Hay baling rates

[chevytaHOE5674]

DOT would only bother you on the highways. I farm on 2 sides of a river that the only crossing is the highway bridge right thru town so I see the state patrol very often.

I used to make 5' wide bales and sideroads with mailboxes and traffic were interesting. Ha

 

[Travlr]

Hello. I am considering using my hay baling equipment to bale for others. My baler is a John Deere 450E. Max bale diameter is 60 inch but I set machine at 57 inch. What is a fair price to charge for cutting raking and leaving the net wrapped bale on the field. I am in East Texas near Huntsville. Thanks in advance for any comments

I use a very simple equation. Whatever the price of hay is, baling is worth half of that. If you make a hundred bales you should be paid half of the value of those 100 bales. Alternatively, you might find it to your advantage to take half the bales home. It's always nice to have extra and you can always sell it in January/February when some are starting to find out they didn't stock up enough.

 

[callmefence]

Good advice.
We have also cut partial when time is short, rain coming etc..
Cut half or so and get it put up and hold til after the weather. Time is everything when cutting and baling!

Also...
For those crappy fields. Fields that ain't been cut in forever etc. Helps to have an old pos to cut it with the first time!! Expect breakdowns! It will happen on that type stuff and charge accordingly, letting the customer know in advance.

I've got a little drum mower for that kinda deal but usually it it's to rough and full of trash it's a skid steer and brush mower during the winter months. Knock it down rake it up and burn it.

I use a very simple equation. Whatever the price of hay is, baling is worth half of that. If you make a hundred bales you should be paid half of the value of those 100 bales. Alternatively, you might find it to your advantage to take half the bales home. It's always nice to have extra and you can always sell it in January/February when some are starting to find out they didn't stock up enough.

How does that work.?
Not all hay is of equal value. But it cost the same to put in bales. I do plenty on the split and thirds. But there's some I wouldn't haul home for free. Still the same price to bale

 

[alacowman1]

Once you start baling for the public..you need to have plenty of understandings soles lined up..and a lot of Tylenol on hand..

 

[Travlr]

How does that work.?
Not all hay is of equal value. But it cost the same to put in bales. I do plenty on the split and thirds. But there's some I wouldn't haul home for free. Still the same price to bale

If it's not worth baling... then it isn't worth baling.

Just because you can think of an exception doesn't mean the original solution doesn't apply. If somebody wants you to bale rocks or cactus you don't have to agree to do the job. If someone wants to pay you, then figure your rate on what you would get from a hay field you would gladly bale on shares.

 

[callmefence]

If it's not worth baling... then it isn't worth baling.

Just because you can think of an exception doesn't mean the original solution doesn't apply. If somebody wants you to bale rocks or cactus you don't have to agree to do the job. If someone wants to pay you, then figure your rate on what you would get from a hay field you would gladly bale on shares.

I'm not talking about baling rocks . Don't try to distract me with bullshyt

I'm talking about figuring my rate based on my cost and my needed profit margin. Figuring my rate based on the value of someone else's product when I'm getting payed cash doesn't make sense.
So you charge 12.00 for cornstalk

And 50.00 for coastal...

 

[BFE]

So if my math is correct my 4x5.5' bales have roughly 95ft³ in them. A 5x4.5 bale has 79ft³ in it and a 5x5 has 98ft³ in it. So at those heights the x5' wide bales have no real advantage.

Now go to a full 5x6 bale and there's like 141ft³ which gets ultra heavy at 50% moisture.

Yep. Just can't handle 5x6 wet. Dry no problem.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Charging based on 50% of value seems crazy. I bale over mature Reed canary grass for bedding and its worth $25 a bale to sell and I bale good timothy hay and sell it for $60+ a bale. My actual cost to roll up the 2 products is very similar but by the 50% formula you would get paid $12.50 to bale one and $30 to bale the other.

 

[Travlr]

I'm not talking about baling rocks . Don't try to distract me with bullshyt

I'm talking about figuring my rate based on my cost and my needed profit margin. Figuring my rate based on the value of someone else's product when I'm getting payed cash doesn't make sense.
So you charge 12.00 for cornstalk

And 50.00 for coastal...

Sorry you are being offended. That's not my intention. I'm just saying how I figure what I will pay... and advised the OP to use that kind of calculation. Of course there are variables that would tilt things one way or another. I'd never bale corn stalks, rocks, or cactus, so my error if that wasn't part of my thinking. Anybody smart enough to keep hay equipment going would understand and adjust accordingly. It's just a basic starting point.

And if you don't like what I said you are certainly free to ignore it.

 

[callmefence]

Sorry you are being offended. That's not my intention. I'm just saying how I figure what I will pay... and advised the OP to use that kind of calculation. Of course there are variables that would tilt things one way or another. I'd never bale corn stalks, rocks, or cactus, so my error if that wasn't part of my thinking. Anybody smart enough to keep hay equipment going would understand and adjust accordingly. It's just a basic starting point.

And if you don't like what I said you are certainly free to ignore it.

Im sure you would like that.
And of course the fact that you call me offended pretty much proves you where offended by me questioning the ridiculous idea of your post. Instead of attempting to explaining the logic of it you snapped about rocks and pears.
I will stand my ground on what imo is horrible advice by someone I suspect doesn't know what they're talking about.
If you where roofing a house would you charge based on the value of the house.
Now you can ignore my opinion.

 

[daneg]

https://pubsaskdev.blob.core.windows.net/pubsask-prod/85808/Farm%2BMachinery%2BCustom%2Band%2BRental%2BRate%2BGuide%2B2020-21.pdf

Dollars are Canuck buck.

 

[callmefence]

https://pubsaskdev.blob.core.windows.net/pubsask-prod/85808/Farm%2BMachinery%2BCustom%2Band%2BRental%2BRate%2BGuide%2B2020-21.pdf

Dollars are Canuck buck.

Interesting.
When in doubt on skid steer/ tractor work. I use the .0015 rule. Replacement cost of machine x.0015 + operater pay.
So a 50,000.00 machine for example. needs to bring 75.00 per hour plus operator pay.

On ag service you usually have to do without the pay.lol

 

[Hogfarmer10]

I guess I'm the odd man out. Northeast TN. I bale 5x6. Any custom baled is $10 a bale. (Twine tied). 2 neighbors also bale 5x6. One gets $9 (twine tied). Other one gets $12 (net wrapped). 2 more neighbors bale also. 1 is 4x5 netwapped, he charges $9, and other one bales 4x6, he gets $11. All within a 3 mile radius. And everyone sells it for $30-$45/ bale

 

[Brute 23]

I guess I'm the odd man out. Northeast TN. I bale 5x6. Any custom baled is $10 a bale. (Twine tied). 2 neighbors also bale 5x6. One gets $9 (twine tied). Other one gets $12 (net wrapped). 2 more neighbors bale also. 1 is 4x5 netwapped, he charges $9, and other one bales 4x6, he gets $11. All within a 3 mile radius. And everyone sells it for $30-$45/ bale

Cut, rake, and bale for $10?

I'm pretty sure most are talking turn key here.

 

[jltrent]

I guess I'm the odd man out. Northeast TN. I bale 5x6. Any custom baled is $10 a bale. (Twine tied). 2 neighbors also bale 5x6. One gets $9 (twine tied). Other one gets $12 (net wrapped). 2 more neighbors bale also. 1 is 4x5 netwapped, he charges $9, and other one bales 4x6, he gets $11. All within a 3 mile radius. And everyone sells it for $30-$45/ bale

That is pretty inline to around here. Unless you are hobby farming with the cost of fertilizer (900+ a ton), taxes and baling fees might as well sell the cattle and save a pile of money on some of the quotes I have read in the previous posts. I don't even have to pencil it to figure that out.

Corporate greed has made farming a losing hobby.

 

[callmefence]

That is pretty inline to around here. Unless you are hobby farming with the cost of fertilizer (900+ a ton), taxes and baling fees might as well sell the cattle and save a pile of money on some of the quotes I have read in the previous posts. I don't even have to pencil it to figure that out.

Corporate greed has made farming a losing hobby.

Can you pencil someone custom baling for 10.00and making a profit? 10 bales per acre maybe???

 

[callmefence]

I guess I'm the odd man out. Northeast TN. I bale 5x6. Any custom baled is $10 a bale. (Twine tied). 2 neighbors also bale 5x6. One gets $9 (twine tied). Other one gets $12 (net wrapped). 2 more neighbors bale also. 1 is 4x5 netwapped, he charges $9, and other one bales 4x6, he gets $11. All within a 3 mile radius. And everyone sells it for $30-$45/ bale

Maybe 5 custom balers in a 3 mile radius is to many?

 

[jltrent]

Can you pencil someone custom baling for 10.00and making a profit? 10 bales per acre maybe???

No way, but can you pencil with the price of cattle $900+ a ton fertilizer, high property taxes, cost of labor, fencing and everything else going into cattle plus over $30 a bale to bale penciling out.

With the cost of equipment, fuel, tractor drivers, repairs etc. also it is hard to pencil out getting much less that $30 a bale to bale and making anything. A decent 80-90 hp tractor is 80k plus and a new baler is 40k. My tractors use over 4 gallons of diesel and hour and there is $200 a ten hour day.

 

[callmefence]

No way, but can you pencil with the price of cattle $900+ a ton fertilizer, high property taxes, cost of labor, fencing and everything else going into cattle plus over $30 a bale to bale penciling out.

With the cost of equipment, fuel, tractor drivers, repairs etc. also it is hard to pencil out getting much less that $30 a bale to bale and making anything. A decent 80-90 hp tractor is 80k plus and a new baler is 40k.

I certainly agree with everything you said.
But nonetheless people will hire custom balers, and people will buy hay. So it creates work. That's what it is work. Just because one guy is running a losing business doesn't mean the other should as well.

 

[jltrent]

I certainly agree with everything you said.
But nonetheless people will hire custom balers, and people will buy hay. So it creates work. That's what it is work. Just because one guy is running a losing business doesn't mean the other should as well.

Around here a lot of tax write off hobby farmers that don't depend on a profit from cattle. I have read several of your previous post as you said hurts everybody else and I agree.