'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

[Don Aberle]

I've seen it time and time again at land auctions. Guys come in and offer insane cash rent prices just to squeeze someone else out. While the price is important, I think maintaining a good, solid relationship with your landlord is the key to retaining your rented land. Pick him or her up one morning, take them to breakfast and then drive the countryside with them. Show them what you're doing with their land and ask their advice. Odds are good - they will have some advice for you. Take a look at the neighboring fields, talk about rotation schedules, watershed and fertilizer plans. Make them feel like they are not only your landlord, but part of your operation.

A couple extra dollars in his pocket won't mean much compared to that.

[Hinfarm]

What good is a landlord that is always hounding you for the top dollar? The land owner has every right in the world to get every nickel they have comming to them but what is the cost? Is the farmer who pays the most going to fertilize the ground correctly? Are they going to mow the ditches? Are they going to plow the snow out of the driveway in the winter? I doubt it.

[Jim Watts]

I've seen a few farmers try and take land in my area. I've seen them do stuff that is unethical to get ground. My opinion is as long as you do a good job. And treat your landlords fair. Your landlords will keep you farming their ground. And if you do a good job, and work hard. New landlords will bring you ground.

[Matt Folsom]

I have seen it I know of one farmer in the area that gets along with no one anymore he found a rich investor that has bought him almost every acre that has come up in the last ten years only a couple of guys in the area have been able to out bid him(the investor). He has no descretion he just wants it all for himself.

[Adam]

Know of a fellow west of us that grabs landlords, takes a 5th of Crown and drives the country side. Apparently kisses @ss till he gets the landlord to rent it out to him. What happened to the days of being asked to farm ground? If you prove yourself to be a good steward of the land you're gonna get a call sooner or later.

[James Kelly]

My father and I have been farming for two years and a farmer who was renting a farm no more than a quartar mile down our road died and the family liquidated the farm. So we offered the landlord and neighbor 75 dollars an acre to rent his farm.... A price that is high on the price scale here but very common....the land and loacation was definietly worth it.... The landlord said great but the former farmers family recommended another farmer...(one of the largest farmers in the county) ... so he felt that he should check him out first.... some months later the landlord called us back saying that he spoke to the other farmer and told him what we had offered and the farmer told him " They will never make money paying you that" and the farmer ask the landlord what his former rent was (50 dollars) and the farmer said would you take 55 and the landlord said ok....
so we lost the bid... WHY? because a competitor farmer told the landlord that we would never make any money... How can another man say how much money another man is able to make with out even knowing them or there operation.... What basically happend was that the landlord was taken for a sucker....

[dale a. Brandt]

A 5th of Crown!!! thats a good idea!!!!

Dale

[Adam]

It must work, that guy has quite the spread. Just doesn't seem too... moral?

[Jim Watts]

The days of being asked to farm. There are still some good old school landlords like that. But most of them are old. The new generation thats taking over for them. Most of them just see dollar signs.

[Bryant Roberson]

Around here its pretty dog eat dog on rental farms....we still have alot of landlords that realize the value of a farmer who is going to take care of the land and maintain it, but now we have alot of landlords who are originally out of staters, who could care less what happens to the land it is merely an assest to them bought to divert taxes from some other business....and yes we have some farmers here that will cut your throat to grow just one acre, some are growing successfully and some end up bankrupting themselves in greed.....I had a farmer about 6 years ago right after my dad had retired come up to my dad one weekend and tried to rent my own dad's land from underneath me which included the farm where my shop and machinery sheds were, and went as far as to tell my dad just to name the price and hed beat whatever I would pay him and rent the shop and sheds, I mean somethings just not right with that picture; needless to say the bank sold this other farmer out 4 years later so I guess what comes around goes around

[John Walter]

Thanks for all the replies. The response to the discussion here, and the forum over on Agriculture.com, shows how this topic strikes a nerve with people. Inspired me to work up a blog item over on insideag.com, "Compete with cutthroat neighbors." -- John

[Jed Olbertson]

Simple rule I have-I don't want to rent an inherited farm. What I mean is, unless the owner has sweated, bled, and cried on that land, wondered how they were going to make the payment, left the end of a finger in a piece of machinery out in the field, they have no appreciation for it. Those that are the city kids that just inherit the farm are the greedy landlords without a clue as to what the differences are between tenants. Period!!