Fodder Beet Price.

[neilo]

can get 22% Dm washed beet for around £53 del which is about the same as rolled barley at £210 - beet must have a decent GM if 35t/acre at £45/t ex farm? - £1575/acre plus some sheep keep on tops/crowns or even more OM if ploughed in? Hearing of direct drillers putting molasses on fields to feed the bugs, beet remains must do the same job?

You’d think so, but I can’t see many beet crops doing 35t/ac round here this year.

I’ve certainly got no spare to lift, even if the local contractor was still interested in doing that job (having had two breakdowns lifting my surplus 3.5ac last year, I can totally understand him).

 

[Timbo]

- beet must have a decent GM if 35t/acre

35t / ac ??? Lol!!!

 

[Skintagain]

I think it could be one of those years where it starts dear and eases

 

[Enry]

35t / ac ??? Lol!!!

Sugar beet av 80t/ha (32.5t/ac) last year according to BS and fodder beet yields more than sugar beet - agronomist told me he has AD and dairy farm growers achieving 40t/ac weighed plus what's left for grazing....so LOL back....

 

[neilo]

Sugar beet av 80t/ha (32.5t/ac) last year according to BS and fodder beet yields more than sugar beet - agronomist told me he has AD and dairy farm growers achieving 40t/ac weighed plus what's left for grazing....so LOL back....

From the bit I lifted, I sold 40t/ac last year. This year however, I won’t have half the yield of last year, and I’m certainly not alone!

 

[Enry]

From the bit I lifted, I sold 40t/ac last year. This year however, I won’t have half the yield of last year, and I’m certainly not alone!

saw some good looking crops around Newport the other week, and beet is very good at accumulating yield late season - haven't grown for a few years but it will be loving this mild October weather. I don't suppose anyone in much hurry to lift as yet when it's accumulating yield nicely, then again, tempting to lift and get wheat drilled nicely!

 

[spin cycle]

what variety fb is 22% dm?????

 

[thorpe]

Sugar beet av 80t/ha (32.5t/ac) last year according to BS and fodder beet yields more than sugar beet - agronomist told me he has AD and dairy farm growers achieving 40t/ac weighed plus what's left for grazing....so LOL back....

that 80t is adjusted to 16% sugar! not fresh weight.

 

[thorpe]

From the bit I lifted, I sold 40t/ac last year. This year however, I won’t have half the yield of last year, and I’m certainly not alone!

if your selling 20t an acre your on a bit of a loser on todays growing cost's.

 

[neilo]

saw some good looking crops around Newport the other week, and beet is very good at accumulating yield late season - haven't grown for a few years but it will be loving this mild October weather. I don't suppose anyone in much hurry to lift as yet when it's accumulating yield nicely, then again, tempting to lift and get wheat drilled nicely!

Irrigated round Newport?
Yes, mine’s growing now, and a damned good job too.

 

[neilo]

what variety fb is 22% dm?????

Enermax?

 

[neilo]

if your selling 20t an acre your on a bit of a loser on todays growing cost's.

My contractor gave up growing it himself a few years ago, after years of renting ground to grow and sell it. He said the rents are too dear now, and struggled to get above 20t/ac, even in a good year.

 

[Daniel]

90-100 quid here for a contractor or a bloody lot less if you lift your own.

Hmm!

Im not sure about that Robbie, 150ac to lift, let’s call it £15k a year.

What sort of harvester could you justify for that, an old Garford or something? Then you need 2 trailers to keep it moving.

FW contractors guide says £50/hr for a man and tractor, add 2 trailers on decent tyres - £20/hr. That’s £170/hr.

What will the harvester cost an hour, £30? And a lot of pissing about each year changing bearings, repairing webs in the mud etc!

Say it lifts 2ac an hour, which I’d think would be good going if you were honest about stoppages, your’re at £200/hr or, £100ac.

I know you’ll all jump in to say you can run an old tractor for buttons and Bob from the pub will drive a trailer for £8/hr and a 6 pack of beers, but let’s be realistic, decent tractors are expensive and so are staff if you can find them!

 

[Shropshirebuller]

Folks used to say fodder beet should be around 1/5 of the price of wheat….

 

[spin cycle]

if you have your own harvester and your own labour you can go harvesting odd times....a job for winter....when times are slack

I remember a chap doing 75ac/Yr with single row standen so 150ac/Yr with 2 row Tim should be easy

ppl are obsessed with getting job done quickly in big lumps them moaning about harvesting costs

Enermax?

only variety I could think of but TBH most are 12-15%....at 22% you're into sugar beet territory

 

[Top Tip.]

A local dairy farmer was telling me a friend of his had worked out what round bales had cost him this year. He does 4 cuts a year on some ground rented on as grass keep (seeds at £180/ac!), with the fourth cut giving him 1 round bale/ac. With the cost of fuel, etc, he had worked out that the fourth cut had cost him £75/bale.

Almost makes fodder beet look cheap.

Why would you take a cut of 1 bale to the acre?

 

[Devil's advocate]

Why would you take a cut of 1 bale to the acre?

dogs

 

[Top Tip.]

dogs

?

 

[neilo]

Why would you take a cut of 1 bale to the acre?

If you were renting ground as summer keep, up to the end of September or October, and it had been grazed bare when you had arrived in April, would you be inclined to leave the owner with a single blade of grass?

 

[Top Tip.]

If you were renting ground as summer keep, up to the end of September or October, and it had been grazed bare when you had arrived in April, would you be inclined to leave the owner with a single blade of grass?

Yes if it was going to cost me £75 a bale to make it. That’s what I call cutting of your nose to spite your face.