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Lost my renter......

John M

John M

Well-known Member
Location
Nunyafn business
Had a guy come around a few years ago, wanting to rent some farm land. We made a deal, and he began farming 65 acres of my property. He rents more from my neighbor across the road. Last summer, he told me his plans, after cutting the beans, he would be back to pay me, and put in winter wheat. Well, that was last September. While cutting across the road, something happened to his combine, that was on a Saturday. Sunday he comes back with a different combine and continues cutting across the road. Hes 10 minutes from being done, when the property owner comes and chews him out for working on a Sunday. My neighbor is a retired farmer so he should really know, you got to get the crops in when you have to, even on Sunday, and Ive seen him more than once while growing up out there in that same field on Sundays. The guy renting my land wont be back. I found this out via email this morning. I want to talk to my neighbor about this, how would you approach him?
 
In my neighborhood most farmers are still relatively small and have a 'real' job to pay the bills. Add in my short growing season of Minnesota, and Sundays are probably when most farming gets done.......

Hard to approach a neighbor about a rumor, that takes some nice side conversation and ease into it.

Paul
 
I wouldn't bring it up with the neighbor. It sounds like there might be something else bothering him - maybe he didn't like the renter, maybe he's starting to get dementia, who knows? It's also possible the renter looked at commodity prices and decided on his own to get out.
 
You could mention that if he finds a new renter he should refer the guy to you, you are looking for a new renter too.
 
I'm not quite getting the connection either, the farmer rented from your neighbor and he rented from you.

How does this story affect you? Was the farmer coming some distance, and you have a pretty small acreage; the farmer isn't going to travel that far for your small field without your neighbors acres too?

Otherwise, not sure how that played out?

Paul
 
What do you hope to gain by confronting your neighbor? That going to keep your renter? Sometimes it's just best to move on.

RIck
 
Let me clarify, the same guy rents from both of us. The small field he rents from me is across the road from my neighbor, and is basically in my backyard. The larger field he rents from me is less than a mile up the road, but he also rents other property from another guy very near there. Im guessing he rents around 700 acres all together on the road I live on, and hes mentioned other property in the area he rents. The payments hes made to me, based on our agreement, have been $900, $1100, $800 and $1000. I know I could get more, but it saves me the time and money of having to keep it cleaned up. He does haul all of his equipment in from another town, but its not that far, like 15 miles. The 3rd guy he rents from is very upset, as this rent was part of his income. I do not know the other people he rents from. My whole problem is the fact my neighbor across the road complained to the renter about working on Sunday, and now the renter wont be coming back. The problem for me is not the money, or the fact Ill have to go back to maintaining my fields. Its the fact my neighbor, who was getting the most per acre, jumped on the renter for working on Sunday. When we were farming, we worked when we had to, and that included Sundays. Im sure the Lord knew why we werent at church that day!! Has farming changed that much that work on Sunday is no longer allowed?
 
Hes not out of farming. I drove by his place a few weeks ago trying to catch up with him to see what was going on. Hes got his fields in something, didnt stop to look and see what it was.
 
See my other replies. What my neighbor did was took money out of my pocket, and another guy my renter rented from, who counted on that as part of his income. (Hes disabled now due to a farming accident.)
 
I certainly see your point. Your neighbor's unreasonable actions cost you a lot of money and time (it will take your time to find another renter). I would demand an explanation.
 
I,m thinking you need to chill out a bit. You don't know that the Sunday argument is the reason he dropped you. Maybe he found more productive land closer by.
Have you acted like an adult and called your renter or knocked on his door asking for an explanation? Sound to me like you are just flying off the handle with out the facts. Maybe you should run for Congress.
Even if your neighbor is the reason,what can you do? Your hatred is only hurting yourself.
If the surrounding land was productive enough for one guy to rent its productive enough for another. Find a new tenant and move on!
 
Just to be clear here. You can work when you want but the excuse of I have to work on Sunday, or God knows why I was not in church holds no water. God says " in earing and in harvest thou shalt not work. These means no working not only on my convenience.

Your neighbour not getting along with your renter has nothing to do with him renting your land. If he wanted your land he would still rent it. As far as him working it Sunday, no excuse and you don't know if your neighbour had that in a lease agreement.

It's people calling themselves Christians and working Sunday that makes Christianity look foolish to the non believers. I know as I worked 11 years for a man who looked at them and had no good to say about hypocrites.
 
This must be a regional issue. In my neighborhood there are at least five more renters waiting that will jump at the chance to rent land when one quits.
 
If your neighbor doesn't want him on his farm on Sunday, its his land and his wishes and whether or not it was contracted that way is between renter/landlord. If he is walking away from 65 plus acres due to loosing one farm in the area there is more to the story and you may be further ahead not having him on your farm. Around here 65 acres is a good chunk most likely worth traveling 15 miles for, in other areas its not due to land productivity along with travel to the elevator, bin or barn.
 
John, I guess my question should be:

Did the renter specifically state that he was no longer renting from you because of the neighbor?


Rick
 
Chill out??????? Whatever!

I just found out less than 4 hours ago, so no, I havent talked with my renter yet. I can copy and paste the email he sent me if it will make you happy.
 
A simple ad in your local newspaper will get you more renters than you can handle. At least it will here.

The land owner can't tell the renter when he can or can not work the rented land.
 
There were 3 people he was renting from. He was getting 65 from me, and approximately 200 from another guy, the rest from my neighbor.
 
I don't understand how it's your neighbor's fault, or your absurd statement that your neighbor took money out of your pocket.

This issue is between you and your renter, PERIOD. Are you the one out of sync? I suspect you're flying off the handle without telling the entire story.
 
Youre probably right, and Im sure Ill have no problems renting. The guy before him was cutting fescue off of it for hay, and then it sat for 3 years other than me keeping it cut down.
 
Whos flying off the handle? Im not! The money deal is Im not getting it now. Is a major source of income for me, no, but it was nice to have it to help pay the taxes.
 
It seems as though there really is another reason that he's not willing to state, as a disagreement with one if you find a guyguy shouldn't affect the relationship with next guy. Now that you stated that's what he actually said, yeah it does add some validity to your complaint.

Probably not worth talking to your neighbor, so just pick yourself up by your bootstraps and keep on moving. If youfind a guy, refer him to the disabled guy who needs the money. Warm him about your crazy neighbor, and let your neighbor find his own tenant.

Donovan from Wisconsin
 
(quoted from post at 07:14:25 05/16/16) Yes, I want to know why he jumped on him for working on Sunday.
Click to expand...

John, a lot of people, who when they were younger didn't pay too much attention to religion seem to find it more and more the closer to deaths door that they get. Could be as simple as that. The big thing here is other than satisfying you curiosity what's it going to accomplish? If nothing I'd suggest just moving on with life.

Rick
 
Just go find another renter. So the neighbor screwed up the deal, you can't fix that. So move on. Maybe you'll end up better off. It could happen. gobble
 
You sound like the dutch around here, they don't work on Sunday either, well not around home anyways where the neighbors can see them or with the garage doors open, but they will park in the alley behind the bar where they think no one will see them and stumble out of the place at 1am! I was raised to respect Sunday as a day of rest but I will bale hay or cut soybeans if bad weather is moving in after attending the morning service. Dad was baling hay for a neighbor once, he wanted to finish on Sunday because he had hay ready to bale on Monday, the neighbor wouldn't let him bale on the Sabbath so he waited. I would have brought the baler home and left his hay lay.It's whats in your heart that matters as God sees all.
 
I have a guy across from me who won't rent to anyone who works on Sunday. I'm sure it drives him nuts watching me, I planted corn next to him last Sunday. Although I try not to plant on Sunday, you have to go when you can. Besides, I go to church Saturday night instead of Sunday.
 
Sounds like your neighbor may be experiencing the early stages of mental problems. He's "slipping" as they say around here.

I would not bring it up, for sure not confront him or irritate him.

Best to treat him with kid gloves.

Gene
 
(quoted from post at 09:41:19 05/16/16) If your neighbor doesn't want him on his farm on Sunday, its his land and his wishes and whether or not it was contracted that way is between renter/landlord. If he is walking away from 65 plus acres due to loosing one farm in the area there is more to the story and you may be further ahead not having him on your farm. Around here 65 acres is a good chunk most likely worth traveling 15 miles for, in other areas its not due to land productivity along with travel to the elevator, bin or barn.
Click to expand...

As long as the renter is abiding by the rental agreement the neighbor has no business trying to tell the tenant when to work. The neighbor was way out of line.
 
This not working on Sunday is meretricious . First Sunday is not the Sabbath. as a so called christian you should know this. Also you seem to not realize your biblical mix of old Jewish law and grace which we are under, is just not correct. You would do well to read Paul's gospel carefully. The law was nailed to the cross so that grace may abound.My son is a doctor and my daughter a registered nurse. Were you in my area in a bad accident of other medical medical emergency you just might hope they would work on Sunday.Yes I do worship on Sunday as the new testament states let no man decide your day of worship. Sorry to say , however it's people as you with uneducated biblical rants which gives true believers an untrue image.
 
No he hasn't because its his land and you don't have any right to tell him how to rent it.Were you paying him a cut when he was putting money in your pocket? I'd bet not.That sort
of thing goes both ways.Go over and offer him $500 to let the renter work on Sunday.
 
Hi I have read all the replies to this discussion, If I have to I work 7 days a week, farming is a 7 day a week job if weathers bad or something has to get done. If a guy wants to work 6 and loose money thats his choice not mine what he does.

I think I'd be seeing/listening around for how much more rented land this guy has given up other than the guys you know of now. maybe like others said there is way more to his cutbacks than you know right now. 4500 acres of spud land and the equipment changed hands round here recently for a reason, it was pretty quick from finding out to sale day less than 3 weeks!.
I'm pretty sure there will be some other guys looking for land, and it won't be hard for you to find somebody. yes it's inconvenient you got to take the time but you got no choice. Leave talking to your neighbor out of it. you don't want mad guys living next door, and interfering and causing you future problems. Especially after you annoy him and he tells you to mind your own business and get out of his yard to.
Regards Robert
 
So does this guy still owe you money for the 2015 rent or is it paid in full? Does he have to pay in advance for each year?

Around me there would be 10-15 people wanting to farm this 65 acres for 2016....Rent here goes from $75-125 per acre for ground that grows 50-60 bushel wheat,120-140 bushel corn,and 30-40 bushel beans..

I go to church and often harvested crops on Sunday afternoon especially if I was behind and rain was coming in..
 
Its not too late to rent it to someone else for the 2016 crop year..Surely the guy that farmed your ground isn't the only farmer around?
 
(quoted from post at 08:24:40 05/16/16) This not working on Sunday is meretricious . First Sunday is not the Sabbath. as a so called christian you should know this. Also you seem to not realize your biblical mix of old Jewish law and grace which we are under, is just not correct. You would do well to read Paul's gospel carefully. The law was nailed to the cross so that grace may abound.My son is a doctor and my daughter a registered nurse. Were you in my area in a bad accident of other medical medical emergency you just might hope they would work on Sunday.Yes I do worship on Sunday as the new testament states let no man decide your day of worship. Sorry to say , however it's people as you with uneducated biblical rants which gives true believers an untrue image.
Click to expand...
Thanks, you saved me a lot of typing. Those that choose certain scriptures to enslave others are not doing themselves any favors in the long run. Those who are against any work on Sunday best not get fuel, shop, or go to a restaurant on Sunday. Those that also want to honor the Sabbath better not do those things on Saturday either.
 
A buddy of mine had a hay stack that heated up and ruined the hay. His father swore to the day he died that the reason that stack heated up was because it was put up on a Sunday. It's hard to argue with that, although I'm as bad as anyone for working on Sunday.

My father-in-law refused to work on Sunday. Everything, irrigation engine, etc. was shut down on Saturday afternoon and started back up Monday morning. Also, my next door neighbor won't work on Sunday, regardless of how pressing planting or harvest might be. That's his day to play with his horses, saddle horses and draft horses, both. Maybe I'm the one that's out of step.
 
John,

I have had a lifetime dealing with many landlords and tenants. I have a wonderful neighbor who happens to be a devote Baptist that years ago came down one Sunday after church and asked if it would be alright if he used my truck that afternoon. It seems that he had a field of oats along a busy highway that were dead ripe and they were predicting heavy storms the next day and he didn't want anybody to see his name on his truck and think he would work on Sunday. I told him that my truck was a Catholic truck and it would work just fine on Sunday and that I even had a Catholic combine that I could come over and help him with it if he needed me. Everything always seems to work out. Don't let the word "problem" invade your vocabulary. Think of it in the contex of an inconvenience. I have had many inconveniences in my lifetime, some major inconveniences but very few problems. This to will work itself out. Tom
 
I will tell you what made me think Christianity look stupid. I went to a small country deep water Baptist Church. The Deacons were dairy farmers and the company I drove for at that time back in the 60's booked me out on Sunday after noon so I would be in Boston or Cleveland or where ever by 8 am. on Monday morning. So I wouldn't be there for Sunday night+, they told me that i did not need to work on a Sunday and that I didn't need the money I made working Sundays. So I said you milk your cows on Sunday. That's different. There are some jobs you have got to do. I said that is right I have to do what my boss tells me to do or I won't have a job.I ask if they dumped the milk they made on Sunday ? Of coarse not. Why ? Because we have mortgages to pay and other expenses. I said that I had mortgage and car payments also. They said that that's different. I said when you stop selling the milk you make on Sunday I will stop my job to please you. I walked off and never been inside that church again.And the last I knew they are still selling the milk they make on Sunday and for the next 50 years i worked on Sunday if I was dispached.
 
we never work on sunday always figured if GOD was good enough to give us a crop we could honor 1 day---there are lots of btos around us who do work on sunday and they seem to be paying a huge price for it ---if not now for sure later
 
Mark that is not what I said. For sure you have to milk the cows on Sunday. What I was getting at is the super so called Christians think that I should not have worked on Sunday. But it is Ok for them to work and sell the milk they made on Sunday. If making money by working on Sunday was wrong for me ,Then why is it OK to sell the milk they made on Sunday ? If they are so righteous and don't want to make god mad, why don't they dump the milk they made on Sunday ?
 
Wilson I think I can see that you don't have any need for a dumb old truck driver. If only the well educated are going to heaven then I got nothing to loose.But know for sure that this uneducated dummy has given your true believers a TRUE image. By the way What is a biblical rant.? LOL
 
Amish had church services on a farm and I don't remember the particulars but the barn they were remodeling was wobbling real bad on Sunday. After a long debate they figured they would be further ahead by propping it up then letting it collapse.
One time I had the vet out on Christmas and he charged be for it problem was he was Jewish.
If you're not going to work on the Sabbath which one?
 
Hey Im a so called dumb old truck driver also. Always loved driving and having semis . Put my first one on the road my last year of collage. Any one that thinks having a BS or MS degree puts him or her a notch better than anyone else is just wrong.My doctor son and RN nurse daughter are both as comnon and down to earth as any one. Thats one reason I'm so proud of them. Truly there are a lot of educated fools. Many are educated well above their comnon sense. Im just as much a sinner as anyone, maybe worse than most. Difference is im a sinner saved by the grace of God. Do I still sin, yes even according to the Bible I likely sin in word , thought and deed every day. I feel sorry for those who are not sinners because the Bible tells me that only sinners , however sinners saved by grace will be in Heaven.Although I have far less miles that most of you drivers I would love to drink coffee with most all of you fellows.
 
You are so correct. One driver I had was a preacher who often had to leave out Sunday after evening services. I often subed for one of my drivers due to family obligations, sickness or what ever.I many times left on Sunday, actually when a driver needed me to take their load I rather enjoyed getting behind the wheel what ever day it was. I always said anyone wanting fresh bread on Monday better not criticize a man driving on Sunday. I used to not consider attending an auction on Sunday then got to thinking if I was not going to any auction maybe I should not attend to one on Saturday. No i'm not a seventh day Adventist.Just an old country Baptist. Hey on a lighter note you know the difference between a Northern Baptist and a Southern Baptist? A Northern Baptist may contend there is no hell. The Southern Baptist will reply "the hell their ain't".
 
I live in a part of the world where Sunday's are big thing for a lot of people.

I agree......you don't want to work on Sunday, that's fine, but it I want to work on Sunday, it's my choice.

I have challenged some folks with "are you making your electricty with a generator today? If you're not, you are supporting having someone ELSE work on Sunday in order for you have electricity". Same goes with the services from the snow plow guy, gas company, phone company, cable company, police & fire, hospital, etc....... Pete
 
Growing up, we rarely did field work on Sundays. Our farm suppliers did not provide services on Sunday either. Then we encountered the spring of 1991. I worked in the agronomy supply business at that time, and continued to do so for several years. It would start raining somewhere between noon and 2 on Monday, and stay rainy and wet through most of the week. Things would start drying out on Thursday. Friday afternoon we would start going to the dry fields, Saturday would be relatively busy, Sunday it was full bore, Monday was full bore and then mid day it would rain. That was the beginning of the end of having Sundays off in crop production in my part of the country. Unfortunately, Sunday has become another work day............in all businesses!
 
(quoted from post at 13:44:32 05/16/16) we never work on sunday always figured if GOD was good enough to give us a crop we could honor 1 day---there are lots of btos around us who do work on sunday and they seem to be paying a huge price for it ---if not now for sure later
Click to expand...

I assume you don't eat on Sunday.
Somebody has to fix it and serve it. Oh, that woman's work and that don't count.
 
John M: I would think 65 acres of maintained farm land would rent easily, especially at a reasonable price as you mentioned. Shouldn't take but a call or two to find interest.

As for Sunday work- I grew up with Grandpa not allowing any farm work on Sunday, ever. As a little kid, I learned this, we always went to church Sunday, then had the day with Mom and Dad for fun stuff or work around our house. Grandpa used the day for old-school visiting, driving to see long-time friends (some of it Elder work for the Church).

As I grew older and heard more of the history, I started to wonder how the No Sunday rule worked before, when they milked cows and Grandpa ran his General Store seven days a week. Well, as mentioned before, the rules changed after retirement. Dairy cows were gone when Dad got drafted, and Grandpa could get everything done in six days, so his rule worked.

Someone HAS to work on Sunday, the preacher!
 
What you said reminded me of something. When I was stationed in Texas back in the early '80's, I went into the grocery store on a Sunday, and think from memory that I bought beer. I'm pretty sure even bought beer on Sunday, could be wrong as I age. Throughout the store were items or groups of items that had chained signs hanging that said "THIS ITEM CANNOT BE SOLD ON SUNDAYS". When I got to the checkout I pointed to panty hose right there as an example and asked the lady at the register if that was for real. She informed me about "blue laws" and I asked what a blue law was, and she said a law to prevent people from working on Sundays. "Prevent people from working on Sunday? You're here aren't you, just not selling some things and selling others?'.

Farming on Sundays? Once the season begins, there are no days off no different than if one's a dairy farmer when there are NEVER days off, 365 days per year because cows don't know or care anything about farmers being sick, wanting a day off, or whatever when their udders are full. AINT no such thing as a day off because it's an imperfect world.

Andy, thanks for the reminder.

Mark
 
Lots of comments here on working on Sunday... I'll add my .02. First we have a dairy. Somebody has to work on Sunday. We try to minimize it, but if the weather says PLANT! we go. I try to take my time on those days, relish the moment, and thank God for giving his day to get something done. Sometimes it is the only day of the week to go!

And at times, I've wondered what's the greater sin- sit on the tractor and think of God's blessings, or sit in church and think about how much you could have planted.
 
For those who asked, yes the guy has paid me all of what he owes me.

I did go visit my neighbor this afternoon. I pretended I didn't get an email from the renter and asked my neighbor if he had heard from him. His response was that he told the guy not to come back if he couldn't get all his work done before Sunday. I kept my cool and asked him why he told him that, and that I had often seen him out there on Sundays working the fields himself. He went into this speech about how he had found the Lord, and he just wasn't going to have anyone working his fields on Sundays. Theres more of what he said, but I'm not wasting my time, or yours on it any longer.

I have decided that with my health worsening seems like every day, I'm done with it all. The headache of having to deal with people is no longer worth it to me, and I will not be renting my land any longer. The guy who owns the property adjoing my other 50 acres has agreed to keep up the property, if I let him plant it in hay. He will pay the taxes on it in exchange for use of the property, and we will make up a contract to that effect. Along with my 2 sons, we should be able to keep the small amount of acres here up. I do have equipment to do so. I appreciate both the good and bad comments.
 
I have a question here.. If the guy is Renting the Land ,wouldnt that land be his to do with whatever he wants for farming purposes of coarse. Does the owner actually have a say so if the renter works on sunday. Personally i have always been taught you have to make hay whens the suns shinning 7 days a week if you have to. Everybody would love to take a Sunday off but sometimes you just cant
 
Thanks for your come back. Yes for sure I would enjoy a set down BS chat with you. I would love to tell you more about how I got so screwed up back in the day. Not that it matters. I was in the Teamsters Union for 50 years. Now retired and live in Fl and live the good life I go to a fundamental Methodist Church And I don't think any one there milks cows, LOL Hopefully I won't get into any more church trouble. Was out of church for 30 or more years. Been in this church for 10 years now and I really like it. Been retired for 10 years and love every day of it.
 
John M.,

I hope the new guy is going to pay you... and then you pay the property taxes on your land where he will grow hay.

Just so that you can be certain your property taxes get paid - and paid on time.
 
Yesterday Tall Kid and I were to be ushers at church until I looked out a window and saw a heifer coming up the road. I said to him forget about church our church today will be fixing a fence.
I think a person doesn't have to sit on a church pew to worship God. Being in the woods with my son working on the fence hearing the birds seeing how things are growing and taking care of God's critters how much closer to God do you think I could have been?
 
Maybe your neighbor is Jewish? Resting on the seventh day is for the Jews , I don't know why so many people get shook up about working on Sunday, I think they may be lazy.
 
The reason they tell you not to work on Sunday has nothing to do with rest IMO. It has everything to do with money! If you are not in church you are not there when they pass plate! Follow the money!

Rick
 
After having read all of the multiple and varied replies to this, I have a few comments.......

The agreement between you and your renter is just that - an agreement between YOU and YOUR RENTER. Your neighbor is external to that. It should have no bearing on your agreement with your land and renter.

Your renter informing you by email is a bit cowardly in my opinion. He should at least be man enough to speak to you face to face as a man. He should also have left room for discussion. He may also have just reacted hastily to your neighbor.

While there may be other factors involved here, passage of time may bring second thoughts. I would wait a bit and contact your renter to see if he hasn't reconsidered.
 
By not being able to farm my neighbors place, its not worth the the time and travel to farm my place and 1 other place. He has to load his equipment and travel 15 - 20 miles just to get over here. While he would still make money, it wouldnt be as much to make it profitable for him to do so. I did speak to him on the phone yesteday, and the only reason he emailed me is because he lost my number.
 
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