What is ballpark cost to fertilize a 20 acre costal field in Central Texas?

1k depending on # per acre

Take soil samples and that will tell you what and how much you need
Then go from there.
Fertilizer is high!!

did a soil sample - mostly needs nitrogen

Triple 15 up 35 % here in north Texas. $500 a ton last year, $675 a ton this year. Hurts the back pocket, thanks Dumorats……

In April it was $300 per ton for 21-0-0 if you spread it yourself and $35 for the buggy rental. Spread 400 lbs per acre for haying..

Fertilizer price is based on the price of crude oil.

The farmers co-op near here will custom mix what your field needs based on the soil sample.

OK here is my deal - own 25 acres in Georgetown - no cows - my 19 acre costal field produced 50 large round bales - my trade off with the guy who fertilized it, cut it, baled it, and kept all the proceeds was for him to just fertilize it.

His first cutting made him around 5K less his expenses. He will get at least another cutting so all total he will gross 10,000 - should I ask for a cut of the money or just be happy that he is fertilizing my field - I want the coastal to stay in good shape because I have two horses eating off of it - I am open to opinions Thanks

You could try but I think it's bad form to renegotiate after you made the deal. You might want to make another deal next year, after he makes x amount you get a percentage.

custom balers around here charge somewhere between 20/20 & 25/25. that's 20-25 to cut an acre and 20-25 per bale.

I agree. There’s no way I could go back and change the agreement.

What’s a round bale go for, these days?

varies on quality, this year it should be less with all the rain and everybody having bales. last few years around 75-80. TSC sells them for 100.

You know, the price of fertilizer and hay doesn’t seem all that outrageous, to me, considering the value of a dollar. 20 years ago, I was familiar with the price of both. It doesn’t seem to have gone up any more than anything else. I’m pretty sure the cost of a pickup has gone up more.

I was talking to my BIL about the going rate of hauling hay. He couldn’t believe what the price per square bale was. I couldn’t believe that anyone in their right mind would do it for a penny less than that.

I have no intentions to renegotiate - if I make a deal I keep the deal - just curious going forward what my trade off is - if fertilizer is a couple of thousand bucks for 12 months and he nets $8000 minus his time to bale it then I am good - round bales around here are going for $90-$100 a bale

did you get a lot of rain this year?

Yes the place is plush -

Can I ride your horses? Besides that I have no real contribution to this thread, so Ill just say that Payne seems like he knows this stuff.

Does he get 50 bales a cutting every year? Time, fuel and maintenance cuts into that 8k profit pretty quick.

About 700 where we are. I go lighter on fertilizer by Summer.

Keeping the field cut and fertilized is a really good idea, even if you don’t realize any other benefits.
But you can hire cutting and baling then sell it yourself.
After all is said and done, taxes paid, etc., the money pocketed won’t amount to a lot.

Of course not - so it depends on the rain - I am just trying to find a fair trade off for him to bale my acreage each year - all I care about is keeping my field in good shape long term - some years he wins and some years I win I would assume? So bottom line if he fertilizes my field every year when it needs it and gets all the profit from the bales is that a fair deal for both of us? Sorry I am not experienced in all this so looking for a fair deal

We have never had a hay deal, but we lease our crop land in thirds and fourths, Thirds for grain crops and fourths for a cotton crop.

Watch your fields for Army Worms! They wiped out my second cutting. I thought someone had sprayed my fields with Round Up when I went to check them for the second cutting. I applied pesticide immediately and will shred to hopefully get regrowth and a stray shower. I put 300 lbs of Nitrogen on it after the first cutting. This is on 10 acres of Tifton and 28 acres of Klein grass. My first cutting was 191 bales of 5X5's. I was hoping for another good cutting but was really disappointed. I never thought of Army Worms in the Spring but after checking with other farmers in the county, I wasn't the only one that got wiped out. They hit quite a few other fields with the same results.

tlk, I would guess the baler breaks even or profits a little most years and takes a tax write-off the others. If you try to renegotiate on a banner year you might lose him.