[LMH]

I am not looking to make a living at this. I am not really interested in making anything in particular.

Heck I don't even really want my it for my own use!

I am looking to cut my mowing workload.

I currently have about 10 acres I could use for hay.

Once I get the Johnson Grass eliminated (probably one more season) I will have an additional 10 acres.

What are the negatives to letting a field 'go to hay?'

Does anyone have a reliable person I can contact for cutting/baling, etc

[clanter]

I wonder about a person who has posted nearly 15,000 posts on this board and not think of Tamara in TN as a person to PM about hay production.

Other than her, have you tried your local USDA rep

http://www.gacaa.com/

---

If you do not have the bailing equipment, you may want to check those costs before proceeding

[LMH]

I wonder about a person who has posted nearly 15,000 posts on this board and not think of Tamara in TN as a person to PM about hay production.

Did you think before you responded? Or were you in such a hurry to try to sound clever that it never occurred to you that I did think of Tamara.

Had you stopped for a moment before responding it might have occurred to you that I chose to post on a forum giving Tamara the option to respond here or not.

I also thought the purpose of a forum was to provide conversations that are saved for information so if Tamara or others chose to respond, then the information would be searchable should someone else have the same question.

So sorry you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

[Guilherme]

The pros are that you know the hay and where it comes from.

The cons are a very high cost of production/ton as compared to purchase on the open market.

The "wild card" in either direction is weather. In a wet year you'll have trouble getting in dry; in a dry year you won't have much growth.

The biggest issue is not getting the grass to grow, or even getting it cut. It's getting it bailed, up, and into the barn.

Get out your yellow pad and cost out the process. I suspect you'll find it's not economical at your level of production.

The alternative? Plan for year 'round (or near year round) grazing. In No. GA you can get real close; in south GA full year round ought to be pretty easy.

G.

[clanter]

Did you think before you responded? Or were you in such a hurry to try to sound clever that it never occurred to you that I did think of Tamara.

Had you stopped for a moment before responding it might have occurred to you that I chose to post on a forum giving Tamara the option to respond here or not.

I also thought the purpose of a forum was to provide conversations that are saved for information so if Tamara or others chose to respond, then the information would be searchable should someone else have the same question.

So sorry you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Oh, you are supposed to think first... I will remember that, maybe

[LMH]

G. I appreciate your response but it does not address my question.

I must have been unclear.

Around here I se small plots of land for hay. I don't think the hay people own all this land-my guess is they lease some of it to grow hay to sell.

So again, *I* am not interested in making a living at this. I just have a few extra acres that I mow.

And mow.

And mow.

Rather than...mow...I was considering finding someone to 'lease' the land for hay. I will own my land and they will do as they see fit to grow hay on it.

I won't use the hay. I don't want the hay.

I just wondered if anyone has done anything like this kind of arrangement.

I do not want to graze this land. I do not want to mow the land.

I want to own the land but find a use for it to reduce my time investment.

Does that make more sense?

[Robin@DHH]

We lease hayland (or did, neighbor got more money for
letting it go to corn now). There are certainly farmers
who may want to lease your land to grow hay. They may
wish to replant it to produce the sort of hay they need.
Usual hay lease is multi-year as planting and fertilizer
acts on the field for several seasons. I would start with
either the local ag extension agent or the local feed mill
to find a farmer who would be interested in your land
unless you know your nearby farm neighbors; in that
case just ask them.

[LMH]

thank you Robin!

[LauraKY]

Around here you have to pay someone to mow a pasture that you don't want to mow.

[LMH]

Around here you have to pay someone to mow a pasture that you don't want to mow.

Really? You pay someone to mow and then take the hay to sell it and they keep the money from selling the hay?

Hay business must be awesome up there.

Of course I would expect nothing less than a less than helpful comment from you.

Wrong side of the bed as well?

[gumtree]

We hay 50+ acres off of our farm. But we have a number of neighbors who bale 10 acres here and there off of other peoples land. Grass hay fields (mixed grasses) are usually baled for cattle but if it is real nice horses also. Timothy, Orchard for horses but these have to be planted. There are lots of different arrangements depending on the needs of the land owner and the hay producer. In your case considering you don’t have a need for what is being baled and if it is decent land, meaning good soil, not rocky, hilly and reasonably easy to mow and bale you should have no problem finding someone. During haying season just stop and talk to anyone you see making hay. If they are not interested I am sure they will know someone that will be. This time of year stop in at a local farm or two. As another poster said if you fields need to be tended to they will want a multi year lease to cover expenses. Don’t know anything about growing/making hay in Georgia around here we get about 25+ tons of Orchard/Timothy off of 10 acres in a decent season. Much more in a great season. At $250+ there should be plenty of interest. On your other ten acres, again depending on the land, you should be able to find someone to lease it to for a couple of years and they will take care of the weed problem. Remember you are only leasing the “hay” so you are not restricted from going on it. Just have to respect what’s growing there.

[LMH]

gumtree-thank you as well.

Your post was very helpful and answered my questions.

[Guilherme]

G. I appreciate your response but it does not address my question.

I must have been unclear.

Around here I se small plots of land for hay. I don't think the hay people own all this land-my guess is they lease some of it to grow hay to sell.

So again, *I* am not interested in making a living at this. I just have a few extra acres that I mow.

And mow.

And mow.

Rather than...mow...I was considering finding someone to 'lease' the land for hay. I will own my land and they will do as they see fit to grow hay on it.

I won't use the hay. I don't want the hay.

I just wondered if anyone has done anything like this kind of arrangement.

I do not want to graze this land. I do not want to mow the land.

I want to own the land but find a use for it to reduce my time investment.

Does that make more sense?

Leasing out the land for hay production is possible. If you don't want any of the production then either do a straight up lease or sell the crop to the highest bidder.

If you do want part of the production then do it on shares.

This puts the economic burden on the buyer/lessee and all you do is cash the check. Or get you share into the barn (and even that can be done as part of the contract).

You might want to rethink grazing the land. A potentially very profitable method would be to put something on the land to eat the grass in situ. That saves labor, diesel, equipment costs, etc. You can either lease on a per head basis or form a partnership with a husbandryman.

G.

[2DogsFarm]

Ask your hayguy, or whoever you buy your hay from if they are interested.

My neighbors mow & bale the irregular acreage outside my pastures - ~ 2ac - along with a field owned by my neighbor on the adjoining property. Maybe a total of 5ac.
Last year they got 350 small squares from both.

This is the 3rd year they've done it and this year the grass hay looked really nice when it was tedded.
They have not fertilized or seeded, just cut what was there. It had been former cornfield for both properties - some 10 years ago.

I let them keep what they bale for their ponies and in exchange I get property that looks civilized.

[LMH]

I will look into grazing as well though I am just not certain I want the 'responsibility' of animals on my land.

Granted they would not be mine but they would be there under my nose so I would feel responsible.

[LMH]

I let them keep what they bale for their ponies and in exchange I get property that looks civilized.

You get it!

This is what I am trying to accomplish!

[2DogsFarm]

You get it!

This is what I am trying to accomplish!

You're welcome.
I am the Ultimate Grasshopper - if I can get some labor done without ​me doing it, it's All Good.

[LauraKY]

Really? You pay someone to mow and then take the hay to sell it and they keep the money from selling the hay?

Hay business must be awesome up there.

Of course I would expect nothing less than a less than helpful comment from you.

Wrong side of the bed as well?

Too late in the day for someone to pee in your cornflakes, what's up?

That's the truth. No one wants to haul their equipment to mow a small 10 acre field with the price of diesel. Now if you've been fertilizing, applying lime and seeding, well, then you'll get some takers. A couple of years ago we did have a guy who would come down our road and mow all the open acreage, but the quality of the grass declined and so did he. Now the going rate is $45/hour for mowing and they leave the cut grass.

If you have someone close who has all the equipment like 2Dogs, you'll probably have more luck.

[Whitfield Farm Hanoverians]

What part of GA are you in? In the south we're loving the per. peanut hay.

[ChocoMare]

Also check the Georgia Market Bulletin for a Wanted Ad or place your own. One never knows!