. It will be older equipment

 

[1982vett]

Thought everyone on here sold hay for $25 a roll….

Oh yeah…Uncle Sam is going to want about $4400 of the $17800.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Thought everyone on here sold hay for $25 a roll….

Oh yeah…Uncle Sam is going to want about $4400 of the $17800.

O ya. Uncle Sam is not a nice man...

 

[Dsth]

seems like you put a lot of time and effort into your spreadsheet. the trick will be to stay below your expenses and above your expected income. good luck

 

[Montanaidiot]

seems like you put a lot of time and effort into your spreadsheet. the trick will be to stay below your expenses and above your expected income. good luck

Thanks. I have a ton to learn still and fine tuning. My real farmer friends are probably getting tired of my question

 

[LocustDaleCattleCompany]

Unless you can get fertilizer cheap that number looks low to me but that's the only item that jumped out at me. Definitely some thought out into the spreadsheet!

 

[Nkline]

Grass and alfalfa, and yes I believe so. 120 is kinda a long term number I feel safe using. Even tho this year during a drought it's going for 250. I was told 3.5 ton an acre for first and second cutting but I really try and play out worst case.

Doesn't look bad, make sure you do the math with alfalfa fertilizer removal rates so you don't slowly run the place down (you can give some credit for your ground mineralizeing some fertility), alfalfa is a hungry crop. Boron likely needs to be one of the fertilizers in your mix also, just FYI . Sometimes it is easier to control weeds in a mono crop.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Doesn't look bad, make sure you do the math with alfalfa fertilizer removal rates so you don't slowly run the place down (you can give some credit for your ground mineralizeing some fertility), alfalfa is a hungry crop. Boron likely needs to be one of the fertilizers in your mix also, just FYI . Sometimes it is easier to control weeds in a mono crop.

I'm not sure what they use around there for fertilizer just 135 lbs an acre. I'm thinking I will test the soil anyway just to see. (That is if the good lord want me to be a farmer) lol

My next question to them and I'm sure it completely depends is how often I would have to spray for weeds. My friends farm is a few miles away and his dad's is right across the road. They told me about this place so I have lots time to see if I can make it work before the auction.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Unless you can get fertilizer cheap that number looks low to me but that's the only item that jumped out at me. Definitely some thought out into the spreadsheet!

It might be. He wasn't sure he just said he paid 10g for 200 acres of his so a little research and backwards math that was my best guess for 300.

I wish I could zoom out more. I have cost benefit of adding cattle, fuel consumption calculator, ect. My wife thinks I'm crazy

 

[Nkline]

The removal rate of P for alfalfa is about 15-20 lbs per ton removed, and K is 50-60 lbs per ton. A recent look of fertilizer prices has P costing around 0.59 a lb and K around 0.38 a lb. So at low removal rate on 3.5 tons/acre you end up with about $31 per acre P and about $67 per acre K + spreading $6ish plus possibly micros so $104+ an acre, fertilizer recently went up and will probably stay there a year or two.

 

[Montanaidiot]

The removal rate of P for alfalfa is about 15-20 lbs per ton removed, and K is 50-60 lbs per ton. A recent look of fertilizer prices has P costing around 0.59 a lb and K around 0.38 a lb. So at low removal rate on 3.5 tons/acre you end up with about $31 per acre P and about $67 per acre K + spreading $6ish plus possibly micros so $104+ an acre, fertilizer recently went up and will probably stay there a year or two.

Wow thats amazingly helpfull!!! I will build all that in. Thank you so much.

Is 3.5 tons pretty average? Google said 3.4 so I did my math at 3 just cause I would rather error on the side of being broke and not rich

 

[Nkline]

Go to the web soil survey and look up expected yields for the field, web soil survey usually gives lower yields than you can achieve. It will give you soil series and more info that is helpful also.

 

[Montanaidiot]

Go to the web soil survey and look up expected yields for the field, web soil survey usually gives lower yields than you can achieve. It will give you soil series and more info that is helpful also.

Thats an amazing website. Looks like 51,52 and a little 53. Which doesn't look good according to this. Am I missing reading this info?

 

[BlondeD]

Nkline has some great thoughts there.......Boron was one addition I needed here on my alfalfa patch. Also me and my bud are fine tuning the timing on cutting, raking, baling........keeping leaf loss low. And chasing parts on some older equipment......!!

 

[Montanaidiot]

Thats an amazing website. Looks like 51,52 and a little 53. Which doesn't look good according to this. Am I missing reading this info?

They are classified as 6s and 4e. Which neither says is good. But everyone there makes hay. So idk

 

[Brute 23]

I dont see any labor costs.