Custom Hay Rates?

Neighbor down the road stopped by to ask if I'd be interested in cutting, raking and baling his hay. They would be 50 pound small squares.

I quoted him a rate, but he seemed put off by it.

So what is a typical custom rate in your area for mowing, raking and baling hay?

And while we are at it, how much to haul the small squares......pick em up, stack them in a pole barn.....local....nearly line of sight hauls?

17 to 20 an acre to cut 7$ to 10$ to rake 1.50 a bale
to bale and 1.00$ A bale to stack it

Around ten years ago I was getting $65.00 an hour to mow with a 9 footer. $50.00 each to ted and rake, and $65.00/hr. to bale which included throwing into the wagon. Stacking in the barn was .25/bale if it took just two guys. If an elevator and another guy was needed it was another .25.

I'm having mine custom baled this year. 50/50 split or $2.00 a bale on the wagon. I'll have to get it into the barn.

Offer to do it on shares 2/3 you 1/3 him and then he can buy the remainder off you at market price or if
you can store it sell it yourself
When I first started do some share cutting fields around my house I started with my neighbor next to me on
1/2 shares then everyone wanted to do shares with me, I figured out real quick that was not good for me.
Then I found out going rate on shares was the one with all of the equipment has more to loose and the
landowner does not have or want to have all the equipment he can mow it himself and put it up. If you need
the extra hay it may work out in your favor.

Not to be snoopy but you ask what other guys would charge but don't let us know what your quote was. Maybe share that with
us and some of the replies will have more meaning. We won't tell anyone, we are all very discreet here at YT.

The price is what you feels pencils out for you. I wouldn?t lower your price a dime. You?re invested in equipment and your time is of value.

Perhaps he could buy you out - that price would probably really turn him off.

Good luck!

Around here it's $25 to $30 an acre to
cut. $10 to rake. $1 to $1.50 bale
dropped on the ground. Not sure what
stack wagons run but most costum farmers
don't pick up bales here. If I do it's $1
a bale. But I only do it for a couple
customers.

About 10 years ago I was asked to bale 300 small square bales 30 miles from home. I quoted $1.00 / bale. He said I was crazy. So I asked him if he would drive to my place, work all day and drive back for $300 with
his machinery? He said Oh I see what you mean. Still didn?t hire me but I was ok with that.

Our extension office publishes rates like that. Your state probably does too. For our state its $23 an acre to mow and rake, then 75 cents a bale to drop on the ground.
Many folks also basically do it on shares, 50-50.

I charge $65/hour. That's from the time I leave my drive until the time I return. $65/hr. for mowing, raking , baling or just walking across the field. For that price I get more
work then I can do. No one complains. Don't be afraid to charge what it's worth. Price of equip and repairs goes up every year. Someone from 20 miles away calls. Will you come
this far? Yep, $65/hr. for road time and everything else.

(quoted from post at 16:07:58 05/15/19) Not to be snoopy but you ask what other guys would charge but don't let us know what your quote was. Maybe share that with
us and some of the replies will have more meaning. We won't tell anyone, we are all very discreet here at YT.

Click to expand...

I told him $2 per bale to cut, rake and bale. Another $1 per bale to pick it up and put it in his barn.

I can also see a number of variables at play that either benefit the owner or the operator......quality of the hay being one......and equipment of the operator being another.......that would alter which plan would work best for both sides.

But in my mind, it all has to start with the quality of the hay he has to cut.

I quit doing it about ten years ago unless a neighbor has a break down and I go up and bale what they have down ect,, but when I did small squares it was up to the owners to pick them up, I charged 45 a ton and was not making any money at that really,, rough fields and short hay is not equipment's best friend , so when we had bad hay years I went to 45 a acre that was in 1/4 ton to the acre hay they cried the blues when I told them the price before starting and made Sure they understood but one never did, she even tried crying to get me to drop the price even though I told her ten times she could buy hay way cheaper, that was the last time I ever did any work for that neighbor,, Glad they have long since moved away

I'm under the impression a 50-50 split is for good quality hay ground and the 67-33 split is for lesser quality hay ground, thin stands and last cuttings. A flat hourly charge plus a per bale charge for the baler and stacking is likely the most fair for both parties. State Extension Services do post average rates.

It won't matter what you quote, the land owner will ALWAYS act put off by it.

They can buy hay, on a truck, delivered to the barn door, for $3 a bale. Why would they pay the taxes on the land, pay for fertilizer, and then pay you $3 a bale to cut, bale, and pick up the hay?

The hay on their land is supposed to be FREE. Why can't you do it for FREE?

There will be some other schmuck that will do it for $2 or even $1.50 a bale. Won't make a dime doing it, but he'll laugh all the way to the bank because he got one over on you!

BTW, this is part of my hay this year. It was mowed yesterday. A week before it was ready, but was about half headed out and a weather window opened up, and will close on Sat. Forecast is for 4 days of rain with 2 inches + accumulation. May be another 2 weeks before we start cutting again....at which time quality will suffer. This should be premium stuff.



Assuming I can get it put up dry, I have presold it for $8 per bale. It is heavy, so may make 100 bales to the acre. At a custom rate of $3 per bale in the barn, owner would make $5 per bale, less about $1 per bale for fertility. He gets $8 hay for $4......a good deal for him, and I'd be happy to bale it for $300 per acre.

Or if it thin and low quality......25 bales to the acre and $4 to $5 per bale.....which is what I suspect he has, nobody would be happy.

BTW, I'm not out to conquer the world, but would be happy to help neighbors out if I can. But it has to make sense to do so. What I'm leaning towards is to limit myself to nearby neighbors, doing only what I can reasonably do, but only if they will allow me to help manage what they have so it works for both parties. Many of them are going to need stand improvement and will have to pay for the fertility needed to get stuff to grow.



[/img]

BTW, talked to a kid the other day who used to do custom hay hauling.......he claimed they got $1.50 per bale for wheat straw and over $2 per bale for high quality horse hay.....and stayed busy half the summer doing it at those rates. And that was about 5 years ago.

Would love to know what the hay sold for to enable them to pay that for the labor.

I charge $15 per acre to swath with a conditioner. I do not rake. If I bale it
is $1.50 per bale irrigated and if dry land hay the owner has to put 2 rows
together. The rate for picking hay with a bale wagon is $.50 stacked in the
field. A charge of $10 per mile if it is hauled any distance. I don't stack
hay. Still have people call and want me to put up their hay. Don't bale hay any
more. Tired of baling all night and swathing during the day. Except for my own
I just swath hay. Bud