For Rent

Hi there! I hope everybody's new year is off to a great start! We're back to normal schedules after the Christmas and New Years vacations and back to work on the bathroom addition, garden planning and some other house-related projects.It's that time of year that can get really cold, snowy, and gloomy around here so most of our projects right now are indoors. For us it also seems like this time of year comes with an awful lot of bills to pay. Taxes on both of our properties, extra heating costs,  extra electric bills for the animal's heat and/or water heaters, etc. This year, one of the ways we'll be making a little extra money is by renting out a couple of our pastures. Now, I know not everyone has extra acreage to rent out, but if you do this something you might want to think about. Of course, there are some things to consider.

We are renting to a local rancher who will be putting cattle on the land, but you could also consider renting out space for horses, goats, even chickens. Whatever type of animal you have room for and are willing to have on your property. You will first need to determine what area you are willing to rent out. For us, we hope to get a few more animals of our own this year, so we don't want to rent out all of our pastures, but we have two fairly large ones that we know we won't need this year.

You will have to talk with the people interested in renting, first to get references (if you don't already know them) and then to determine the specifics of what they need and which one of you will provide it. You'll need the right kind of fencing for the livestock you will have on the land. For cattle, either electric fencing,

or cattle panels.

We already have areas with both of these, but our renter will be bringing some more of his own cattle panels to make an alley for loading and unloading his cattle so that they will not be going through area we will be using.

They will need access to water. We have a creek, but if you don't you will need to decide who will supply the equipment to water the animals.

(The creek won't be frozen by the time the cows get here!)

If they will require feed other than the grass on the pasture, you will have to discuss that also. You may need feed bunks or other feeders and you'll want to be clear on who will be feeding and when, so that you are aware of who will be on your property. 

Another thing to talk about is whether or not they will need access to a barn or shelter. Our renter does not want access to our barns except in the instance that one of the cows are sick or injured, then he would like to be able to get that animal inside to receive care. We are ok with him using one of the barns in that case, so that worked out for all of us.

You'll also need to find out what time frame they want to rent for. Where we live the "season" is May through October for the cattle to graze, but it will be different in other areas. 

Once you have all this figured out you can talk about what price you want for the use of your land. (If you have electric fencing or waterers, don't forget to factor in the extra cost of electricity!) This is usually either per acre or per head or pair. Be sure you have a good phone number for the animal's owner in case one gets out or you notice a problem.

Now that we have our deal all worked out, the extra income will help with those bills and I'm looking forward to May when I can look out my windows and see a pasture full of cows!

I hope you have a great week!

This post was shared over at:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com

http://beingfrugalbychoice.blogspot.com

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com

http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com

http://www.backyardfarmingconnection.com

http://back2basichealth.blogspot.com

http://tillysnest.com

http://thehomesteadinghippy.com/