Whats the going rate for a self employed tractor driver?

Tarw Coch · Oct 3, 2021

Lincoln75 said:
How else will they buy more land for a few £100k every 3 or 4 years and new £100k tractors if they pay you a fair wage ?

How many farms are buying several hundreds of thousands pounds of land every few years? For most such purchases are a rarity with the money borrowed over a longer timescale than that.

Similarly most new tractors are bought on finance over several years. I was talking to a guy the other day who’s currently negotiating a deal to change his tractor by the time it’s 3 years old when the finance ends, I couldn’t understand why he was so keen to change when the next year he would have a tractor free of finance. Turns out it ain’t that simple, to keep the monthly payments down there’s a balloon payment at the end of the finance period which he either pays to keep the tractor or hands the tractor back. He can’t afford to buy the tractor outright hence the need to finance another.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

Banana Bar · Oct 3, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
How many farms are buying several hundreds of thousands pounds of land every few years? For most such purchases are a rarity with the money borrowed over a longer timescale than that.

Similarly most new tractors are bought on finance over several years. I was talking to a guy the other day who’s currently negotiating a deal to change his tractor by the time it’s 3 years old when the finance ends, I couldn’t understand why he was so keen to change when the next year he would have a tractor free of finance. Turns out it ain’t that simple, to keep the monthly payments down there’s a balloon payment at the end of the finance period which he either pays to keep the tractor or hands the tractor back. He can’t afford to buy the tractor outright hence the need to finance another.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

Fatal

Werzle · Oct 3, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
How many farms are buying several hundreds of thousands pounds of land every few years? For most such purchases are a rarity with the money borrowed over a longer timescale than that.

Similarly most new tractors are bought on finance over several years. I was talking to a guy the other day who’s currently negotiating a deal to change his tractor by the time it’s 3 years old when the finance ends, I couldn’t understand why he was so keen to change when the next year he would have a tractor free of finance. Turns out it ain’t that simple, to keep the monthly payments down there’s a balloon payment at the end of the finance period which he either pays to keep the tractor or hands the tractor back. He can’t afford to buy the tractor outright hence the need to finance another.
All that glitters isn’t gold.

Aye and his workman will move on unless hes got the latest toy to drive too!

Tarw Coch · Oct 3, 2021

Werzle said:
Aye and his workman will move on unless hes got the latest toy to drive too!

In the case I referred to it’s a father and son on a relatively small rented upland dairy farm, father a few years beyond retirement age and son doing a bit of work off farm to hellp make ends meet.

betweenthelines · Oct 3, 2021

Werzle said:
Should be but what average sized farm can afford workmen on £600+ / week for 40 hrs, 52 weeks of the year

This is what the leaders in the Haulage industry were saying a few years ago "We can't afford higher wages"

So are we looking a situation in a year or two where crops go unharvested, cows not milked etc. with the resultant shortages on the shelves leading to a public outcry, scuffles in supermarkets as people panic buy and the Govt letting in more overseas workers to plug the gap?

What are farmers going to do to avoid the above scenario?

Lincoln75 · Oct 3, 2021

betweenthelines said:
This is what the leaders in the Haulage industry were saying a few years ago "We can't afford higher wages"

So are we looking a situation in a year or two where crops go unharvested, cows not milked etc. with the resultant shortages on the shelves leading to a public outcry, scuffles in supermarkets as people panic buy and the Govt letting in more overseas workers to plug the gap?

What are farmers going to do to avoid the above scenario?

To pay higher salaries you may well need more profit but farmers have gotten them selves into a situation where the buyers (supermarkets etc ) dictate the rules and screw down prices too far , in commerce the buyer / retailer often has to be approved by the supplier / distributor and the buyer pays the price he`s given and usually signs a contract that's in favour of the distributor , sure the retailer can use other distributors but usually the retailer wants access to all brands and products to maximise their own profit potential.

The only way farmers could turn this around as I can see is to not send produce off and hold the supermarkets to ransom for more money and new contracts , maybe you can now do this post Brexit especially if hauliers wouldn't carry foreign food?, would you all stick together or will you just carry on as usual and go bust together.?

Maybe the NFU could negotiate for you all

.

hoff135 · Oct 3, 2021

marsh89 said:
What’s the going rate for self employed worker for grain/bale carting stack bales just the labour?

£12 bare minimum if you have nothing else to do and like it. £15 nearer the mark.

I have seen companies looking for dumper drivers for a few weeks work on building sites, you need the appropriate tickets though. £25/hr. Perhaps a good time to go do some training!

Werzle · Oct 3, 2021

betweenthelines said:
This is what the leaders in the Haulage industry were saying a few years ago "We can't afford higher wages"

So are we looking a situation in a year or two where crops go unharvested, cows not milked etc. with the resultant shortages on the shelves leading to a public outcry, scuffles in supermarkets as people panic buy and the Govt letting in more overseas workers to plug the gap?

What are farmers going to do to avoid the above scenario?

Downsize and do the work themselves like the rest of us

CPF · Oct 3, 2021

Tongue in cheek comment.
I hate paying a man a decent wage so he can live comfortable
Then turn around and just post I’ve just spent 100,000 on a new defender and that really pisses farm works off .

kiwi pom · Oct 3, 2021

So what's the rate for a full time farm worker, spraying (including spotting recommendations that would have killed the crop) , combining, drilling, baling, operating the full range of spud gear including grading line, stock work (used to be dairy now beef) workshop and estate maintenance. Two lads been there years, run the place day to day when the bosses are absent, including teaching students no accommodation or other perks.
Heaps of overtime but no overtime rate just flat rate, all hours?
Just curious.

Farmer Roy · Oct 5, 2021

Chaser bin driver wanted for grain harvest starting November for 6 weeks in the Narromine nsw area.
Operating a Case quadtrack 450 with a new Finch 47T bin
$50/hr
Meals provided
Accomodation can be provided
Narromine nsw

Contact
0four28eight9230six

whiteford · Oct 5, 2021

Farmer Roy said:
Chaser bin driver wanted for grain harvest starting November for 6 weeks in the Narromine nsw area.
Operating a Case quadtrack 450 with a new Finch 47T bin
$50/hr
Meals provided
Accomodation can be provided
Narromine nsw

Contact
0four28eight9230six

I remember getting $35/hour all meals and accommodation 10 years ago just outside minganew and thinking I was making a fortune. Cleared 18k by Christmas. Great job and a fantastic family employing me.

I imagine it's a bit of a problem finding backpackers at the minute with the doors to Australia being firmly shut.

Farmer Roy · Oct 5, 2021

whiteford said:
I remember getting $35/hour all meals and accommodation 10 years ago just outside minganew and thinking I was making a fortune. Cleared 18k by Christmas. Great job and a fantastic family employing me.

I imagine it's a bit of a problem finding backpackers at the minute with the doors to Australia being firmly shut.

not only internationally, but domestic covid restrictions make inter state movements a bit difficult as well

Whats the going rate for a self employed tractor driver?

Tarw Coch

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SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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