Pasture Rental

[cakadu]

I'm curious to know what you see pasture rental going for this year. We're in central alberta and things aren't looking as bleak as they are in some areas in terms of having pasture.

I've heard of some prices as high as $45/AUM. Will this be realistic?

[pandiana]

I don't even want to think about prices like this. At this price, cows will go to town as you cannot expect to make enough off them to pay for their feed. Owning cows will become a luxury for oilmen and lawyers.

[cowman]

There is actually an ad in a local weekly offering pasture for 70 pairs. At $60/AUM!

[laxdal]

$60/mo X 5 mo / 5 ac/pair/year = $60/ac!
35lb of hay X 30 days/mo X $100/ton =$50/mo.
If 1 ac of hayland averages 2 ton then that 5 ac will feed 5ac X 2ton / .5 ton/mo = 4 pair.
Does this mean I can carry 4X as many cows and it will take 4X as long before the auction? It will be a poor auction I'm afraid, the equipment is a little worn out for the oil/developer boys.

[cowman]

I suppose it's all how you look at it. Grain land in this area usually rents for $60 /acre cash rent. Tame pasture here will carry a cow/calf on 2.5 acres or less(in a normal year). So $60 or $45 dollars is excessive. An equivalent of $60/acre would be $30/AUM.
But I also live in an area where there are a lot of cattle that don't need to make a buck and there are five renters for every available acre. So it's supply and demand. It doesn't make any economic sense but thats how it is.

[Muttley]

Depends on how badly one wants to keep their cattle.
I have a contract for some of my pastures. One I pay 2000.00 per quarter per year. I can usually run 20 plus head per year, this year I still have to pay but will be running no cattle in it at all. I probably should let it go but what about next year?

[laxdal]

Yes I guess 2.5 sc compared to 5 ac's to carry a pair means $30 rent here and that is the high end in this area. Rent on both pasture and land is going up steadily. We are putting in more grass to increase our numbers without getting into the scramble of finding, keeping and fencing of rented land.

[15444]

hey muttley

here in nwontario I run approx. 18 cow/calf pairs with a bull on a quarter and it cost me $350.00. I think it is time that you boys out there seriously thought about moving. You can't farm if you can't make a profit.

[Muttley]

My cheapest cash rent leases are land owned by the provincial government. They have went from about 300.00 per year 10 years ago to about 750.00 per year this year. We also must pay the taxes of about 400.00 per year on top of that.
This is all for 160 acre pasture. I do hear though that in ranching country in the southern part of Sk. it's much cheaper. These quarters of mine are very productive for this area but 20 pairs per year would be the maximum average. This year they are all empty because of the drought.

[cowman]

Here's the best one I've ever heard of! A relative of mine sold his farm. He still has 320 acres of rough pasture. Some guy has offered him $32,000 for pasture rent! He's playing hard to get... figures about$35,000 sounds about right! Can you believe this?