Cost to produce silage/acre

Jdunn55

Member
Trying to redo the business plan as and when I have time and would be interested to know what everyone budgets for silage these are my figures I came up with at breakfast about right? Seems too much but I've done everything as realistically as I can for a multi cut system doing 6 cuts per year or if theres enough silage in stock then cut less regularly as hay
Thanks
20210821_112559.jpg
 
You won't roll/harrow am acre for 5 quid
Any contractor mowing/tedding/raking for your figures, id love them to come and do mine.
You won't rent an acre for 125 either.
Best not to work out silage costs!

6 cuts is mega hard on the ground, I'd also question fert costs

With 6 cuts you should have some rocket fuel.
Are the costs not irrelevant tho? You have no alternative if you wish to milk cows
 

coomoo

Member
Trying to redo the business plan as and when I have time and would be interested to know what everyone budgets for silage these are my figures I came up with at breakfast about right? Seems too much but I've done everything as realistically as I can for a multi cut system doing 6 cuts per year or if theres enough silage in stock then cut less regularly as hay
Thanks
View attachment 981059That looks dangerously close to a old fashioned back of a fag packet budget. Forget 6 cuts.
 
Location
southwest
Did you not have to produce a forecast either when you went for the tenancy or when you sought finance?

I would have thought reviewing the difference between "predicted and actual" costs might be a more useful exercise.
 

Kiss

Member
Location
North west
For spring calvers there's no need for rocket fuel being fed to dry cows, we try to make good silage over two cuts (maybe 3 in a bad year). Probably cheaper to buy it off the lorries as we have done.
Worked out some bales at the start of the year we only move them everything else is pick the phone up worked it out to just over 25 a bale, mow/rake/bale/wrap, obviously fert and rent need to be added to

As a spring Calver taking grass off platform is as much about making silage as for having the grass at optimum ready for the girls next time! At £25+ plus a bale it isn’t cheap i then have to feed it and spread the poo to,

best way of reducing silage cost is to not make it and graze them longer
 

Martyn

Member
Location
South west
I worked our costs out including including rent and using local contractor costs, came back at £31.75 a bale, one thing i dint take into account is a percentage for wastage, always some bales the rooks get there hands on! Not cheep, always do our best to make good grub, but tricky with a season with little sun!
 
I worked our costs out including including rent and using local contractor costs, came back at £31.75 a bale, one thing i dint take into account is a percentage for wastage, always some bales the rooks get there hands on! Not cheep, always do our best to make good grub, but tricky with a season with little sun!
Yes that's what I counted mine into as well, then people sell them for £10 a bale
 
1 field yielded poor in 1st cut and too wet to chance harvester so got it baled. 4 bales to acre. I rented the field so able to accurately price everything along with contractor costs, I’m lazy he does everything.
the bales cost me £44.80 each. Expensive lesson, wasn’t even rocket fuel silage, could have bought 3 bales for 1 of them
 

Martyn

Member
Location
South west
There are many suckler guys around us who don't make a bale of silage, buy it all in, lots of people pay contractor to tidy up there 10/15 acres then give on away nearly.
 

sidjon

Member
Location
EXMOOR
There are many suckler guys around us who don't make a bale of silage, buy it all in, lots of people pay contractor to tidy up there 10/15 acres then give on away nearly.
It's probably cause suckler guys normally make some sh!t silage, unlikely the sheep boys who normally make lovely bales.
 

jimmer

Member
Location
East Devon
Cost to produce silage per acre
Based on multicut, fert, with a wagon
Rent 30
Fert 20
Mow 10
Row up 6
Wagon 10ac/hr 10
Pit 4
£80/acre
4t/acre = £20/t

4t/acre = 6bales/acre
£25/bale x 6 = feck making bales
£30/bale x 6 = speechless
 

sidjon

Member
Location
EXMOOR
Cost to produce silage per acre
Based on multicut, fert, with a wagon
Rent 30
Fert 20
Mow 10
Row up 6
Wagon 10ac/hr 10
Pit 4
£80/acre
4t/acre = £20/t

4t/acre = 6bales/acre
£25/bale x 6 = feck making bales
£30/bale x 6 = speechless

You missed out the £2 for the milkshake 🤣
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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