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Lease problem

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
We lease 180 acres from a local farmer, He has a small farm and out dated equiptment. We have 8 years left on our lease contract.
Most of the farm is hay fields. there is some clover and alfalfa witch is good. He also plants about 20 acres of corn. He leaves about 3 acres standing for us in a couple different areas. We also have 4 areas about an acre each that he plants soy beans in for us. The problem is that he didn't plant the beans till july 5th this year. and believe it or not we haven't had much rain here since then. We also supplied the bean seed. The beans are not doing anything, Some didn't even come up. they notilled them with a corn planter and I think they were planted to deep. This has made a huge difference in the deer activity in the area. Seems the deer have moved on to other farms with good beans.
We pay him a thousand dollars a year to do the planting for us. Hes a nice guy and he knows im not happy that the beans are a wash.
I just don't want to tick him off. But I feel we have been shorted. And it will have a negative effect on our hunting this year.
Im just looking for some imput on what I should do about it. And what you think.
He is lucky to get 75 bushels to an acre out of his corn.

Here is a picture of the plot last year. 1.JPG
 
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bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
My first inclination is to say "tough luck" and be happy you have what you have. I'd see about getting in there to plant a mix of rye/oats/peas and do it soon. Doesn't sound like this guy intentionally screwed you, so I'd politely talk to him about his planting method and leave it at that.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Probaly not his fault. I couldn't plant until June 14th here in SW Ohio because of it rained every week.
Sounds like he's hurting to.
Do you want the lease back 8 yrs. from now? If so I wouldn't do anything as I'm sure he will cut you a deal in the future years.
Talk to him and feel him out. I'm sure he'll work with you.
Good luck.
 

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,708
191
Mahoning Co.
Plant something and it doesn't grow good, welcome to farming. If the rest of your dealings with the guy have been good, grin and bear it. If he's a good guy he'll try harder next year.

The beans planted late=green foliage later in the season.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
He could have planted the beans sooner but just didn't do it. I offered to help. I grew up on a large farm and know a thing or two about it, but they are afraid to let me use there equiptment.
And there will be no green foliage because 90% of the beans never came up. The same thing happened two years ago and he said he would get them in sooner next time. Last year he got them in by june 15th and they did good.
also, we do a lot for this guy. Help him put up hay. Bring him 20lbs of fresh walleye every year. Give him 3 deer a year., bring him pie, summer sausage, Bacon, jerky, Cut wood for him. even help weed eat around his barns. Plus pay him 2k for the lease.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I can't help but think of a saying my dad would use in a predicament like this and that"s "don't shit where you eat". If you want to keep eating (hunting) on this farm, then I'd be careful about the shit you stir. If it is worth stirring and you see a reoccurring theme that says it may not be worth the time, effort, and money, then maybe you should void the lease and walk away. Otherwise, I stick to my original statement. It sucks, but it could be worse...
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I see beans in the pic. Small but they're there. Deer don't need lush beans anyway. The deer should be leaving bean fields soon also. IMO beans don't provide a single benefit during hunting season. The only thing they're really worth is pictures in early to mid summer. Once late summer comes they abandon them. The corn will be a bigger attractant come season. My bigger question is this. Are you sure the deer are still alive? Many areas of the state thanks to our DNR have seen drastic reductions in deer numbers. Often hunters sees less deer and assume they're somewhere else and look to blame something on their property. When the truth is the deer are just plain dead, or not as many are being born to replenish due to a lower population. The only way you can blame the beans is if you have been watching the other beans on surrounding properties and are able to recognize the deer there as once calling your beans home. Living away from the property I assume you haven't had the ability to do that and assume that since the deer aren't here they're somewhere else. Between the DNR and EHD last season they could very well be dead and you have a lower population than in years past.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
thanks for the imput guys. Its always better to get other peoples thoughts. Im going to leave it alone. But i may ask for a small wagon load of corn later on.
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
I see beans in the pic. Small but they're there. Deer don't need lush beans anyway. The deer should be leaving bean fields soon also. IMO beans don't provide a single benefit during hunting season. The only thing they're really worth is pictures in early to mid summer. Once late summer comes they abandon them. The corn will be a bigger attractant come season. My bigger question is this. Are you sure the deer are still alive? Many areas of the state thanks to our DNR have seen drastic reductions in deer numbers. Often hunters sees less deer and assume they're somewhere else and look to blame something on their property. When the truth is the deer are just plain dead, or not as many are being born to replenish due to a lower population. The only way you can blame the beans is if you have been watching the other beans on surrounding properties and are able to recognize the deer there as once calling your beans home. Living away from the property I assume you haven't had the ability to do that and assume that since the deer aren't here they're somewhere else. Between the DNR and EHD last season they could very well be dead and you have a lower population than in years past.

the picture is from last year. If the beans looked that good this year id be happy. There are plenty of deer around. Ive seen them in other bean fields. And the deer will eat the soybean seed once they have dried out. We don't cut the beans down so there a food source through the end of November when there all gone.
There are a few bucks that are typicaly on our property this time of the year. They have vacated the area, my bud has pictures of them about a mile away in there beans.
The buck in the picture is the one we found dead last year. we also found 15 dead does and fawns from ehd last year. But there is still a healthy population in the area.
But the farmer we lease from quit using nuciense permits when we started the lease. He would kill up to 15 deer a year, And now he kills none so that helps.
 

teej89

Senior Member
2,288
48
NE PA
if you're dissatisfied with your lease seeing that pic from last year I'd gladly take that mess off you hands :p

you got a good thing going I wouldn't worry! Last thing you wanna do is tick off the land owner.
 

beaston

Junior Member
Borrow his disk and then broadcast some winter rye(bushel per acre)... Between that and the corn it will be be a lil less painful. My beans sucked this year but it was more from to much rain and a not so good seedbed.
 

bigten05

*Supporting Member*
3,675
151
knox county ohio
i picked up 225 acres yesterday while working on an old mans driveway (lucked into it). i asked him if it was pretty good hunting and he told me it must be because a guy gave him 5000 to lease it too years ago, then he started telling me that the guy threw a fit because his neighbor (another 80 year old man) walked thru the property with his dog while he was hunting, i guess the guy just raised all kinds of stink about it. well the owner just wrote him a check for his money that he had payed him and said i expect you to be off my property within an hour. not saying thats gonna happen to you but it goes back to the saying above dont shit where you eat. hope everything works out for you.
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
if you're dissatisfied with your lease seeing that pic from last year I'd gladly take that mess off you hands :p

you got a good thing going I wouldn't worry! Last thing you wanna do is tick off the land owner.

I agree as there is probably a line of guys wanting to lease that property. Be careful.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Like the others have said, I see this as a blessing in disguise in regards to the food. I'm speaking from my experience in SE Ohio, but deer don't eat beans around here once they dry up. Not until LATE in the season when it is super cold, so forget it being a good food source in October and November when you need it. You have the perfect opportunity to go to him and say: "Hey, the beans you planted are not doing well, would you mind hitting with the disc so we can sew some oats/wheat/brassica/whatver..." and then thank him for his time. $5 says he does it with a smile and you'll have a truly viable plot of green right next to another favorite crop in the corn. It makes for a killer set up and it is not TOO late...
 

Boarhead

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
I can't help but think of a saying my dad would use in a predicament like this and that"s "don't shit where you eat". If you want to keep eating (hunting) on this farm, then I'd be careful about the shit you stir. If it is worth stirring and you see a reoccurring theme that says it may not be worth the time, effort, and money, then maybe you should void the lease and walk away. Otherwise, I stick to my original statement. It sucks, but it could be worse...
I agree.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
Bean sucks just about everywhere this year, regardless of where or when they have been planted...few good fields here and there but the overall crop is down this year I do believe.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
I agree Huck! Back home in the SE part of the state around my mom and Ron's places they look great but with all the rain we got down here in the SW the majority of bean fields are at best up to your knees. Worse I've seen since in such a long time that I can't remember when...dang
 

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
the beans look pretty good around here. we didn't get all the rain everyone else did. The next field over from us is almost waist high. Im sure when the beans brown up some of the bucks will come back.
I already talked to the farmer about planting something else but he didn't seem to like the idea. Kinda blew it off.
And thanks for all the replys guys. It helps to have others thoughts on things like this.