USDA hay production vs AUM numbers

[dave_shelby]

The family land doesnt ain't working out and we are looking at farms across VA (and toying with moving to MO, lol) I am trying to use the USDA soil survey site to help compare and go beyond what the owner says the land will carry. You can run numbers on the USDA site for both hay with results in tons and for pasture with results in AUM. There doesnt seem to be any consistent basis to formulate AUM. For example one soil might list at 3 tons/years hay and 3 AUM, yet another will list soil at 3 tons and 3 AUM.

Do the USDA numbers carry any meaningful weight or should I stick with soil characteristics?

 

[Waterway65]

Also visit with area farmers who are familiar with the area and the land in question.

 

[bird dog]

You have people on these boards from all over the U.S. You may get a more accurate answer asking here on the areas you are interested in.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Averages are not very useful. Hay production here ranges from 1.5 to 5.5 tons per acre. Some of that variation is drainage, some of that is soil health management.

We have a lot of "cheap" low ph poorly drained land in this area. Outside money comes in periodically and buys a couple farms. The English guys who try to crop it don't last, but the Amish usually do.The latest is another wave of Amish from Wisconsin. They sell $3000 land in Wisconsin and then use the equity to pay down $2000 land in Minnesota. I assume that since they are usually going to an Organic dairy they can graze the meadows and make a low debt - - low cost of living - - operation cash flow. Beef can also cash flow land at today's prices but I don't think that the beef prices will last.

Now if I could just get the wife to start milking some cows by hand... :cowboy:

 

[dave_shelby]

I generally trust the hay numbers, at least if I run them around here they seem accurate enough. Its the AUM numbers that seem suspect.

Got to respect the Amish - living dirt poor with fat wads of cash in your pocket.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Got to respect the Amish - living dirt poor with fat wads of cash in your pocket.

I am doing a decent job on the first half :nod:

 

[Dave]

Those USDA numbers are supposed to be base on 90% management. Are they absolutely accurate? Heck no. They are just a ball park figure to give you an idea of which soils are better. A 5 ton soil will generally out produce a 3 ton soil. With real good management can you get 5 ton out of a 3 ton soil? It is possible. With mismanagement can you get 1 ton of production out of a 5 ton soil? It has been done lots of times. I know I have witnessed it both ways.