neighbour needs custom baling

[jd2210]

I have a neighbour that I have been dealing with for years. Up unitl now I have always taken his off his crop and paid him stumpage. This year however he has purchased some feeder cattle and would like me to custom bale his crop for him. This would be new turf for me and was wondering on prices. I would have to cut, rake, and bale the crop (mixed grasses-mostly alfalfa timothy, red clover, trefoil) but not haul the hay off the field. My baler is JD535 which makes roughly a 1700 lb 5x6 bale and I sisal twine it.

 

[Bird]

It's been 5 to 7 years ago when I was working with a neighbor doing that kind of work. He charged $12.50 a bale for 5 x 5, $13.50 for 5 x 6, left in the field. We'd move them to the perimeter and row them up for another $1 a bale.

 

[jd2210]

hokey smokes, I'll guess I'll need to rethink my prices. I had calculated the baling alone to be darn close to that. that only comes out to about $14 Canadian.

 

[jwcinpk]

With fuel and twine prices as high as they are I went to $11 for a 4x4 roll this year. (Cut, Rake, Roll) Roughly $1 more for 4x5 and an extra dollar to move them. Last year it was $10 for a 4x4. Just to roll I get $4 for a 4x4 and $5 for a 4x5. Raking is another $1 a roll and $1 a roll to remove and stack where they want it.

 

[Bird]

You have to remember that the prices I knew were several years ago. Fuel was definitely a lot cheaper; twine probably was, too. And after a couple of years, we quit doing that, so I don't know that he came out ahead on it at those prices.

 

[hudr]

I am paying $16 per bale (5x6 round) here in East Texas. That is the price I got from the man that has been baling our hay for several years now. Everyone else I talked to was getting from $17 to $22 a bale.
I sincerely hope I get to spend some more $$$ w/ this fella. We got our normal production from 2 of our meadows this first cutting, but if it doesn't rain that may be all the hay we get.

 

[jd2210]

Now we're getting somewhere. Yeah Fuel has really affected the price of everything (everything but my cows). I'm thinking of telling him I'll do it for $18/bale Canadian. That should at least cover me and give him a fair price as well. Thanks for the responses guys.

 

[cowboydoc]

If you're talking $18/bale to cut, rake, and bale that's probably a fair price. If that is just for baling that price would be VERY high. Going price for baling only is $10 twine and $12 net wrap.

 

[Woodbeef]

Figure it out at half of what the bale is worth. That's what normally is charged around here,whether paid in crop or $$$. So $35 for a 5x6 is not bad for good hay.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Custom baling price for 5x5.5 is $18
5x6=$20

Coastal hay is going for $60 or more a bale, so the days of sharing half with the baler are gone for now. Small ranchers (late comers or hobbyist) are having to sell their herds. Large ranchers are having to reduce their stock due to the drought and not enough hay. WE NEED RAIN!

 

[ddivinia]

How does baling on the "halves' work anyway. I have heard it explained a number of different ways.

Thanks,
D.

 

[NoMo]

I'm sure there can be different ways of making the deal and I don't know how good of a deal I made...

My "halves" deal is that the other guy cuts, rakes & bales my property. He then takes half the hay as payment for his work and I keep the other half of the hay.

 

[ddivinia]

What about fertilizer?

D.

 

[NoMo]

Well, my situation is somewhat unique...

Until this year, I have not owned a tractor. So, I have been trading my half of the hay to the baler in exchange for tractor work on the part of my property that doesn't produce hay. Because he ends up with ALL of the hay, it benefits him more to take care of the field. Thus, he has been the primary contributor of pasture maintenance.

Even though I now have a tractor, I'll still probably barter 'my' hay for his equipment usage. At least until I get all of my land into production. Right now, only half of it is making hay.

 

[HammerFour]

It's usually called baling on shares, the person doing the cutting/raking/baling takes the larger share, usually 3/4 or so of the hay.

In our area, they hay needs to be good quality, decent amount of growth and not to many weeds for the custom baler to be interested in doing the work on shares....in other words the hay he gets needs to be worth his time to harvest it.