So I found a beautiful piece of property zoned for horse. It’s a 12 acre field that is currently being used as a hay field. If I were to buy the property, I would not be building on it for a few years. In the meantime, I know the farmer wants to continue haying the field. I’m very ignorant where it comes to this so I need to ask, who ultimately gets paid here? Obviously he is benefiting me by keeping my field in great shape complete with fertilizer and top notch hay. I benefit him by letting him make money. Would it be normal to ask him to pay me to do it, or is considered a quid pro quo?
You should get something for the use of the land. We have our local Farm Bureau group that we can check with about rental prices for acreage, intended crop, tIled land or not . Farm Bureau is nationwide, usually by County under a State organization. Ours is The Michigan Farm Bureau… This is not the insurance folks, but a farming organization you contact to ask questions. I would get something in writing, can be quite simple, so details are covered clearly. There are still some handshake deals, but you don’t know if this guy is good at keeping his word. Some contracts are for several years, to allow his hay seed and fertilizer investment to pay him back. Make SURE he is applying fertilizers to the land, using soil testing, not just working it to death.
Our recently purchased land showed almost nothing in minerals when tested, the fertilizer man said it was the worst result he had ever seen! The old farmer NEVER fertilized in all the many years we lived across from him, while they hayed it off yearly, though it was poor hay. Then land had set fallow for about 15 years growing weeds and shrubs before we bought it. I put fertilizer on it in 2 applications last year. Land needed so much that they advised multiple applications so fertilizer didn’t overwhelm the absorbtion ability. We also tilled and seeded it. Hoping to get hay off this year, but will need to apply more fertilizer too. Lots of money invested! Then add in purchased haying equipment and a bigger tractor to use with the equipment.
At this point you probably would prefer cash per acre instead of a share of the hay crop, which is another method of farmers paying to use the land. Without you being on the land, you do want to keep up good relations so he continues keeping it hayed off. My friend takes slightly less in cash payments to keep them renting her land. But being nice neighbors, they also give her a hand staying plowed out in winter when her old tractor is overwhelmed, will bring over a big bale if she calls. She pays them for the bales. Those very cold winters she ran out of hay, even after buying extra. They keep the land nice with good seed and regular fertilizing because they feed the hay to their cattle.
1 Like
He should pay you per bale or by the cuttings or by the acre. Taking payment in hay won’t do you any good if you don’t have horses to feed.
It all depends on supply and demand. If there are other farmers waiting in line to lease your field then by all means charge whatever the market will bear. But what tends to happen around here (New England) is that owners who want to be paid, or want a share of the hay, or want the farmer to fertilize and lime for the hay, often end up having to pay someone to mow their fields to keep the weeds from taking over.
One of the problems is that if a farmer has to move his haying equipment very far to mow a field it becomes less and less worth the time and fuel to do it.
IOW, it depends.
2 Likes
many factors to consider :
contract needed
outlined responsibilities for both parties
liability coverage
- strict guidelines for removal … date and conditions
many hay fields are ruined by hay people removing their bales late or during soggy / rainy conditions
BE SMART !
Good Luck ~ can be advantageous for both parties if guidelines are written and agreed to with signatures !!
Our fields are hayed by a local farmer and we split the hay (giving the farmer a larger percentage because he does all the work, provides the - very expensive - equipment etc). We are very happy with the arrangements; it’s a win win. In our area, it is very hard to find someone to hay parcels under 50 acres and I think it would be hard to get a farmer to pay cash to do so. Can you find out from the current owners what the arrangement is with the farmer?
It depends…for many years I got hay as a payment. I stopped because the person doing the hay couldn’t keep the quality high enough for what I needed (he had a full time job as well, poor man) and quite frankly I needed the pasture space. We, in ninety years, never had a paper agreement or a cash transaction: it was hay, or a side of beef, or milk, or work.
Different world. A 12 acre parcel now a days is small, unless there are parcels nearby they are also doing. In fact, in New England, the person haying is almost doing you a service…a ‘pretty’ field and quality pasture in exchange for mowing it. Once you factor in time, fuel, and fertilizer the person may not be making money on the hay. What they are doing is creating feed that no one has to actually come up with cash for. Unless you are out in the Cornwall/Kent/Sharon area? Or Tolland/Quiet Corner?
1 Like
OP, you may want to check the local property tax authority to see if this property has a ag classification and if so what it takes to keep it
Around here it has to be used in ag production
It’s not just a pretty field, because if a field is not mown regularly it’ll soon grow up to weeds, and then trees. And once the saplings get established then no one wants to mow it because they don’t want to risk puncturing their tires.
In my area, a 60/40 split is pretty common for a hay share arrangement, the farmer getting the 60, the landowner getting the 40. But as others have said, there are lots of variables, the most significant one being the quality of the hay being cut. If it’s cattle hay in round bales, that’s one thing. If it’s good quality horse hay, in either rounds or squares, that’s entirely another.
Bear in mind that the value in hay comes first from the labor to produce, second from the materials (seed, fertilizer, etc.) and third from the land. A stand of hay on poor land that hasn’t been tended isn’t worth the effort or fuel to cut and bale it.
I would want a look at the hay and a soil analysis, then I would propose a contract with your farmer. I would waive payment in either hay or cash in return for the farmer fertilizing, liming or seeding the field. A common drawback to these share arrangements is that the quality of the hay declines over time and the farmer doesn’t want to invest the money if he doesn’t know he’s going to still be cutting hay and reaping the benefits. I would also make the contract for a minimum of 5 years, with options to renew and have the contract stipulate that the farmer will sign your agricultural use certificate. (May be different in your locality; in mine, to keep ag use, the farmer fills out and signs a form every year and submits to the county.)
12 acres is not a large parcel for hay; and if you can’t keep the quality high, it will not be worth it for the farmer to bring his equipment.
This could be a very advantageous arrangement if handled correctly.
I know! All too well, which is why ‘pretty’ was in quotes there 
It is almost frightening how fast you will loose a field in southern New England. A rough bush hogging every other year will keep saplings down in a vacant field; but if you want pasture or hay quality grass, you have to keep it mowed at least twice a year. That is the service the landowner is getting, essentially, in exchange for the hay. Unless the field is big enough or close enough to other large fields that the hay is a commercial endeavour.
1 Like
We used to let our neighbor hay our pasture, it was just grass but he used it for his cows, in exchange he kept the pasture fertilized and kept it cut and by haying it kept the mulch off the grass which would be there if we only mowed it. It was only about 6 acres so he didn’t get a lot of hay but enough to help him out. We were happy just to have the pasture being kept in good condition.
Just be aware that when just mowing it, especially if it’s been allowed to get tall, it leaves a lot of clippings that if too much will eventually damage the field because the grass underneath can’t get sun or grow well. Keeping it hayed avoids this.
1 Like
If he’s been haying it previous to your ownership, and wants to continue, excellent! Split is usually 60/40 in favour of the guy who does the work. Fertilizer expenses are in question, one ton would do it, if he wants to do that. The question is, do you want your percentage of the hay, or do you want him to take it all and pay you a few dollars per bale for the entire crop? This is the sort of thing you need to work out with the farmer. He will have good input, and yes, it is a favour to you to get this done, will keep your field healthy. Find a way to make it attractive to him to do this for you.
For the past 5+yrs a neighbor who leases fields all over has been haying the L-shaped acreage surrounding my pastures.
I am on 5ac total, including house, lawns, barn w/attached indoor & 2 fenced pastures.
So, at best, he is cutting 2ac.
He does not fertilize or seed, just cuts & bales.
First 2yrs hay was poor, but lately it is good-looking orchard grass with some Timothy & clover.
He gets 100-150 small squares.
I get acreage that looks civilized plus a reduction in tall grass aka Tick Paradise.
No money changes hands
I get my hay from him at an embarrassingly low price. Generally from other fields, not my own.
Delivered & stacked.
I also let him store loaded wagons in my indoor.
Wagons are arranged so I have use of at least 2/3 of the 60X120 space at any time.
Sufficient for my Dressage trainer to school me & for me to putz around on my own.
If I wanted to set jumps in there, we would have a problem.
Currently there are 2 ginormous cage wagons loaded with hay, 4 empty wagons & a tractor in there. I could still ride or lesson if I were not a Weather Wimp :o
Keep my KISS arrangement in mind when you do build.
Let your farmer know you will be reducing his mowable acreage & hope you can work something out.
1 Like
Thanks for all the replies. It is in Plainfield, CT, so near the quiet corner area. He does hay other fields nearby so moving all the equipment around is not a huge factor for him. He’s currently not paying to use the land. It’s owned by a developer who doesn’t need the money and has the farmer hay it to keep it in good shape. It was corn until 2 years ago. They turned the corn under and now grow hay there. If I was moving there right away, it would be easier to do a deal with getting bales as payment. I will check with the town about what arrangements they have for people to hay the town owned land. There’s a parcel right next to this field…should have thought of that.
Or you can just talk to the farmer and work out a percentage deal. Then he can sell it all and you get the money for your percentage sold. If he is the one fertilizing, cutting , raking, bailing and delivering you will get a much lesser percentage. It all depends on the farmer. 60/40 at most, but more like 70/30 .
It does keep your fields maintained and healthy so that is worth a lot.
Not reading thru all the comments but make sure you get something signed n notarized onfil that he cannot do that “I have maintained and used this land for x amount of years so technically I want to say it is my land now”. I am counting on a lawyer or realtor to read this and tell you the technical nanabooboo I am taking your land from youuu term lol.
I am not a lawyer and do not play one on TV, but I believe the term you want is “adverse possession.”
I do not believe that merely cutting and baling hay under a contract hay share arrangement qualifies for an adverse possession claim, but there are actual practicing attorneys on the board who can speak to that more authoritatively than me.
Not likely … Connecticut law recognizes adverse possession as a way to acquire title to property. Adverse possession is a method of acquiring title to real estate, accomplished by an open, visible, and exclusive possession uninterruptedly for a 15-year period (CGS § 52-575;Whitney v. Turmel 180 Conn.
OP … Don’t go into a discussion with the Hay producer blind. Get greedy and find yourself stuck with paying for mowing. Or perhaps the hay producer will merely mine the land. Then, when you build, your pastures will be poor and weedy. Land maintenance has already been discussed.
Understand the advantages of keeping the land as Ag and the requirements. I produce hay on my land for the tax and zoning benefits. There is no profit on my 10 acre hay after equipment, fuel, lime, fertilizer, chemicals, labor, maintenance and weather risk.
