Hubbardston hay contractor urges single annual payment as fertilizer costs surge

Lance, a local farmer who has bid for and managed the town hayfields, told the Town of Hubbardston Open Space Committee that sharply higher fertilizer prices and unpredictable second-cut yields make the current payment structure unsustainable.

He urged the committee to write future requests for proposals so contractors can bid on a single annual payment rather than separate fees for first and second cuttings. The farmer told members he currently pays $47 per acre under the existing arrangement and estimated commercial fertilizer runs into the thousands of dollars per year for the fields if applied annually.

Why it matters: The town's hayfields cover roughly 47 acres, and maintaining those fields affects open-space value, trail access and neighboring properties. Committee members said they need to reconcile procurement rules, public expectations and the practical costs of vegetation management before the town issues a new contract.

The contractor described how weather variability has changed yields: some years the second cutting produces little or no usable hay; other years fields have been too wet to access. He asked the committee to consider a single annual payment (a “flat rate for the year”) so he would have more incentive to invest in field upkeep and not be penalized by yield swings. “If we could just do one flat rate for the year,” he said, “that also give me more incentive to take whatever I can and keep it cleaner.”

Committee members and the contractor discussed options the town might include in a future procurement: alternate fertilizing cycles (for example, rotating which fields are fertilized every two to three years), specifying fertilizer or maintenance obligations in the bid documents, or having the town supply or subsidize fertilizer and major brush-clearing. The farmer said commercial fertilizer prices have risen “through the roof” since disruptions in global supply and estimated a recent ton purchase at about $1,500, adding that typical application rates discussed in the meeting were roughly 400 pounds per acre.

Town administrator Nate Boudreau (referenced in the discussion) was asked to clarify whether an existing contract could be extended or whether the town must put the work out to competitive bid; committee members agreed to wait for town counsel and the administrator's guidance before drafting a new procurement. The committee also discussed alternative contract metrics — per-acre annual lease, per-bale payment or multi-year agreements — and noted trade-offs for budgeting and enforcement.

Committee members suggested mitigation strategies for the contractor’s concerns: staggered fertilizing schedules, limited town-funded brush-clearing to reduce encroachment, supplying heavier machinery for work the contractor cannot afford, or writing fertilization requirements into a reissued contract with commensurate compensation.

The committee did not approve changes to the contract at the meeting. Members said they will ask the town administrator and town counsel whether the contract must be rebid, and whether the town can set fertilization or maintenance terms in a future solicitation.

Ending: Committee members asked the farmer to stay engaged and to provide current price estimates and a draft of a proposed single-payment structure so staff can prepare procurement language. The committee said it will follow up with the town administrator and return to the issue once counsel and procurement guidance are available.