Experiences with leasing land to graze cattle

Yes.

What do you want to know?

Varies depending what part of the country you’re in. Some places leases run per head instead of priced per acre.

I took over a place this year and I’m 11k in the hole not counting cattle bought. And that with doing all the labor myself and cutting corners everywhere.

My Dad and his 2 brothers used to lease 66 acres to their first cousin for years. He raised cattle. Cut hay 2-3 times a year with good weather. I’m pretty sure they got enough money to pay the property taxes. Not much else. May have been just a family deal. His cousin got out of cows, have been leasing to another fellow who just cuts the hay. Make money? I guess just depends on the situation

You're definitely always on call and the day you don't go check them there is a breech calf or a bull in the heifer pen.

It’s hard to be profitable. You only make money off a cow every 18 months or so.

For every cow you have, by her 3rd calf you want to have her paid for and be making a profit on it.

I don’t pay a lease but around here they go for around $25 / acre. If you’re around row crops then good luck. Especially if they have cane farmers in the area. They have guys paying $100/acre losing their leases to can farmers every year.

I really don’t see how those guys can turn a profit

You have just got to put a pencil to it. Got to figure any additional expenses other than basic lease fee you will incur such as fixing fences, moving equipment to, etc. Will need to know what the land owner wants his land to look like before you sign or you might be having to run out there for mickey mouse stuff for him. Some want there land kept in better condition than when they used it!!!

Never say never.

Yep. My Daddy came up hard. When his Fatner died, he and his older siblings had to quit school and go to work to support the family. No government ADC food stamp BS - they wanted to eat, so they worked.

At 14 my Dad got a job breaking horses for a cattle guy. By the time he died he ended up owning most of that guy's land and more. Also, people all around the country would send their cutting horses to him to train. I'm his only surviving child - no way in hell am I letting go of what he worked his arse off to earn. No way.

Land is not ours, only ours to use for a short time.