Can I lease my land to a hay farmer in Texas?

Short answer: Yes. Many Texas landowners lease open pasture to a local hay producer, who cuts, bales and sells or feeds the hay. If the hay operation meets your appraisal district's degree-of-intensity standards, it can keep the land in agricultural use for 1-d-1 valuation.

Is your land a fit for hay?

Open grassland, fairly level, with few trees, rocks or stumps.
A gate and road wide enough for a tractor, baler and trucks.
Enough acres to be worth moving equipment. Producers differ; some will cut small tracts close to their other ground.
Grass that can be managed: weed control and fertilizer are standard practice in most district guidelines.

What the appraisal district wants to see

Districts treat hay as a real crop. The Travis, Williamson, Hays and Bastrop guidelines describe 2 to 3 cuttings in normal years, about 3,000 pounds per acre, and marketable hay, and say cutting and baling unmanaged vegetation is not hay production. Your district's numbers may differ. See minimum acres by county.

Common lease terms

Cash rent per acre, or a share of the bales.
Who pays for fertilizer and weed control.
Term, renewal and how either side can end it.
Access, gates, and where equipment and bales can sit.
Insurance and liability, and what happens in a drought.

For rent levels, see what producers pay to lease land in Texas. Have an attorney review the lease.

Steps

Get your district's current ag guidelines.
Find a producer who works your area.
Walk the land together and agree on terms.
Sign a written lease and keep records of each cutting.
File or update your ag application with the appraisal district if needed.

Ready to put your land to work? Tell us about your land. Farm, ranch or keep bees? List free as a producer. Or browse the counties we serve.

Questions

Do I need fence or water for a hay lease?

No. Cutting hay doesn't need fence or water. Grazing does.

Does the hay producer pay me?

Usually yes, either cash rent per acre or a share of the bales. Terms are negotiated between you and the producer.

Will a hay lease keep my ag valuation?

It can, if the hay operation meets your appraisal district's standards and the land had qualifying use for five of the past seven years. The district decides.

Get matched

Tell us about your land or your operation. We review every submission by hand and introduce landowners to producers who work their county and fit their acreage, access and the uses they're open to.

I own land I farm, ranch or keep bees

Producers list free. Landowners pay a placement fee based on acreage: $149 up to 20 acres, $249 for 21 to 100 acres, and $499 over 100 acres, the same for every use. A $49 deposit opens your placement, and the remainder is due only when you sign a lease.

Sources: Texas Comptroller: Agricultural Appraisal; Williamson CAD Ag Manual 2026; Hays CAD guidelines; Bastrop CAD Ag Manual. General information, not tax or legal advice.

More: all guides · counties we serve