Costs to grow grass for silage?

[Chae1]

Away to put silage fert on today @£287/t focuses the mind. Grass seed over £70/acre.

Anything different anyone else doing?

Have applied digestate to some fields. They will just get cheaper straight N.

Been buying bales of silage for £8.50 a bale. Makes you wonder if worth making your own.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Been buying bales of silage for £8.50. Makes you wonder if worth making your own.

not when you see what some people consider as silage...

 

[serf]

£8.50 !!!! Whats it like .....

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Put a hell of a lot of Slurry on this year .
Buying in is ok but very hard to get the quality if its quality not quantity you want ,

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I better not say to much about grass seed but how do you get to 70

 

[HarryB97]

I think grass seed is good value when you split it over 3-4 years and 2-3 cuts plus some aftermath grazing. Considering you will get much more grass growth, much higher quality feed and a better response to fert. The simplest way to reduce the cost would be to try some red clover leys then you can drop the fert apart from a little bit in the spring to give it an initial kick till it warms up. There are also the benefits in the following cereal crops, reduced weeds and a smaller cake bill from the higher quality. I would never rely on buying in silage considering what most people think good forage is...

 

[JD-Kid]

paying 25-30 cents a kg DM for standing kale for. winter feed. say a 200 kg dm round bale which is on the light side with newer balers thats 50-60 kiwi or 25-30 pound just for the. feed in the bale let alone mowing wrapping baleing etc

 

[Chae1]

£8.50 !!!! Whats it like .....

Keeps dry cows going

 

[Derrick Hughes]

If i wanted summat for dry cows, I would be looking to buy hay off the field

 

[Chae1]

Would be pretty wet by March/April the following year.

 

[michael N123]

Hello can I have all these bales at 8.50

 

[neilo]

I better not say to much about grass seed but how do you get to 70

Somebody told him he had to put higher seed rates in?

 

[Bill the Bass]

The trouble is the countryside is awash with docks and ragwort nowadays, you just don’t know what your buying in all the time.

 

[Hilly]

Away to put silage fert on today @£287/t focuses the mind. Grass seed over £70/acre.

Anything different anyone else doing?

Have applied digestate to some fields. They will just get cheaper straight N.

Been buying bales of silage for £8.50 a bale. Makes you wonder if worth making your own.

At 8.50 a bale it defo is not worth doing your own but can you garuntee a supply ? At that ?

 

[Chae1]

At 8.50 a bale it defo is not worth doing your own but can you garuntee a supply ? At that ?

The recreational silage makers are declining. 2 of our main sources have retired. Still have a pit full of silage not opened.

It cost us in 2018 when we had drought and it went to £30 a bale.

 

[buttercup]

What is the general thinking which is cheaper big squares or 4 ft rounds. Been using a round baler but thinking of changing ...

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What is the general thinking which is cheaper big squares or 4 ft rounds. Been using a round baler but thinking of changing ...

To buy or to make .

 

[Chae1]

To buy or to make .

Be quite difficult to make a square baler.

 

[HarryB97]

What is the general thinking which is cheaper big squares or 4 ft rounds. Been using a round baler but thinking of changing ...

Depends on your system but the price to buy a new top spec round baler is around 30k but a big square baler will be around 3x as much and a bigger tractor on the front and bigger repair bills etc. If you are hauling on the road a lot I would go square but personally I’m all round. Much quicker and easier for me to feed out and use.

 

[Jim75]

Not sure what size you south guys will call it but can get either a fusion or krone multi bale (120x70)? To come in and bale here. Last yr same field/same day etc the multi bale at 5’6” long was packing approx 15% more in, in essence we were clearing fields quicker getting 1.5t more on a trailer each time over 100ac added up. Quality was noticable better in the squares come feeding out time with less waste. But tougher on sheep than cattle but just give them a wee break up with the loader when putting them out