Fertiliser price for those that miss it in Arable section

Chae1 · Mar 12, 2022

We are high input, not sure if high output.

Doing some sums the other night and we use 5 artic loads of fertiliser on grass per growing season.

550 acres grass, circa 400 cows. Sell 150 stores, finish some and breed our own replacements. Cutting 100 acres twice for silage. Buy in a lot of draff, silage, hay too. The silage, stockfeed and straw all hauled in with tractor and trailer. Another pastime that's uneconomical with price of diesel.

I've felt we're too dependent on fertiliser/N for too long. But this current situation has compounded the problem and made it hit home.

Also grow about 700 acres of cereals. Which requires 5 loads of fertiliser a year.

Most of fertiliser bought. Just 3 loads left to buy. It won't be needed till June.

Been trying to buy in as much feed as possible at present to save buying in as much produced with expensive fertiliser and plastic next winter. Selling more stores so less to graze, prices of them are maintaining high levels and grateful for store buyers paying so much with feed and fert prices where they are.

Whole things a sh!tstorm.

Sorry just wanted to get this off my chest. Any advice, pointers gratefully received.

We do, do some rotational grazing and see very little/no benefits to it. Got a 25 acre field divided into 6 paddocks. Won't be dividing up another field when it's ploughed up.

7610 super q · Mar 12, 2022

Local FB page is awash with hay at £15

and silage at £20-25

. I'd suggest you can't make it for that......

Derrick Hughes · Mar 12, 2022

7610 super q said:
Local FB page is awash with hay at £15 and silage at £20-25. I'd suggest you can't make it for that......

I not paid 20 for silage yet ,but it's creaping up

Werzle · Mar 12, 2022

Chae1 said:
We are high input, not sure if high output.

Doing some sums the other night and we use 5 artic loads of fertiliser on grass per growing season.

550 acres grass, circa 400 cows. Sell 150 stores, finish some and breed our own replacements. Cutting 100 acres twice for silage. Buy in a lot of draff, silage, hay too. The silage, stockfeed and straw all hauled in with tractor and trailer. Another pastime that's uneconomical with price of diesel.

I've felt we're too dependent on fertiliser/N for too long. But this current situation has compounded the problem and made it hit home.

Also grow about 700 acres of cereals. Which requires 5 loads of fertiliser a year.

Most of fertiliser bought. Just 3 loads left to buy. It won't be needed till June.

Been trying to buy in as much feed as possible at present to save buying in as much produced with expensive fertiliser and plastic next winter. Selling more stores so less to graze, prices of them are maintaining high levels and grateful for store buyers paying so much with feed and fert prices where they are.

Whole things a sh!tstorm.

Sorry just wanted to get this off my chest. Any advice, pointers gratefully received.

We do, do some rotational grazing and see very little/no benefits to it. Got a 25 acre field divided into 6 paddocks. Won't be dividing up another field when it's ploughed up.

First glance you look over stocked unless the fodder your buying is cheap.

Werzle · Mar 12, 2022

7610 super q said:
Local FB page is awash with hay at £15 and silage at £20-25. I'd suggest you can't make it for that......

If the silage is tidy and you can leave it until next winter it probably wants buying at £20, especially if it means you can save on feed or fert . Straw at £10-12 and silage at £20 or less wants buying because it isnt going to be much cheaper to make and you havent got the weather risk

Dave6170 · Mar 12, 2022

I'm seriously thinking cutting back stock for next year.
Can't decide whether to go back into an agri environment scheme next year after this 1 runs out. They are a bit of hassle but guaranteed money for 5 years. Thats the rent/mortgage taken care of then. Or do I use every acre i have?

Chae1 · Mar 12, 2022

Werzle said:
First glance you look over stocked unless the fodder your buying is cheap.

Most years it is cheaper than we can grow it. Not this year.

Silage £30/bale here at moment.

You can grow a lot of grass with no fert. There's a fallow scheme in Scotland where you can't cut fields until 15th July no fert allowed, took 2.7 hesstons/acre off these fields.

Werzle · Mar 12, 2022

Chae1 said:
Most years it is cheaper than we can grow it. Not this year.

Silage £30/bale here at moment.

You can grow a lot of grass with no fert. There's a fallow scheme in Scotland where you can't cut fields until 15th July no fert allowed, took 2.7 hesstons/acre off these fields.

If most years you can buy it cheap its best to just take this year and maybe the next few on the chin then. I would also work out the costs of fattening over what your stores make amd perhaps sell more as stores. The answers are usually in the figures if you sit down and work it out

Derrick Hughes · Mar 12, 2022

Werzle said:
If the silage is tidy and you can leave it until next winter it probably wants buying at £20, especially if it means you can save on feed or fert . Straw at £10-12 and silage at £20 or less wants buying because it isnt going to be much cheaper to make and you havent got the weather risk

£10 bale haulage and more after this week

DrDunc · Mar 12, 2022

Chae1 said:
We are high input, not sure if high output.

Doing some sums the other night and we use 5 artic loads of fertiliser on grass per growing season.

550 acres grass, circa 400 cows. Sell 150 stores, finish some and breed our own replacements. Cutting 100 acres twice for silage. Buy in a lot of draff, silage, hay too. The silage, stockfeed and straw all hauled in with tractor and trailer. Another pastime that's uneconomical with price of diesel.

I've felt we're too dependent on fertiliser/N for too long. But this current situation has compounded the problem and made it hit home.

Also grow about 700 acres of cereals. Which requires 5 loads of fertiliser a year.

Most of fertiliser bought. Just 3 loads left to buy. It won't be needed till June.

Been trying to buy in as much feed as possible at present to save buying in as much produced with expensive fertiliser and plastic next winter. Selling more stores so less to graze, prices of them are maintaining high levels and grateful for store buyers paying so much with feed and fert prices where they are.

Whole things a sh!tstorm.

Sorry just wanted to get this off my chest. Any advice, pointers gratefully received.

We do, do some rotational grazing and see very little/no benefits to it. Got a 25 acre field divided into 6 paddocks. Won't be dividing up another field when it's ploughed up.

Time to think out the box....

Reduce cow numbers and reduce the amount they're losing.

Buy in store lambs and fatten them on the grass you don't cut, and the fodder rape seed you scatter into the cereal stubble.

Get all that lovely sheep shyte for free, a tidy sum when they're fat, and the best bit?...….

....... I'll start you off with a thousand of mine, coz it's not worth paying for fert and feed to fatten them on the wee hill farm that I live in

What breeds of cattle have you? Not an overnight fix, but is there room to change sire for easier fleshing, and breed replacement dams that will do better off poorer quality grass that's less fert intense?

James · Mar 12, 2022

Werzle said:
If the silage is tidy and you can leave it until next winter it probably wants buying at £20, especially if it means you can save on feed or fert . Straw at £10-12 and silage at £20 or less wants buying because it isnt going to be much cheaper to make and you havent got the weather risk

Straw £20 per round bale here

Farmer 83563 · Mar 12, 2022

Ffermer Bach said:
not Boris but Mark Drakeford, and remember the only job he has had is University Lecturer and Social Worker, so zero experience of working in the private sector and the Welsh Labour Party dislike the countryside.

Drakeford was a social worker? should have done a better job of bringing up his son

Politician’s son exploited vulnerable woman to act out sex fantasies

Jonathan Drakeford, 31, was jailed for eight years and eight months after being convicted of rape and assault

www.google.com

Chae1 · Mar 12, 2022

DrDunc said:
Time to think out the box....

Reduce cow numbers and reduce the amount they're losing.

Buy in store lambs and fatten them on the grass you don't cut, and the fodder rape seed you scatter into the cereal stubble.

Get all that lovely sheep shyte for free, a tidy sum when they're fat, and the best bit?...….

....... I'll start you off with a thousand of mine, coz it's not worth paying for fert and feed to fatten them on the wee hill farm that I live in

What breeds of cattle have you? Not an overnight fix, but is there room to change sire for easier fleshing, and breed replacement dams that will do better off poorer quality grass that's less fert intense?

We did buy in 700 stores this autumn. Last of them be away next week.

Need to do some sums but don't think they'll have left a lot of money.

Saler cows, crossed with Hereford for replacements and some just saler on saler. Then crossed with charolais for stores and finishing.

wellingtonfarmer · Mar 12, 2022

Chae1 said:
We are high input, not sure if high output.

Doing some sums the other night and we use 5 artic loads of fertiliser on grass per growing season.

550 acres grass, circa 400 cows. Sell 150 stores, finish some and breed our own replacements. Cutting 100 acres twice for silage. Buy in a lot of draff, silage, hay too. The silage, stockfeed and straw all hauled in with tractor and trailer. Another pastime that's uneconomical with price of diesel.

I've felt we're too dependent on fertiliser/N for too long. But this current situation has compounded the problem and made it hit home.

Also grow about 700 acres of cereals. Which requires 5 loads of fertiliser a year.

Most of fertiliser bought. Just 3 loads left to buy. It won't be needed till June.

Been trying to buy in as much feed as possible at present to save buying in as much produced with expensive fertiliser and plastic next winter. Selling more stores so less to graze, prices of them are maintaining high levels and grateful for store buyers paying so much with feed and fert prices where they are.

Whole things a sh!tstorm.

Sorry just wanted to get this off my chest. Any advice, pointers gratefully received.

We do, do some rotational grazing and see very little/no benefits to it. Got a 25 acre field divided into 6 paddocks. Won't be dividing up another field when it's ploughed up.

You average 110kg ha of n on grass land? Or have i worked that out wrong?

milkloss · Mar 12, 2022

Derrick Hughes said:
Is it now though

I expect it will be. Lord knows what straw will cost this summer and I expect molasses to follow the rest.

spin cycle · Mar 12, 2022

7610 super q said:
Local FB page is awash with hay at £15 and silage at £20-25. I'd suggest you can't make it for that......

hay's not that around here but anything wrapped is £20.......cheaper to buy last years glut than grow this years fresh i'm thinking

Derrick Hughes · Mar 12, 2022

spin cycle said:
hay's not that around here but anything wrapped is £20.......cheaper to buy last years glut than grow this years fresh i'm thinking

Glut is going fast ,

andybk · Mar 12, 2022

Werzle said:
If the silage is tidy and you can leave it until next winter it probably wants buying at £20, especially if it means you can save on feed or fert . Straw at £10-12 and silage at £20 or less wants buying because it isnt going to be much cheaper to make and you havent got the weather risk

how many small bales in a quadrant ? 7-8 same as straw , there are a few around here £20

Chae1 · Mar 12, 2022

wellingtonfarmer said:
You average 110kg ha of n on grass land? Or have i worked that out wrong?

On grazing ground put on 125kg/ha every 4 weeks. That's of actual product 34 units.

Each cut of silage gets about 90 units.

Bossfarmer · Mar 12, 2022

Chae1 said:
On grazing ground put on 125kg/ha every 4 weeks. That's of actual product 34 units.

Each cut of silage gets about 90 units.

Wats that working out at £/acre this year? You dont have a lot of silage for 400 cows im half that and grow one big cut of 220 acres, 3cwt/acre of multicut sulphur and aim for as much bulk as possible

Fertiliser price for those that miss it in Arable section

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