How much per acre for land rent??

[Jaeger]

Need some ideas on how much per acre to ask for haying? I have a guy who farms next door and is going to hay it this year.

I approached him and he is very interested in putting hay on my 18 acre field. He said he'd probably get 2 cuts out of it.

My question is 2 fold: how much is a good price to get per acre for haying? and how much will having hay in the fields help with storm water runoff? I assume a whole lot better than corn and beans...

ThX

J

 

[coralhead]

I would say it would depend on who is putting up the money for field prep, fertilizer, lime, soil analysis, seed, ect.

 

[Avondale]

Good Morning
First, local prices can be quite variable. I will say that in my area, the rent values are all over the map. Some variables are the soil quality, drainage, (natural or piped), access to the crop with what ever size machines they use, (I needed to enlarge my gates and culverts), etc. My land is not Grade A nor has it the best drainage and I get $75/Acre no mater what (or even if) he plants. Local fields that are much better quality are getting $175/ac. Fortunately, there is not enough farm land available in our area so there is always a market.

 

[Jaeger]

Ok sorry; he is paying for and doing everything, I just own the land.

I figure he's planting and cutting right next door so pretty convenient for him and I have more land to plant.

 

[smstonypoint]

Several points.



1. A perennial forage crop should have even less of a soil erosion problem than no-till corn and beans.

2. You can find the average 2014 cash rents for crop and pasture land for your county at USDA/NASS QuickStats Ad-hoc Query Tool. I suspect that the average cash rent for hay land falls between the averages for crop and pasture land.

3. As mentioned above, cash rents can be highly variable even within counties. You could check with neighbors who are renting out their land.

4. There are hay crop establishment costs that the prospective lessee will require several years to recoup. It would be in his interest, and yours, to have a formal lease agreement that specifies the length and terms of the lease. See Ag Lease 101 - Helping both land owners and land operators learn about alternative lease arrangements for sample lease forms.

Steve

 

[jcbGM]

I'm in PA. My neighbor "rents" almost 10 acres. More of a trade situation. He does all the work (fertilize, lime, etc) and in return he square bales a couple hundred for my wife's horses and gives us a smokin deal on 1/2 a beef. I could get the 1/2 for free if we didn't take the square bales. If you're not doing anything with the property, see if he has anything worth trading.

I also have access to his 580 backhoe, skid steer, and D5 if needed.

 

[KYErik]

A well established hay field will slow runoff. Around here, rent for a less than optimal field would be $75-100. At that rate, renter would pay for all inputs.

 

[CCWKen]

Is that per acre/month? :shocked: That must be some prime land you got there. Down here it's about $30/ac./month.

 

[Tx Jim]

$30/acre/month for person leasing hay ground where I live will put the one paying the lease in the POOR HOUSE as in bankrupt.

 

[RickB]

The higher the cash rent, the less $$ available to keep a hay stand AND your land investment healthy and profitable. Cash rent for hay ground will typically be less than cash rent for grain crops. Perennial hay crops are generally far better for the land over the long term given proper attention to fertility levels. Local rates for cash rental will be more useful than any generic info given here. The $30 / month ($360 / year / acre ) figure under discussion is beyond what would be customary "here" by a factor of 5 to 10.