Anyone leasing cropland?

[Up North Louie]

We need more hay, and I'm considering whether or not it would be practical to lease about 25-30 acres to do it. Half of it is my uncle's, and half belongs to a friend. Both descriptions are currently idle, and have been for years. I can do the labor and input to get them producing.

The owners would have the added value and weed control, and possibly realize a tax benefit since the land would be in agricultural use. I don't use herbicides.

Just wondering what others might have learned.

Thanks,

Don

[rambler]

Is a hay already growing there, just need to cut, rake, & bale, or do you need to work it up and start from scratch? Hay crops need a year to come into their own, so would want a multiple year lease to start out. Costs a lot that 1st year in fert, seed, etc. & get the poorest crop, so lot of startup costs. Need to work out those extra costs over multiple years to make this fair....

If you can just pull in & bale, good deal. Typically the owners get about 1/2 the hay, or 1/2 the value of the hay for your area.

--->Paul

[Up North Louie]

No, it would be a start-up. The land is hard to work here, and everybody knows it. That's why I think I can get a favorable rate over several years. We have re-habbed almost all of the hay land on our own property, so the stuff is there to keep going. It would be some money and a lot of labor. So nothing new, from my perspective.

[uncle Will in In.]

Is this ground too rough to combine. If not, why wouldn't no till soybeans be a money maker on those acres? Have you seen the price of beans lately?

[Up North Louie]

No. I'll combine the oats if I use it for a nurse crop. What I need is hay. I got 30 mouths to feed.

Beans don't do real well this far north anyway. You need to get 40 or 50 miles south of here at least.

Don

[DaleK]

Just make sure you're confident enough of having the land long enough for a payback on seeding it down. I'd want it at least 4 years. Put as much in writing as you feel you might need. My leases vary from year to year to 20 years with 18 left. I'm a whole lot more comfortable putting time and money into the longer term land.

[Ross]

We get land for hay use only (small grains on reseeding is OK) just no corn or beans and no round up or other herbicides. The big farmers don't want the hassle (huh?) so we get it. No doubt doing the infrequent favours when asked helps. No written agreements but we've known the people for decades.