To The Landlords ??

Tonight was the first time I've been out to the farm since the tenant harvested the beans. I was appalled at the amount of standing/bent over bean stalks as far as-the-eye(mine) could see . I mentioned this to dad and he said they came in with a 35' JD draper head/9'ish series Green combine pushing 5-6 mph . Perhaps that's the "norm" for losses as a renter, but DAMN, where's the pride of doing a good job, and do you guys just shrug your shoulders after glancing at your fields or just cash your check and not even look over the fence/lawn line ??

steve(ill) wrote: Do you get CASH RENT, or do you have SKIN IN THE GAME ?

Pride in doing a good job  That just isn't how things are done anymore, it's all about time/cost efficiency or at least someone's perception of it.  Have you ever been to a plow day? Today there is nearly two generations of people that have not had to plow. When I was young, if the furrows were not straight and even, or one corn stalk was showing in a 40 acre field, I would hear about the terrible job I'd done on this or that field until next year. Same went for a raggedy job mowing a hayfield, nowadays I see those disc mowers leaving as much as they cut. Very few places even farm in the corners anymore, because it take too much time, it's just faster to make a huge wide turn at full throttle. So they continue the weed problem that can't be controlled.  My grandfathers would be rolling in their grave if they saw what passes for farming in today's world.

Freed, there are guys that just don't give two cents but normally a farmer tries his best to get what's out there, his livelihood depends on it.  Maybe with the condition of the crop and the equipment they had to work with that was the best they could do,  I don't know but maybe they just don't give a shi$.  Around here the ones that don't give a shi$ don't stay in business.  I've been appalled at the job I've done in the past in certain conditions but it was the best I could do.  Had a 115 acre field of Milo get hit by a 70+mph wind and it was flat as could be.  Spent 3 days cutting it with crop lifters, pickup real, and washing out the sieves twice a day and got 70 bu/acre and I can guarantee you I left 40 bu/acre on the ground.  I was sick knowing what was out there but couldn't do anything about it.  I felt real worthless in the spring when I farmed it all into the ground.  It was on crop share rented land that a lady from GA owns and believe me I told her straight up the situation.  There wasn't a snowballs chance in hell she would have known but I wanted her to know.  So in your case it could be the same situation but they cash rent so they're out 100% of what was left so why explain it?  If they just slop through it like that you probably will be looking for a new renter before long.  Leaving $10 beans in the field for the sake of quantity of acres and not quality of job will put you out of business pretty quick in my opinion.

So the moral to the story is YOU DONT HAVE THE TIME and DAD IS TO OLD... So you CASH RENT..........Really not your problem.... Instead of asking us WHAT HAPPENED, why not ask the RENTER if you really want to know !

welcome to my world! our renters last year left just shy of 11 b/a in the field. but according to the stockholders they are very good farmers, always have clean new green machines! they didn't think 11 b/a was all that bad! they used a 20 ft header. when i farmed that ground i also had a 20 ft header and traded it for a 13 ft (really wanted a 15 ft, but couldn't find one at the time), the 20 ft header was leaving to much on the side hills. i was able to get most all of the beans with the 13 ft. minus shatter loss at the sickle. they said i wasn't a good farmer, using smaller equipment! can't tell them anything, they know it all! i too haVE bean stalks bent over and unharvested in the fields. i even see a green pathway thru the fields where the grain came out the back. that's on both corn and beans. but they tell everyone how fast they can harvest with their new machines! like said above, they can't plant the corners either, and any curve they make they can't harvest that either, we've filled pickup boxes full of ear corn that they ran down trying to make the curves. we rent for 50/50...but the stockholders pay out $247 per acre as our share of the input costs. last time i farmed it my input costs were below $100 per acre and i raised 150-200 corn and 60+ bu beans. same as what they claim they are doing now. they sell pioneer seed so that's what is planted, they plant irrigated populations on dryland. 1 ear per stalk and they are small. ya'll check your crop insurance, ours signed up they get 75% and we get 25%. told that to the self appointed farm manager and all he could say is they wouldn't do that! but i saw the paperwork from the adjuster and that's what it showed. the stockholders won't say anything to them! no wonder there's a waiting list for others to farm our farm! oh....and don't let them use the yield monitor in their combines as bu/ac to figure out the 50/50%, it is not accurate and can be set in the combine owners favor. when it comes to sell, the landlords share is always real short.   

If you see a pattern repeat itself year after year then it might be time for a change.  We sent our BTO a letter of termination this summer.  Decided they had to go when all they do if farm the land without taking care of the land.  One of my friends farms the neighbors place and the difference is night and day.  You can guess who is farming it next year.

I've rented my land to my best friend for almost 30 years.  We have a 50/50 crop-share rental arrangement.  Never had a written lease.  We split seed, chemical, and fertilizer costs.  He provides the equipment.  I pay the real estate taxes.  In my opinion, it's worked out to be the most "fair" way to rent a farm.

Kansas99 wrote: FREEDGUY wrote: steve(ill) wrote: Do you get CASH RENT, or do you have SKIN IN THE GAME ? Dad cash rents for now but has pride in leaving as little-as-possible grain in the field after harvest . You must be a tenant or a BTO ?? Unlike DT, most of us have a sense of pride  Freed, come on now leave your political hissy fits in the political section.  I can tell you Steve wouldn't drag that over here.

Stan IL&TN wrote: If you see a pattern repeat itself year after year then it might be time for a change.  We sent our BTO a letter of termination this summer.  Decided they had to go when all they do if farm the land without taking care of the land.  One of my friends farms the neighbors place and the difference is night and day.  You can guess who is farming it next year.

FREEDGUY wrote: Ray54 wrote: So many ways to take this, but at the center of it your dad seems to still make the decisions. Is he happy? If he is end of story. Depending on how big of BTO farms the ground, he can do no better than help he has to do the job.   It's ALL family

Our renters get with us as to improvements or changes with offers as to those changes using their best judgement.  I knew when we bought as had a renter that renting was a good choice to keep the land active and in structured use, alternates as to usage and what to place and why has always been a dynamic opportunity as well conversation.

I walked down the road yesterday to look at the farm I used to own. Neighbors plowed under the hay on the bottom and planted corn. I wish I still had my Gleanor combine with the low profile corn head. I'll bet I'd get another 20 BPA. Renter must not have cared, his 4 row corn head left most of the lower ears. Yes he was moving thru the field. A whole lot of corn simply left standing in the field. But I guess someone has to feed these dam deer. I did it for 20 + years.