True Cost of Cover Cropping

Will7 · Feb 9, 2017

I am interested to hear other peoples experiences, but mine are below:
Slug Pellets x2 inc application: £28.8/ha
Establishment inc rolling: £28.87/ha
Seed (phacelia, oil radish, Berseem Clover): £27/ha
Dessication: £15/ha

Total: £99.67/ha
Last yr I included some N which improved the crop but added £19/ha to the cost.

I am on heavy land with large amounts of residue after harvest and an inherent slug problem. OSR has not been grown for 2yrs. I attribute an extra roundup pass to the cover as I need it to kill the cover around xmas to allow it to die back and let the soil dry, whereas I would probably spray of a couple of weeks before for just weeds.

Currently struggling to see the value, even though i am told the only way to make dd work is with covers.

Any comments please feel free

Crabtree · Feb 9, 2017

I think it's always going to be difficult to quantify the benefits (in financial terms) of cover crops, unless you see dramatic improvements in your soil. There are plenty of examples of poorly established cover crops or poorly established spring crops after good cover crops, i.e. there's plenty still to be learnt.

I'm not surprised you're questioning the cost, I'm guessing your planting several hundred acres of cover crops ?
Can you not invest some of that money in poultry litter or similar, I feel it has a much bigger beneficial impact on the soil in combination with direct drilling. I certainly wouldn't want to spend that amount establishing a cover crop, I reckon it's got to be cheap or else paid for by grazing sheep.
Did the Base Agm not provide any answers ?

Captain Mainwaring · Feb 9, 2017

This year.

The Good;

Seed. £23/ha
Establishment, just drilling. £18/ha
Less sale of sheep keep. -£20(approx)

Total cost= £21/ha

The Bad;

Seed. £34/ha
Drilling. £18/ha
Covers grazed off but given away free as lack of moisture led to poor growth.
Total. £52/ha

The Ugly;

Seed. £25/ha
Drilling. £18/ha
Total failure, zero benefit.

Total £43/ha

I don't include a cost for desiccation, the glyphosate pass goes against the following crop, we'd be doing it anyway.

Incidentally our best covers were grazed by my own sheep, the cost of which would be about £50/ha. I didn't weigh sheep before and after so can't be precise about the value gained but with the aid of my fag packet calculator its easily cost neutral, probably better.

mikep · Feb 10, 2017

Who said only way to make DD work was covers? If they did they are talking crap.
They may help on the right land but on others are a hindrance, if they don't suit don't use.
Drilling cost 0
Seed cost 0
Output 0
Break even financially for no work

Daniel · Feb 10, 2017

Crabtree said:
Can you not invest some of that money in poultry litter or similar, I feel it has a much bigger beneficial impact on the soil in combination with direct drilling

Surely the poultry litter should be incorporated rather than left on top to dry out?

Clive · Feb 10, 2017

Seed cost £25/ha (mostly farm saved so didn't actualy write any cheques here)

Plus drilling cost (commercially sensitive !) but not a lot !

Minus - income from sheep

not sure they cost me anything really

Brisel · Feb 10, 2017

Why do you all allow so much for the drilling cost? Fair enough if you get a contractor in or have bought a drill that is only used for CCs but surely you should be looking at marginal costs (fuel, wearing parts, overtime) only not full price? Discuss.

mikep · Feb 10, 2017

Clive said:
Seed cost £25/ha (mostly farm saved so didn't actualy write any cheques here)

Plus drilling cost (commercially sensitive !) but not a lot !

Minus - income from sheep

not sure they cost me anything really

Except of course for any royalties due which I am sure you mean.

Clive · Feb 10, 2017

mikep said:
Except of course for any royalties due which I am sure you mean.

We have had this discussion before ;-)

I actually don't grow cover crops, but I do have an astoundingly bad volenteer proble

SilliamWhale · Feb 10, 2017

I find sometimes fields need/justify a cover and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they'll do a good job and sometimes not. For example if I'm harvesting winter wheat on 15th September (happens plenty here) then justifying anything beyond farm saved oats or natural regeneration is difficult. Lots of the time spring barley will produce its own cover crop anyway.

Given our humidity and the fact that I get plenty of FYM and a bit of grass covers aren't the be all and end all for me. I think between say spring barley and beans they're good. And maybe between winter wheat and spring barley they're ok as long as not too thick or can be sheep grazed a bit.

Otherwise most other situations will have a winter crop going in anyway. If your OM status is going in the right direction, and the soil is reasonably well held together then its not so much of an issue unless you value weed shading out (which can be useful)

The dullest daftest thing in the world is cover crops before tilling them in. Beyond pointless.

Brisel · Feb 10, 2017

Will7 said:
I am interested to hear other peoples experiences, but mine are below:
Slug Pellets x2 inc application: £28.8/ha
Establishment inc rolling: £28.87/ha
Seed (phacelia, oil radish, Berseem Clover): £27/ha
Dessication: £15/ha

Total: £99.67/ha
Last yr I included some N which improved the crop but added £19/ha to the cost.

I am on heavy land with large amounts of residue after harvest and an inherent slug problem. OSR has not been grown for 2yrs. I attribute an extra roundup pass to the cover as I need it to kill the cover around xmas to allow it to die back and let the soil dry, whereas I would probably spray of a couple of weeks before for just weeds.

Currently struggling to see the value, even though i am told the only way to make dd work is with covers.

Any comments please feel free

Have you seen the NIAB TAG/Kellogs Origins book on the cost/benefit of cover crops? Here's a bit on the cost/benefit for yield;

Of course there's a bigger discussion to be had about adding value to your soils, additional sustainability, savings/extra profitability to be had from no till etc etc.

I do get the point about a more immediate quantifiable benefit. It's just not as readily measuable as putting X in and getting Y out like you would for a margin over input cost for something like Clive's BASF fungicide trial.

Crabtree · Feb 10, 2017

Daniel said:
Surely the poultry litter should be incorporated rather than left on top to dry out?

Here, it is Incorporated......by the Claydon ! I don't own any other cultivators or ploughs. This year's Oilseed rape looks pretty happy with it. I have limited opportunities for cover crops so prefer bought in poultry litter or previously it was free sewage sludge. These surely have more tangible benefits as I haven't bought any P or K for around 10 years.

Will7 · Feb 10, 2017

Brisel said:
Why do you all allow so much for the drilling cost? Fair enough if you get a contractor in or have bought a drill that is only used for CCs but surely you should be looking at marginal costs (fuel, wearing parts, overtime) only not full price? Discuss.

I thought it was relatively cheap!! I can get it down to £20/ha if I don't bother with the rolls as i pull a tyre press behind my rig, which is normally enough; but for the sake of the example I did a worst case scenario this yr.

I have received a glossy from Uncle Jeff today telling me that one of his drills followed by the rolls will be £43/ha. I view every ha drilling cover crops as a ha less in the lifetime of the drill cash crop sowing. Therefore it costs the same to run no matter what seed you are putting on.

Will7 · Feb 10, 2017

Clive said:
Seed cost £25/ha (mostly farm saved so didn't actualy write any cheques here)

Plus drilling cost (commercially sensitive !) but not a lot !

Minus - income from sheep

not sure they cost me anything really

Different soil type. I am not sure over wintering sheep on this clart would be pretty or effective and I have an inherent slug problem which is, in part, soil type specific.

That said I am looking at getting some sheep for a different role!

SilliamWhale · Feb 10, 2017

Will7 said:
That said I am looking at getting some sheep for a different role!

Will7 · Feb 10, 2017

SilliamWhale said:

Your telling me!!

Brisel · Feb 10, 2017

Will7 said:
I thought it was relatively cheap!! I can get it down to £20/ha if I don't bother with the rolls as i pull a tyre press behind my rig, which is normally enough; but for the sake of the example I did a worst case scenario this yr.

I have received a glossy from Uncle Jeff today telling me that one of his drills followed by the rolls will be £43/ha. I view every ha drilling cover crops as a ha less in the lifetime of the drill cash crop sowing. Therefore it costs the same to run no matter what seed you are putting on.

Fair enough. Cover crops are part of the system so you're right that the total cost should be spread over every acre drilled regardless. I thought I'd ask the question anyway.

Have you adjusted your drilling cost to allow for the additional area drilled?

Will7 · Feb 10, 2017

Brisel said:
Fair enough. Cover crops are part of the system so you're right that the total cost should be spread over every acre drilled regardless. I thought I'd ask the question anyway.

Have you adjusted your drilling cost to allow for the additional area drilled?

To be fair I seldom drill covers. I have a mountain of barley straw to distribute so I put them on with the rake-disc combo. The seedhawk is too slow and works out £8/ha more expensive.

Machinery costs are worked out over the area they cover, not the area of the farm.

Howdenshire Farmer · Feb 10, 2017

Hi Will. Good to see you at the BASE conference.
We are told that the key to healthier soil is having living roots in it for as much of the year as possible. Difficult to quantify financially.
Also, the cover crop roots should help keep the soil drier at depth and help to carry the weight of the drill and tractor in the spring. I guess you need to do a few part field comparisons with and without covers.

Chemical nick · Feb 10, 2017

On 4th year of cover crops here. Here are the lessons I am learning.
1. Scratch mixtures in as close behind combine as you can.
2. Don't spend too much. £30/ha is a budget I work too.
3. Don't plant brassica's if rape in rotation or have history of slugs.
4. The more species the more benefit to the soil.
5. I am now using over wintered cc as a semi break crop to grow more cereals in the rotation and less osr.
6. Cover crop mixture now oats/black oats/vetch/phacelia/linseed.
7. Finally if you can't get your head round to the benefits of cover crops for your farm don't bother because growing them you need a clear mindset in what you want to achieve.

True Cost of Cover Cropping

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0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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