Standing corn. What's it worth per acre?

I am offering to buy an acre of his corn from him to leave it standing this year. What a good price?

 

You'll have to make an offer equivalent to what it's worth harvested depending on some sort of estimated yield. If it's 200 bushel per acre corn the market price right now is $3.58/bushel so x 200 = $716 per acre.

You'll have to ask him what he feels it will yield and adjust up or down based on his estimation. Or you can wait until after harvest and he can provide you with a weighed average yield per acre and then you can compensate post harvest...if he is open to the idea at all.

He's probably got at least $400/acre invested in it but he isn't likely to settle for his investment back without a return.

 

Any local co-op can tell you what local bushel per ac. In your area and what they are paying per bushel.

Last year with the drought my farm we got 15-30 bushel a ac. Vs the same field year past of 70-90 per ac. So it all comes down to what kind of year were having. Please be smart and tell him your going to kill every deer that comes close to it,you will get a smile.

Good luck.

 

Local Co-op can give you an idea of local average yields but ultimately it comes down to the farmers word and estimation. Local price should be solid from co-op unless farmer is selling to a local market that can bid it higher than normal market, ie...ethanol plant, local dairy operation etc..

 

Yield x Corn price. But then you have to take into account all of his inputs. Like stated, it ultimately comes down to the farmers choice.

 

You only get 70-90 bushel per acre on your corn?
do you have terrible soil?

 

Probably two bad years in a row. Here, 2012 was worse than 2013 but both years were off. Really good crop this year. We do good to hit 150-180 bushel here. Many are predicting a lot of 200 bushel corn here this year but I think that's pretty optimistic. 200 bushel corn is considered meh in the better corn belt states where it takes more like 300 bushel corn before eyebrows raise.

 

How much is the actual cost of harvest... would that not be subtracted from the yield if not harvested?

 

I suppose it could be but you're talking, in the scope of things, a vary nominal amount. If 200 bushel (example), a combine is going to use about three gallon of fuel (depending on the combine) an 8 row or a twelve row header is going to plow through an acre in probably ten minutes and two minutes to dump basically a hopper of corn. Wear and tear on the combine is going to amount to roughly $30, hauling 200 bushel amounts to basically nothing. I guess an argument could be made for knocking off $100 maybe.

You have to understand how a farmer thinks though. You're basically asking a favor because most farmers would rather harvest it than to leave it, figuring the deer already have gotten their portion +. When you're already there with the combine it's as easy to cut it than to leave it. It takes an out of the ordinary farmer to happily agree to a deal like that so you're more than likely going to have to make a deal that is sweet to be convincing for the farmer to play along and be happy about it.

 

Crappy corn here is 150 bushels an acre or less.

 

Interesting the difference in yield. Only 70-90 bushels on a good year? The part of my yard back in IL that was farmed could crank out over 300 bushel on a good year.

 

Yeah where I am at in E Central IL corn yields are pretty high and 225 is easy to hit. But our old Family farm in S Il the soil was so bad down there we were happy to hit 110

 

Hill ground in red clay area 90 is normal here on the hill ground.my river ground will push around 200 but some years it floods and we lose most of it.some good years for the most part. This year I have 600 ac plus corn and 300 in beans and we are just a hobby operation. Chemical cost are killing most family farm operations here

 

Thanks for the replies. I will let you guys know how much he charges me.

 

I hope it works out well for you. If he agrees and you get it bought, I wouldn't leave all of it standing perpetually over winter. I'd drive through a row or two at a time intermittently and knock some down. The deer and turkeys make better use of it that way and it leaves some cover standing at the same time.

 

Funny state of things when 900 acres or so is considered a "Hobby Farm/Operation" isn't it. I hear ya on the chemical cost...ludicrous.

 

In the future there won't hobby farms just Monsanto farms

 

AKA...government ag. inc.

 

Now even farmers ragging on Monsanto...

 

Yep....