'Cut throat neighbors'

[John Walter]

There's an interesting discussion over on Agriculture.com about the competition for land. A young farmer complains of "cut throat neighbors" who are trying to steal away his rented land.

He gets little sympathy from some folks in the discussion, but some good advice from one or two others. Has anyone here had similar experiences I wonder?

Check out the discussion in Agriculture Online Farm Business Talk. -- John

[Mike West]

One of the pieces dad rented was a farm owned by a business man who inhereted his money from his real estate investor dad. Dad rented the place for almost 50 years for just the tax payment. The (seemed to me) old boy would show up every year and stay for a week or two at his cabin on his farm pond. He'd just putter around just for something to do. Its sad but he died this summer and I have no idea what the kids and grandkids will do. But just goes to show that just cause someone inherited money or ground doesn't mean that they will be greedy, not appreciat the work it takes to farm and that they won't be interested in how your farming it.

[Eric Isernhagen]

There is a guy here that is hard to get along with, He has no patience, drives 90 all over. He has 1000 acres of ground he owns and decided to rent it out. All the locals that bid offered probably less than average rent just to put up with him. It is rough ground that has to be managed to be profitable. Guys from North of us were the ground is flat and raises good crops no matter what you do come down and offer him an insane rate and he takes it. A couple of years down the road they have to break the contract because they cant make money. Then he comes to town and cries on everybody shoulders that he has to find a new tenant. For 14 years this has gone on and he never learns his lesson.

[Brady Smith]

This is more common than you think. Families no longer make a living on their 80 acres and the nature of farming is becoming get big or get out. That is a very general statement, but if you are not a diversified farm (meaning you don't grow or raise anything besides corn and soybeans), the nature of the beast is get bigger. Equipment is more expensive and able to get over many more acres compared to the technology of 20 years ago. It takes a lot of acres to spread out the cost of machinery.

I can see both sides of this issue. I am a young farmer who works full time off the farm and aspire to farm full time someday. I don't like the idea of "cut throat" neighbors simply because I don't think it is sustainable. It will drive the price of rented ground too high for young/smaller farmers to have a shot. If we see $2.00 corn again, it could be the straw that breaks the camels back, and we may see some large growers that aren't able to continue paying high cash rent prices. If this happened, ground might free up and give some of us young guys and gals a shot.

[Steve WEbb]

We get more cuting done on prices of hay and straw. I would love to pick up 100 more acres but i don't because i know everyone vary well and don't want to hurt anyone.

[Logan Anderson]

landlords of this day around my area are mostly a generation that grew up on a farm but where never involved in it and left right after high school never to return so all they care about with the farm now is the money they are making and are hard to deal with because they don't understand the work and a landlord like that is very hard to work with because any time they hear something from the farmer that they don't like the threaten to sell

[Sandra Kay Miller]

My issue wasn't rented land, but a neighbor failing to honor a handshake deal to offer me the property next door when they decided to sell. It had previously been part of my farm until the former owner sold it off. Since it was neglected and overgrown when I purchased this place, I approached the owner about buying it back at a fair price. He said that if he ever decided to sell, I'd be given the first offer. Then one day a developer showed up and wanted to make sure he could get his equipment through the low spot in my pasture to build on HIS new property. The neighbor had sold off never offering to me because he said he could get "more" from a developer. The property is triangular and bordered on two sides by water, the non-water side bordering my pasture. The seller told the developer that there was a 'right-of-way' through my land (there's not) and when the developer found out he'd been had, he got mad at ME. Worse, he bought the property thinking he could build three houses, but he'd read outdated zoning codes so he could only build one. Needless to say, it's a monstrosity of a McMansion with owners who get upset where their young daughters watch my livestock, a-hem, well, being livestock. They've Round-Upped every border shrub I've ever planted (50 forsythia and 50 other shrubs whose name eludes me).

[Steve]

I can understand where your friend is comming from. Ive read some of the previous posts on here and everyone seems to make a genuine point. I am a younger farmer myself and I know what it is like to compete with larger farms. You cannot blame a landlord for wanting more rent per acre or however the rent is settled. Going in and playing the role of poor little me will not earn you respect in the community in my mind. If you want to play ball, play ball. If the neighboring farm can manage to outbid you on rent, then you should also figure out how they did it. If it was an investor kudos to them. I deal with that here. I manage my business portfolio to compete with them. I am not afraid to sit at a land auction with them. I recently purchased a large tract of land and paid fair value for it. I acted quickly (it was a private sale). Being neighborly with landlords and such does go a long ways, and actually taking time to chat with them pays off. But I do not sit there and gripe about the big farms.

[kevin harvey]

i agree with alot of the other comments that said if you do a good job take care of the farm and landlord good things will come back to you.but the landlords that put their blood swet and tears into the same ground are passing away, the next generation is on the seen and probably aren't retired yet maybe still have debt they try to to make as much money as they can, if they don't rent to another higher bidder they want you to pay just about as much. also when corn and bean prices jumped a couple years ago something changed it seemed like everybody just stuck their hand out landlords equipment dealers some equipment parts just got stupid i know fuel prices where high and that impacts just about everything it wasjust very frustrating.