What would you do.....

[BigBear]

I have the opportunity to pick up 7 acres of pure alfalfa hay. It's my neighbors property and he currently rents it out to a local farmer that sprayed glyphosate, worked the ground, and drilled in the seed 2 years ago. The neighbor is 1/2 mile from my place. Currently the farmer gives the land owner/my neighbor a quarter of beef to use the ground(rent). The farmer is giving my neighbor the impression that a 1/4 of beef is too much for the lease and trying to get him to take less and my neighbor is a little p/o'd about the situation. The farmer has a 200 head feedlot. 7 acres of Alfalfa should be enough to feed all my cows and calves through the winter. I am considering offering him a half of beef in exchange for rent. I currently have another neighbor make my hay for me for $10/round 6x5's mowed Tedded raked and bailed. Seems like a no brainer to me. What would you do up do?

 

[Chocolate Cow]

The guy who put in the alfalfa had some expense doing it BUT he did it knowing it was rented ground. He had an obligation to take care of the land owner. It appears he has screwed both himself and the owner. 1/4 of beef isn't much. If you want the ground, you know what you can spend to make it work. What would someone else pay to rent those 7 acres? $150 an acre? $300? In my area, alfalfa ground is premium and guys will kill their own mother for it. Just be prepared to not get it because once the owner tells the farmer he has a better offer, the farmer will step-up his game. That's a common tactic, use one guy against another to get what 'you' want in rent.

 

[Son of Butch]

$325 acre for an established alfalfa stand x 7 acres = $2,275
1/2 beef = no brainer
A whole steer and he pays processing would still be a good deal.
Your other neighbor making your hay at $10 bale for you deserves an extra nice Christmas present.

BUT the farmer that paid for the seed and established the stand deserves the right to match any offer.
Most land going into establishing an alfalfa field are done on 3 - 4 yr term leases.

I remember a farmer that had an alfalfa field leased out from under him. He went out and plowed up 1/2 the field
diagonally before the sheriff stopped him, the whole thing was a mess that ended up in court.