25 Acres worth buying hay equipment?

[tradosaurus]

Hey guys, haven't been on in a while as work has been getting in the way of life. I'm not really looking to get into hay, but profit which would be great is a secondary. My current situation is bushhogging it 3-5 times per year, which I estimate is 40-50 total hours and $600-$800 in diesel plus just normal wear and tear on my equipment. Ideally, I'd like to do something with it to keep it looking nice and cost me less or even make a profit (even if that profit was gaining equipment from the work put into it). In all honesty, if it would take me 200 hours per year to cut hay and make $1,000 then I would likely just lease it or have someone cut on shares as $5 per hour and 4 times the tractor hours wouldn't be worth it. But, if after write-offs and potential sales I thought it justified the time, then I would do that too. I don't have anything that I just want to do with it, just looking at several options and Mrs. TigerFanatic said tree farm is a no-go. I've never explored any tax advantages of any type of farming, so doing a lot of reading and thinking about it.

What is your opinion on a tree farm?
Is it less labor intensive and better profit?

 

[TigerFanatic1]

Better to try and see how it goes then to never do it and wonder about it forever.

Worse case scenario is that you don't like making hay, and you sell everything you bought. Prices are holding on most things, so it's doubtful that you will lose very much money if you decide to sell off the haying equipment.

I'm leaning this way, but since I'm building a house at the moment I figured I'd take the time to explore everything just in case something sticks out as a must/most not do.

 

[TigerFanatic1]

What is your opinion on a tree farm?
Is it less labor intensive and better profit?

From what I gather it is less labor intensive after the initial planting, then turns out to be a long duration of waiting for profit. It's another thing that I don't have a good feel for on information provided. Some say there is no money involved other than tax advantages and some say it's the best thing ever. lol. My thoughts on having it was something that wouldn't take a lot of labor for me to keep up, additional hunting property, and potential tax help.
Nothing I'm looking at is something that I expect to allow me to quit my job or becoming a primary income. I wouldn't mind working something with the land that would provide decent supplementary income, but isn't a must have for me and probably not a reality on such a small piece.

 

[TigerFanatic1]

Yeah, having the tractor already is the only reason I can even consider attempting anything that won't be a guaranteed loss.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yeah, having the tractor already is the only reason I can even consider attempting anything that won't be a guaranteed loss.

of all your equip & project considerations you are weighing, one thing is certain: your M series tractor is a perfect fit for about any activity you chose.

Agree with all that, but what you’ll find is the attachments are what will cause you the most headaches. Usually the baler will lead the charge.
Hopefully you either know your way around a baler, or have help.

Rakes & tedders - pretty simple.
Haybines & discbines - moderate complexity
Balers are like women-very complex, touchy & picky. Heck they’re even moody.

 

[lman]

I always thought that one forgotten expense for hay production was storage. If you don't have a barn for storage, forget square bales and round bales will need to be sold or fed asap. I now see a lot of round bales being wrapped with plastic. The wrapped bales must store good enough for horses because I see my Amish neighbor using them for his horses.

 

[Farmer495]

I always thought that one forgotten expense for hay production was storage. If you don't have a barn for storage, forget square bales and round bales will need to be sold or fed asap. I now see a lot of round bales being wrapped with plastic. The wrapped bales must store good enough for horses because I see my Amish neighbor using them for his horses.

If you wrap and sell you pretty well have to individual wrap and use a bale grabber, so more $$.

At least here plastic is on par, or cheaper, than the annual property taxes on a new building big enough to hold the bales, and a wrapper is a lot cheaper than a building.

I do know of some making tubes of round bales and selling them one or two at a time, the air exposure doesn't really hurt the end of dryer bales anyways.

 

[Farmer495]

not being familiar with round bale wraps, how are they disposed? recyclable material? just wondering.

Here it goes into the "garbage"

 

[ericm979]

It is recycleable but someone has to set up a special program to do it: Plastic has made farming easier, but what happens to the material after it’s used?

 

[Hay Dude]

As a footnote to my round bale wrap recycling question. Never quite earned my living in ag or raising cattle. Tried raising cattle when 1st purchasing my current Ozark place in late 70's, but then moved on to other things.

i don't imply in my question that the recycling question is the hay users responsibility in any way. In fact if we are subject to regs such as Tier 4 on diesels, etc, then there should be fed regs to accommodate proper disposal such as bale wraps. The small ag business is shrinking by the day. Where are govt & enviro regs that support small operations that would also promote sound environmental practices?

That’s the whole idea, my friend….to put us small timers out of business.

There’s 2 guys up my way that are BIG, like REAL BIG. They are the only ones making big coin.

Round here, bale wrap just gets put in the burn pile. I don’t wrap, so I don’t deal with it.