Price of leasing agricultural land? For bees?

[Ben Brewcat]

I have hives in a few places, people who host smallish numbers of colonies for honey rent. It's a hassle for me to visit them each in turn (I'm a part-time beek with a demanding full-time job). I'm wondering about leasing a half-acre or so somewhere to stack some colonies, but I don't really know where to look or what a reasonable rate would be. I've seen "pasture" on Craigslist but don't really need a barn.

What ag land go for typically?

[iddee]

Put an add under "wanted" and under "farm & garden" on craig's list and ask for free or nearly free. See what responses you get.

[cow pollinater]

I would try to stay away from ag land. 1. it's worth alot of money 2. they will probably be spraying something that you don't want sprayed and it WILL be at the most inconvenient time for you.
Also, I don't know about where you are, but with the monoculture here, one ag location means one flow...period.
I've been trying to talk to the BLM for a while now. They seem open to the idea of having bees on their land but getting a real response from anyone is killing me. I would think that in Colorado you have some BLM land nearby. If I hear back from them I'll PM you and let you know what they say.

[nursebee]

I do not pay anyone. I thank them with honey. I scout out land and locations that I would consider and knock on doors. I read that if you take your family it makes it harder for someone to say no though I do not find that a factor.

Other than location, the best spots seem to be well run and tended farms.

National responses to local land costs will be no good for you. Gotta do your own work there.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Other than location, the best spots seem to be well run and tended farms.


It works both ways but the farmer that takes less care of his property is the one more likely to provide a crop from all the weeds blooming on his property.

I talk to the farmers and see what they are planting and when it will be blooming. I look for the pastures, wasteland, and CRP in the early spring for clover and wildflower bloom, then look for summer blooming crops like beans and alfalfa. I'm going to stay away from sunflowers and cotton from now on because of the crystallization problems.

A farmer wanting to harvest alfalfa seed is a friend indeed and will be eager to work with you.

[MapMan]

I talk to the farmers and see what they are planting and when it will be blooming. I look for the pastures, wasteland, and CRP in the early spring for clover and wildflower bloom,

I've found that since the increase in the bushel price of corn, many grain farmers are taking their acreage out of CRP to grow corn.

Like you, Bill, I've found that the best bloom areas are low-lying, marginal areas that aren't suitable for crops, and are in pasture/wasteland/wetland (too wet for crops, not too wet for wildflowers) and woodland fringes.

MM

[alpha6]

We have lots of BLM land out here and its not a problem getting a permit to place bees. NFS is more difficult because they look at your bee yard (20X20) as personal use that others don't have access to...never mind that White River National Forest is 2.3 MILLION acres big and bees would be a huge benefit to the wild flowers.

The other option is to talk to farmers in your area. Most don't mind having bees on their property. Just work out an area out of the way and keep it tidy and fenced if you have bears in the area like I do out here. Honey after harvest ensures placement the following year.

[Ross]

The North Dakato beeks that winter 100s of hives here said they gave the landowner a quart of honey. I usually drop off a couple of quarts at least 2-3 times a year for the landowner of my best yard. He grows legumes for seed, so it's a really worthwhile arrangement. My mesquite pasture will probably get a couple of quarts total.

[Ian]

>>I would try to stay away from ag land. 1. it's worth alot of money 2. they will probably be spraying something that you don't want sprayed and it WILL be at the most inconvenient time for you.
Also, I don't know about where you are, but with the monoculture here, one ag location means one flow...period.

Without the farmers growing the crops, we beekeepers would not be chasing the flows. We need their cropping inputs into the land to reap the huge crops of honey.
Dont slap the hand that feeds us!

>>one ag location means one flow...period.

Areas of agriculture can be real specific, a good example of that now is in Argentina, and that is straight economic. Big crop, grown with little to no inputs. Those farmers down there dont have the available credit as we do.
You have to also consider that certian areas in this country grow certian crops very well, and provide an advantage to grow them in that area. Iowa - corn for example. Thats not the farmers fault, that just plain old farming economics right to the core.

Areas up here like mine have a termendous bloom. Sweetclover,alfalfa, big canola fields, sunflowers, buchwheat, mustard, bloom right from June straight to frost. Our area provides the conditions that warrent this cropping diversity.

[TWG1572]

I had great luck with Craigslist. Had about 20 responses to an add I put up looking for a free place to put bees. About 15 of those just wouldn't work - but the rest were good to great locations.

With all the negative publicity on CCD, people are really into helping beekeepers around here...

[Wyatt Barnes]

Ben
You should not need to rent land to keep your bee's. If I did not already have 55 hives on my farm I would let you keep them here. Ag land leases for almost nothing in Boulder County. About $100 per acre per year but someone will want you to take care of it. Talk to the local extension agent Adrian Card or one of the others. They know tons of farmers and might be able to set you up with someone who needs the pollination. If that does not work I would talk to the guys at the boulder county open space. They lease about 10000 acres of farm land out. They might know of someone who would allow you to keep your hives there. Again Craigslist would work too. I would post in Farm and Garden and bet you get responses. I don't know how far from Lyons you will travel but I know some people in East Boulder that would probably let you use a bit of their land.

[Ben Brewcat]

Thanks all! Hi Wyatt, I think we spoke a few months ago. Thanks for the ideas! Most, well all, of the responses from Craigslist (got TONS) were folks looking for one to maybe two colonies. I'm really looking for a yard that I've leased free and clear and can do what I want on. If you happen to hear of anyone who'd consider leasing a bit of land for bees and maybe a small popup camper to a respectful land-user please PM me!

Good idea about the extension office, I didn't think of that. I'm actually mentoring a BCOS employee to learn beekeeping and extraction to be the Open Space's in-house bee guy, but they're being funny about the details. At first they wanted to just exterminate colonies in OS-owned structures. Then when they learned he could help with extractions they were excited at first. Then they started saying "wait, these bees belong to Boulder County Open Space, you can't have them. Oh and the honey too. You can extract the bees and make a beeyard if you use our equipment, but you'll have to figure out liability in case anyone gets stung. You work the colonies and manage them, but they belong to us." :confused: I guess it's progress from just exterminating them.

[Bud Dingler]

of a beekeeper renting land for his/her bees.

Most often you just ask permission and give honey.