npaden

There is currently a grazing lease on the property that I purchased. It expires in two weeks (September 14th). The lease payment is $1,750 annually but under the current rules if you have a cash tenant on your property they become the "operator" and recieve all the government payments due on the property. I have 55 acres of crop base and last year the total government payments were $2,233 so the tenant was actually PAID $483 to graze the property. (That was an unusually high year for the government payments, they generally run anywhere from $750 - $2,000)

I'm currently negotiating the lease and the current option that I'm leaning toward is to allow him to graze the land for free on a rotational basis. He would pull his cattle off at the end of this lease for the remainder of the hunting season (through the end of December). In October he would plant 35 acres of winter wheat that would act as a nice food plot for me. In January he would turn his cattle back onto the property through the end of March and then pull them off again through the end of June. This is the prime growth period for warm season grasses and would allow excellent nesting habitat for quail. He would turn his cattle back out from July through August and then pull them off at the end of August. Under this method I would get a 35 acre food plot (I might try to work in getting him to plant some more, not sure yet) and he would check on my property and maintain my fences. Since he wouldn't be a cash tenant he wouldn't be the operator and I would receive the government payments which would come close to what the lease was.

This option would work for him because he owns 400 acres right next to me so that would allow him to move the cattle back and forth easily and he would be able to graze my property during the critical time periods of the year.

The other option is to completely kick him off the property and not have to worry about any of it. I have a 45hp tractor and planting that 35 acre field would be difficult on an annual basis.

Anyone have any thoughts or comments on this setup? It could potentially limit my use of fall food plots, but they are generally not used all the much in this area.

Thanks in advance. Nathan

timbercruiser

Sounds like you are holding all the aces. Make the best deal that you can The one you explained sounds fair to me. If he don't like it there may be another farmer that would take it.