Are Contractors rates having to go up.

texelburger

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Herefordshire
Due to the hike in machinery and fuel costs along with the increase price in electricity and the standard of living.We do a small amount of contracting and grain drying and I feel we will have to charge more to make it worthwhile. Thoughts ?
 
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Now that's interesting
Wages and consumables would put the cost up directly.
But if you believe some on the Tractor cost to change thread, some machines don't depreciate very much at all so I guess there isn't an extra cost there to have to pass on in some cases despite 10 times the capital tied up compared to 20 years ago.
 
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Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
I don't think there will be much of a rise in rates, as contractors know there is not the money about to pay the rise, and also if they put the rates up for the work, they will just have less to do.
However contractors will get less and less, due to bad payers, nothing in the job, and will do other things, there is 1 selling up around the area at the minute.
 
I don't think there will be much of a rise in rates, as contractors know there is not the money about to pay the rise, and also if they put the rates up for the work, they will just have less to do.
However contractors will get less and less, due to bad payers, nothing in the job, and will do other things, there is 1 selling up around the area at the minute.

It's ok, the farmers sons and farmers who want machines they don’t need will be there to do it to fuel their addiction to shiney paint.
 
As a farmer they are great , contractors must hate them ! Tough way to make a quid .
It certainly takes the reality out of contractors prices, unfortunately it's what happens when you do things that folks like doing.

If you do something like fencing, for trimming or shearing you tend to find less people trying to steal you jobs from you.
 

Speedstar

Member
Location
Scottish Borders
I don't think there will be much of a rise in rates, as contractors know there is not the money about to pay the rise, and also if they put the rates up for the work, they will just have less to do.
However contractors will get less and less, due to bad payers, nothing in the job, and will do other things, there is 1 selling up around the area at the minute.
Which one is that ?
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Its come as a shock here that our main contractor in this area ( West Somerset) is packing in next April . The father who is now 70 wants to rightly retire properly, he has meant to slow down the last 5 years but it has nt worked but the son ( in his 30 s) has decided not to carry on with the buisness although he has been a enthusiastic hard worker since leaving school . Combination of young family / long hours for not much money plus ever increasing costs, weather issues( ie flat out v nothing possible) but main thing he said is the enjoyment has gone out the job , it's just rush rush rush and hassle s.

Going to cause quite a problem as there is no one else in the wings to replace them especially combining . They ran 3 machines ( I drove one for them) but none of the farmers who have their own either don t want to do contract or they are at full capacity . Not sure yet what I will do with mine but got 9 months to sort it out.
Ps I use to be a contractor / farmer myself until 2015 so already got the t shirt so no don t want to go back !
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
As a farmer they are great , contractors must hate them ! Tough way to make a quid .
I've used the same contactors for over 20 years , close friends and they do the work as if it's their own farm , I could not farm without them , don't think I would want to
I aint using some young whippersnapper Couse he may be a few quid cheap ,cant understand anyone who would , see it a lot in the straw trade , they don't last long
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Its come as a shock here that our main contractor in this area ( West Somerset) is packing in next April . The father who is now 70 wants to rightly retire properly, he has meant to slow down the last 5 years but it has nt worked but the son ( in his 30 s) has decided not to carry on with the buisness although he has been a enthusiastic hard worker since leaving school . Combination of young family / long hours for not much money plus ever increasing costs, weather issues( ie flat out v nothing possible) but main thing he said is the enjoyment has gone out the job , it's just rush rush rush and hassle s.

Going to cause quite a problem as there is no one else in the wings to replace them especially combining . They ran 3 machines ( I drove one for them) but none of the farmers who have their own either don t want to do contract or they are at full capacity . Not sure yet what I will do with mine but got 9 months to sort it out.
Ps I use to be a contractor / farmer myself until 2015 so already got the t shirt so no don t want to go back !
Buy the combine,the work is obviously there,charge an appropriate fee for combining.
 

Hilly

Member
I've used the same contactors for over 20 years , close friends and they do the work as if it's their own farm , I could not farm without them , don't think I would want to
I aint using some young whippersnapper Couse he may be a few quid cheap ,cant understand anyone who would , see it a lot in the straw trade , they don't last long
Dare say everyone has to start at some point , and that requires folk to give them a chance ?
 

puppet

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
sw scotland
got quoted 84p for diesel yesterday, paid 74 last monday, that is a big hike, that has to be passed on. Some smaller contractors around here, turn up with a full tank, and fill up with farmers diesel, when they leave, not a bad solution to the fuel side.
That has always been the system round here. As long as you can trust the tanks seems fairer to both parties. If you have smaller fields or lots of awkward corners you pay a bit more
 

Wellytrack

Member
I actually lowered my baling cost by 10p a bale last year to reflect the saving in fuel.

Nobody thanked me for it.

Machinery and maintenance costs are up massively and will continue to rise next year. However if predicted fertiliser cost is to be accurate, crops next year could be small ones.
 

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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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