Haying on shares, what do you do?

[Bobg]

I lost 15 acres of hay ground this year so I posted a not at the local coop and on an internet board that I was looking. One fellow responded that he has 40 acres, produced 50 ton last year. He wants to go a 50/50 share. I haven't looked at it yet, but it's more acres than I wanted. With distance and the work involved, I'll have to put up his share also I'm thinking of offering a 60/40 share.

What kind of deal does everyone else have? I also am going to look at a place that has 16 acres, but I can pasture it also. This is brome/orchard grass and we get one cutting and average 1.5 tons/acre.

Bobg

 

[Herefordcross]

With fuel and having to put it up, I wouldn't do any better than 70/30! But that's me, I guess it depends on your situation.

 

[Stepper]

I get 3/4 of the hay for cutting and bailing it. I offer to buy their 1/4 for what ever the going rate is.

 

[Stepper]

On 60/40 and having to haul the hay for any distance at all. I would think you would come out better buying hay. There is no-way i would do it on a 50/50 split.

 

[frenchie]

I get 3/4 of the hay for cutting and bailing it. I offer to buy their 1/4 for what ever the going rate is.

Do you quarentee it is put up in good shape?

 

[George]

I get 3/4 of the hay for cutting and bailing it. I offer to buy their 1/4 for what ever the going rate is.

Do you quarentee it is put up in good shape?

Pretty hard to guarantee it is put up in good shape.Might be excellent hay when you cut it,but then it might rain for the next week.

 

[bigbull338]

if you really need the hay/a 50/50 splitt is a good deal.so if the hay will help you id jump on it.ive got 80acs of hay right now thats belly deep.going cut it on shares in 2wks.i know why wait to cut.b/c its raining here alot off an on an dont want the hay wett.

 

[EIEIO]

50/50 used to be the norm least before I got my own equipment but I'm sure it varies by area and what is available.

If your the one doing the cutting you will know it's been done right and will know what your getting over buying already baled hay(rained on, full of weeds, etc.) If you got the time and hay is in short supply I'd do it however when I put it on paper it looks like I can buy hay cheaper than I can cut it but I have the equipment and it's paid for.

When you say you would have to "put up his share" what does that mean? Does he want it hauled and stacked in a barn somewhere? Whenever I had someone come in and do a 50/50 split with me I'd usually stack my own. If the person is wanting you to haul his share any kind of distance at all I'd try for a 60/40 split as the hauling and stacking takes up a lot of time.

If you agree to stacking his and where it needs put up at is some distance from where it's going to be cut at make darn sure he has a tractor (that runs!) there for you to use to unload it.

Your deal don't sound bad as long as if you got to put his up their barn or stack yard is on the property it's being baled at. Also as I'm sure you know 40 acres is going to take you over twice as long as the 15 acres your wanting and only you know your time limits and how much hay your going to need. To me 15 acres just don't sound like much to mess with unless it's within a mile of my house.

J

 

[Stepper]

frenchie

No i dont gaurantee it. I do not custom bail hay to make money. I only cut for myself and if i am needing the hay. And if someone has a hay meadow that they are wanting to get cut for some reason and they are not needing the hay. I will cut/bail it for 3/4 of the hay.

And i try my best to put the hay up as good as i can since i am the one who is getting 3/4 of it exspecially. Because i would be the one losing out if the hay was not put up properly. But no matter who i am cutting the hay for i am going to try my best to do it right. But i think most people who bail their own hay will agree that sometime's unexpected thing's happen that may cause the hay to not be put up exactly the way you want it put up. Such as mechanical break down's, unexpected rain etc.....,

But even if you have your hay custom bailed alot of the time they will not be able to cut it at optimom cutting time due to being spread out cutting hay for other customer's. And they have the same unpredictiable things happen themself's.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Bobg -- 50/50 used to be the norm in my area as well, probably not anymore. Obviously much depends on the kind of forage (for example, in my area a big difference in improved grasses versus prairie hay) and if it was fertilized properly, if the meadow is clean and flat, etc. (Don't know about orchard grass & bome --- isn't one much better than the other?) I think a logical exercise is to find out what custom guys in the area charge for cut, rake & roll and then determine what you think you could readily sell the rolls of this particular hay for, straight out of the field. For example if the local going rate is $20 per large bale to cut, rake & roll and that type of hay sells locally for only $30 you should be able to adequately show the landowner why a 50/50 split just doesn't pencil out. If that hay could be readily sold for $40 per bale out of the field then you might feel better about 50/50 (ignoring other factors). It also depends on your actual needs, as bigbull338 mentioned. And of course many times in business you give up a little on the front end in order to get your foot in the door and establish a relationship with somebody if you can forsee the relationship being even more profitable in the future -- if you don't somebody else probably will.

 

[Bobg]

I talked to the guy that baled it last year again and he said it was more like 30 acres. I'll be baling small bales, since that's all I can handle. I'm going to try and stop at his place this week sometime and check it out. I'll be able to sell about 10 ton and hopefully right out of the field so I don't have to handle it. Grass hay in my area sells for $60 - $80/ ton to horse people, so I can probably unload most of it. Finding hay ground is at a premium in my area since everything is planted to wheat, no roadsides or draws to cut. The main problem is hauling, I 'll need to borrow a trailer from a friend, distance is about 16 miles.

Bobg

 

[frenchie]

frenchie

No i dont gaurantee it. I do not custom bail hay to make money. I only cut for myself and if i am needing the hay. And if someone has a hay meadow that they are wanting to get cut for some reason and they are not needing the hay. I will cut/bail it for 3/4 of the hay.

And i try my best to put the hay up as good as i can since i am the one who is getting 3/4 of it exspecially. Because i would be the one losing out if the hay was not put up properly. But no matter who i am cutting the hay for i am going to try my best to do it right. But i think most people who bail their own hay will agree that sometime's unexpected thing's happen that may cause the hay to not be put up exactly the way you want it put up. Such as mechanical break down's, unexpected rain etc.....,

But even if you have your hay custom bailed alot of the time they will not be able to cut it at optimom cutting time due to being spread out cutting hay for other customer's. And they have the same unpredictiable things happen themself's.

I,m certain that you do try your best to get it up in good shape.

The point I was try to make is you have little risk other than fuel, twine & repairs..Something that you would have anyway..

In other words I think your getting a great deal at 3/4 =1/4 share deal.Provided its a decent crop.

 

[Stepper]

frenchie,

It really depend's on the sitution as to weather or not if it is a good deal on getting 3/4 of the hay for cutting it on the share's.

I can alway's use hay but i dont go out and offer my service's to cut hay for other people. So i will give you a example and this has happened more than once. I have been cutting hay and have had people ask me if i would cut their hay meadow's for them. They did not have cattle themself's or the equipment to bail the hay themself's. So i agree to cut it for 3/4 of the hay that come's off of the meadow. And most of these people who want their meadow's cut just want's it cut to keep it cleaned up and looking good. Some case's they dont even want 1/4 of the hay. So we both benifit from the deal there. Here it cost about $ 35 an hour to hire someone with a small tractor and 6 foot hog to brush hog a place. Which can get expensive even on a small parcel of land.

The main reason i wont bail hay for any less than 3/4 of the hay is the wear and tear on equipment. You said all i would be out is cost of fuel, twine, repair's. Well there is a little more to it than that. Repairs for instance, they can get real costly real quick. I have several thousand dollar's tied up in my haying equipment. Most of the people who want's you to bail hay on the share's dont own equipment so they dont have that burden. They are not doing any of the labor that it take's to bail the hay. They are alot of people out there who i am sure will cut it on a 50/50 deal but i am not one of thoes people.

Last year i had a friend who wanted me to bail hay off of a 20 acre meadow. So i looked it over and thought i could come out by cutting for 3/4 of the hay. But after moving my equipment to and from there and hauling the hay off of the meadow. I could have come out alot better to have just bought hay.

In my opinion if someone can get their hay put up on a 50/50 deal they are coming out on the better end of the deal.

 

[frenchie]

Stepper are you making sq bales or rounds?

 

[Stepper]

frenchie,

I bail both squares and round bails. Mostly round bails and we square bail our horse hay.

 

[Bobg]

I decided not to hay the 30 acres. My equipment is not that new and if something breaks on my baler, I'd have trouble finding parts. Hauling is another problems, it would take at least 25 trailer loads with a 30 mile round trip.

Thanks for all the good advise and information though.

Bobg