Going cost of Grazing Cattle

[MullersLaneFarm]

We're here in NW IL. I would like comparable cost for this area for grazing cattle.

The cattle (4 yearling steers & 3 yearling heifers Jersey) are rotated on 3 pastures at our place.

The following is approximate and I could be off by .5 acre or so.

First pasture is grass over sown with oats that had just headed out, about 2 acres.
Second pasture is just grass pasture, about 4 acres.
Third pasture is grass and clover, (lots of clover!), about 2 acres.

They now have access to #1 & #2 pastures.

They've been here about a month or more.

Yes, I know, Paul should have struck a 'hard' deal when he agreed to pasture the cattle. Paul has a soft heart. Me ... I have a soft heart too, but I'm more financially hard-headed. I didn't make a deal.

So, just a general ideal, what's the going rate for pasturing cattle??

TIA!

[cowbelle]

When needing the same info, I found online this to help me and defend my prices with a potential renter. It's the Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet "Establishing a Fair Pasture Rental Rate" FR-8-06. I don't know how to do links etc, but I'm sure you can find it with Google. It really goes into all the variables - type of stock, quality of pasture, how to figure the AU (animal units) It really helped me, as well as calling the local sales yard and asking them.

[Jim S.]

If you want to know pasture rental fees for your area, call your ag extension agent. He or she will be able to either help you or refer you to an expert in your area who will. They know about what is right to pay because they know the rents for many farms in your area. Otherwise, you are just guessing.

[uncle Will in In.]

A fair way for both parties involved is to charge a set amount for each pound of gain the animals make while they are on the property. I've heard of paying 50 percent of the value of the gained pounds.

[Emmy D]

We take on 4 cows and 4 calves from May through the end of October, I guess our two pastures are about 8 acres all together, they have access to both all the time. The cattle guy who brings them pays me $100 when he comes to get them in October all I am out is water for them and we have a well so I am not out much really.

I only take a $100 because if I were to have to mow that amount of pasture to keep it knocked down it would cost me WAY more in gas each summer than the $100 I make keeping his cattle.

Oh, he also gives me 20 bales of straw for around the well in winter and for the garden.

Someday when I can afford better fencing I will run my own cows or more likely goats but for now this works for me and it helps him out too.

Emmy

[sammyd]

wow emmy you need to redo your figures.
I wouldn't water 4 pair of cattle for free for 6 months.
And I wouldn't figure 100 bucks worth of gas to top 8 acres of pasture twice or even three times a year.
If the fences are good enough for the cow guy why aren't they good enough for you?
there is a point where helping somebody out is detracting from your bottom line....

as to the OP I would contact the local extension agent or dig around on line for a worksheet from the ag agency in my area.
Or maybe stop by the feedmill and see what they might know....

[anvoj]

Presumably the farmer is also allowing Emmy to claim those acres Ag on her taxes, saving her money. Also, don't you think a pastured field maintains better than a mowed field, or is even improved? That's worth something. Maybe she enjoys seeing the cows in the pasture and knowing it's being utilized rather than going back to brush, like so many old pastures around here.
If $100 makes both neighbors happy, what's wrong with that? Nickel & dime-ing a neighbor can make for bad blood. Later, when she gets cows and needs to borrow a bull or a fence stretcher or whatever, hopefully he'll be there for her. A good neighbor is worth a lot.

[ErinP]

I agree.
From the sounds of things, they've got a fairly symbiotic relationship going.
Afterall, "neighbor" is a verb, also...

Last summer we asked a neighbor to put up our 20 acre hay meadow on shares. He did, but we gave him our shares also as we simply didn't have any need for them. Could we have sold them and made a profit? Sure. But it didn't hurt us to give them away and he appreciated it.

When this summer rolled around and we had to move to our place without a well in place, he let us borrow his 1000 gallon water trailer for several months, no questions asked.

[sammyd]

as I said it's one thing to help out, it's another to be taken advantage of.

[Beeman]

Cattle on your property is a responsibility, your responsibility. Most rent pastures to cover property taxes.

[Allen W]

$3.00 per 100# per month, which equals $15 a month for a 500 lb calf, was what I've been told for calves on wheat pasture. I still need to do some more checking into it though.

[swollen tongue]

cow/calf pair runs around $20-25 a month here on private ground.....public range permits around $5-10 a pair, if you have a grazing permit............

[Qhorseman]

I have 148 acres leased to a local farmer, here in MO it seems to be what ever deal a person works out. Some folks charge per pair, some a set yearly rent. I have a set yearly rent and he maintains the land with good farming practices.

[swollen tongue]

Originally Posted by Qhorseman

I have 148 acres leased to a local farmer, here in MO it seems to be what ever deal a person works out. Some folks charge per pair, some a set yearly rent. I have a set yearly rent and he maintains the land with good farming practices.

Qhorseman

just being curious, what does something cost like 148 acres lease on a yearly basis for pasture land? How about farm ground like for corn or hay?

[rambler]

Pasture only, typically will run 45-55 cents per head per day. Who maintains fence, who supplies water or more things, can influence that....

It's not so good renting by the acre, as that leads the renter to overcrowd & over-graze your pasture, so many have gone to the per day, per animal unit rent. Much easier to be fair to both sides in dry or wet years. Some land supports so many cattle per acre/ others supports a head per so many acres. Either way, it's easy to figure the rent.

--->Paul

[swollen tongue]

thanks for the reply