buttercup
Member
- Location
- Sussex/Surrey
Trying to work costings for this year. Been weighting bales of hay and some haylage. Hay ave 260 kg, haylage 200 kg. Trying to work which is the cheapest and best value. Just want peoples thinking...
Forage costs 2024, hay vs haylage
- Thread starter buttercup
- Start date
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
What's their respective feed value?
- Location
- Yorkshire North bit
Would think weather comes into play aswell
- Location
- Ceredigion
,without knowing the quality it can't be answered
But if its just bulk you want and they are both the same price they the hay is a better buy by a mile
But if its just bulk you want and they are both the same price they the hay is a better buy by a mile
buttercup
Member
- Location
- Sussex/Surrey
Have not had tested. Selling haylage at £25 bale = £125\t, hay @ 35/bale =£140, standing grass @7.50 ave 200 kg sq bale. Trying to work out the better margin
- Location
- Ceredigion
Well clearly the hay , but your selling the haylage far to cheap, you may get a few more bales from the haylage but the costs will be higher , haylage needs to be £5 to £10 dearer than hay if your baling to sell
Last edited:
DeeGee
Member
- Location
- North East Wales
Why do you think this Derrick? A genuine question, because I price my wrapped hay to sell at £10 more than haylage! So I am just curious to learn why you think differently.
I question your figures because basically the hay needs another good day to make as well as another pass with the tedder, so in my book it has cost me more to make than making dry haylage a day earlier. ??
buttercup
Member
- Location
- Sussex/Surrey
Also no rush in bring bales in
Why are you wrapping hay?
- Location
- Black Isle
Personally if I’m making hay the baler has to be run with 0-3 pressure (goes up to 10) as any firmer and bales sweat. Haylage (a day from being fit hay) I pack in at near full pressure. There could be 2 plus times the material in the bale. You want them tight for wrapping, reduce plastic use and risk of mould.
DeeGee
Member
- Location
- North East Wales
Cheaper than shed space in my circumstances: plus if there is any doubt about the hay being 100% fit the wrap acts as an insurance against hay possibly overheating.
It's haylage then. Get a shed up. Make hay. Done.
DeeGee
Member
- Location
- North East Wales
Thanks for that.
- Location
- Huntingdon
what % moisture is your haylage ?
Oddly enough we think just the reverse. We leave round hay bales out a week or two to cure. The enemy with haylage is bird damage and we havnt found a solution save to say some years the crows must have better things to do.
We don’t think costings are very different. More tedding or wrap and wrapping. More care in transporting bales when wrapped.
We think the most important thing is quality of product so generally we aim for hay but settle for haylage if weather so dictates.
Building @ £?k, planning cost an additional £k?. All at interest of 8%.
Then factor in the years that good hay-making weather does not materialise so you wrap it anyway, maybe 1 in 5, or 1 in 10?
What are the chances of making no extra profit?
Rare anyone regrets building a shed
We usually make hay and bale ourselves
Contractor with fusion last year on 2nd cut. £8.40/bale, over half that was wrap
Probably fair.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
- Location
- Ceredigion
You don't sell a lot to stables if you leave them out more than a day
Haylage uis high cost high risk, that's if your doing top stuff for stables
Hay I can sell no matter how poor it is
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