Agronomist charges.
- Thread starter juke
- Start date
MikeNeaverson
Member
Very area dependent Adam and it probably will do going forward, however in this area winter crops and especially OSR have been until now replaced with big areas of sugar beet and vining peas which need properly walking weekly for much more of the spring/summer, especially with a protracted drilling period as every field is at a different stage.
Quite frankly I only *need* to properly walk every corner of cereals two or three times in the spring for weed control and thereafter a tactical loop 100 yards in the gate will generally suffice to get a feel for the crop if there's other more important crops to get round. Potatoes on the other hand are very different!
Quite frankly I only *need* to properly walk every corner of cereals two or three times in the spring for weed control and thereafter a tactical loop 100 yards in the gate will generally suffice to get a feel for the crop if there's other more important crops to get round. Potatoes on the other hand are very different!
- Location
- Shropshire
Tactical loop would clearly depend on size of field. 10 acs yes, 200 acs no.
Large acreages are defo possible if combinable, but there isn’t a chance you could do it with large areas of root crops added into the equation.
Large acreages are defo possible if combinable, but there isn’t a chance you could do it with large areas of root crops added into the equation.
yes, loads of spring cereals around here which are really not rocket science!
3500 ac of crops, so bigger than the old place, but more than one agronomist as one CFA client wanted to retain their existing one. Slightly different approaches from both which is interesting, plus my rudimentary agronomic knowledge to keep them both on their toes...
If you think £7/acre for an independent agronomist is expensive, then Boogie on over to a ‘free’ serviced agronomy package with one of the corporates. You’ll soon Adjust your perspective when their 'special price list’ invoices land on the desk, laden with muck and magic potions ‘that any good farmer would use’. Add them up over the year and you’ll get a big (Nutri) Phright.
Independent agronomy all the way, at least their costs are clear and upfront.
Independent agronomy all the way, at least their costs are clear and upfront.
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- Location
- Shropshire
Typo on your earlier post then
- Location
- North West
I think @Brisel was implying 300ac was a minimum area to get that rate? Or was the size of the CFA using that agronomist.
- Location
- North West
Surely it doesn’t make and difference if the agronomist is tide to one of the ag chem company’s or totally independent as long as you get to say where the chem comes from?
I went away from serviced agronomy in 2019, I pay my new agronomist by the ac, £5 for cereals and £7 for beet as he walks the beet every week and cereals probably every 10 days unless I spot something that need attention.
He is tide to a chem company though so will give me a price to supply, however I don’t have to buy anything at all from him!
There is definitely a massive price difference between serviced and supply only, I saved OVER 35% on my chem spend for 2020 harvest compared to 2019, including paying the agronomist.
However, there was slightly spring cropping which will have helped with some some savings, but there was also an increase in acreage.
He also charged a reduced rate for walking as there was less winter cropping so a shorter season.
I went away from serviced agronomy in 2019, I pay my new agronomist by the ac, £5 for cereals and £7 for beet as he walks the beet every week and cereals probably every 10 days unless I spot something that need attention.
He is tide to a chem company though so will give me a price to supply, however I don’t have to buy anything at all from him!
There is definitely a massive price difference between serviced and supply only, I saved OVER 35% on my chem spend for 2020 harvest compared to 2019, including paying the agronomist.
However, there was slightly spring cropping which will have helped with some some savings, but there was also an increase in acreage.
He also charged a reduced rate for walking as there was less winter cropping so a shorter season.
I was being vague to avoid giving away business secrets.
Rates are what you can negotiate. 3000 acres walking only with a BASIS trained farmer/manager/sprayer operator alongside you all day in 1 day/fortnight is going to be cheaper per acre than the client who wants every one of his 300 acres walked weekly with all the recs, ordering, management plans etc doing
Er, no. See my last couple of posts.
- Location
- Spilsby Lincolnshire
That is a great team effort approach, which is how it should be!!I was being vague to avoid giving away business secrets.
Rates are what you can negotiate. 3000 acres walking only with a BASIS trained farmer/manager/sprayer operator alongside you all day in 1 day/fortnight is going to be cheaper per acre than the client who wants every one of his 300 acres walked weekly with all the recs, ordering, management plans etc doing
There is nothing better than the sprayer driver ringing up with an issue seen in a corner of a field. Driving up and down every tramline is still the best vantage point.
- Location
- Spilsby Lincolnshire
Thats when the politics are all right and every body is working to the same result.
Ivorbiggun
Member
- Location
- Norfolk
That’s 90 grand a year, I would walk a long way for that.
FarmerBruce
Member
- Location
- Yorkshire
£90k for 7 months busy work!!!!
Got to be seriously organised to walk that every 3 weeks in busy times and send out all the recs to that many clients.
- Location
- Spilsby Lincolnshire
You do have to be very organized to cover a decent area/day . I have walked most of my area for over 20+ years some for 35years,, so you do get to know the problem areas and if you are treated as part of the farming business people will assist where ever possible. If you are treated as an out sider then you will struggle to do a decent job!
he probably drives a long way so have significant expenses and tax to come out of that
You can make more as a serviced agronomist if you are good at selling I'm told !