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Do some math:
Cost of haying machinery verus sales income. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
Thank the farmer for comming over and baling your two acres and maybe even provide him with beverages on a hot day! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>
But you see I could always till it under and plant wildlife restoration grasses as well and get just as much use out of that. I still keep feeling a bit used here in that this farmer gets the goods for free. I know he does the work but my land and taxes are still paid for by my dime and not his. Seems very odd. On the opne hand he says he uses the hay himself and does not sell it - But on the other hand I really do not know. Also what about if he gets hurt on my land doing this work - Pretty sure I am liable. )</font>
Taxes -- we have had someone doing hay on our pastures(22-28 acres) for the last several years. That's a fair amount of hay. We don't have the equipment, nor the time, he does do whatever that amount of acreage will produce - primarily for his own cattle, but maybe he sells some we don't know. We put most of the property in forest management and horticultural use a few years ago. Both depend on the property being used for that. You can't lease it, so we get a report annually for what he produces - has to be $1000 in value. In exchange our taxes were reduced by 2/3rds. Our fields don't go fallow, and they look great after being raked and baled.
I've recently purchased a tractor so am reclaiming more fields and some he's let go. I've also been looking at some other arrangement but frankly I don't see any better way to go for now.
You've got a couple of acres, you could cut that with a lawn mower if you wanted. Or let him keep doing it. I don't see any way you're not coming out okay with the present arrangement.