- Location
- Limavady, Northern Ireland
Just had a conversation that 8x4x3 straw bales are going for £64 per bale delivered in Northen Ireland from the south.
if by a profiteering barsteward you mean the likes of me who has sold his straw and fodder grain stock etc at the market price to willing buyers for the last 30 odd years . I find it a little odd that you expect me and others to sell produce below the market price. would you? bearing in mind that my output in quantity is also going to be down .Everyone just needs to calm down a bit, your not doing yourself any favours at all. This scaremongering attitude and boosting prices up now by paying it!! My granddad would laugh at you all getting so het up over things like this.. Has anyone looked at the forecast yet? All my long ranger weather is saying decent weather till October so far, if that is the case we have two months of turn out still in the bank, my ground isn't going to go to rack and ruin over night so the cows can stay out and enjoy the extra bite right up till December if they have to. Mine are normally in by October and out by May so if I can get an extra month happy days.
I think any man that chooses to sell his needed fodder/straw to an AD plant in a situation like we are currently experiencing is no man to do business with! Lets hope these good natured arable boys can help out with winter root and straw this year, everyone needs to band together and stop being profiteering barstewards for just one year.
if by a profiteering barsteward you mean the likes of me who has sold his straw and fodder grain stock etc at the market price to willing buyers for the last 30 odd years . I find it a little odd that you expect me and others to sell produce below the market price. would you? bearing in mind that my output in quantity is also going to be down .
That was market price last summer. Winter just gone and winter to come prices will start with a 3. The market has moved.Huge difference between profiteering and market value though isn't there..... Selling silage bales at £40 is profiteering, bales at £25-28 is market value.
So no, no expectations of you selling it at less than market price
well, ive just baled some 2nd cut haylage that has produced just under 4 round 4ft/acre less than 1/2 normal and they are pre sold at £38 each with the cost of production and output / acre do you think im profiteering ,cos I dont, but I will honour my spoken wordHuge difference between profiteering and market value though isn't there..... Selling silage bales at £40 is profiteering, bales at £25-28 is market value.
So no, no expectations of you selling it at less than market price
Huge difference between profiteering and market value though isn't there..... Selling silage bales at £40 is profiteering, bales at £25-28 is market value.
So no, no expectations of you selling it at less than market price
well, ive just baled some 2nd cut haylage that has produced just under 4 round 4ft/acre less than 1/2 normal and they are pre sold at £38 each with the cost of production and output / acre do you think im profiteering ,cos I dont, but I will honour my spoken word
You need to wake up to reality I’m afraid.
There is a desperate shortage of fodder of all types, and straw is naturally included in this dearth, especially so considering last winter’s lack of stocks.
Supplies for all my yard liveries and regular customers will hopefully be guaranteed from my own produce at reasonable prices, but to say that £40 a bale for haylage is profiteering and £25 a bale is market value is just absolute nonsense.
I agree,a lot of the forage problems are caused by farmers specialising,and the fact we have had wet summers for the last 10 years,making us think it is the norm and we can keep more and more stock.Then we get a year like this and youre up sh!te creek,much to be said for mixed farming I think.Whilst I feel sorry for anyone short of fodder, I don’t get this idea that those that have it to sell, should keep their price down.
Imagine a year when straw or silage is plentiful, I haven’t seen any livestock lads saying I’ll give you £28 a bale if they can beg it for £15. Same with straw in the swath . I’ve seen it make £20 acre at sales. No one puts their hand up and says, that’s too cheap,I’ll give you a bit more.
Same with store lambs or cattle. Playing devils advocate ,
Another point to think about, is it right to wholecrop cereals, thus losing more acres of straw, and is it right to feed grains to cattle and sheep .
A lot of problems are caused by farms specialising . In my youth, every dairy farm grew a few fields of their own corn, now it’s mainly very big dairy farms that import their feed and bedding.
Nothings as simple as it seems.
AD plantanyone got the national herd stats for 1976 and this year i bet theres over a millon less cattle wheres all the grass gone to feed them?
anyone got the national herd stats for 1976 and this year i bet theres over a millon less cattle wheres all the grass gone to feed them?
If I had to pay 28 quid for a bale of silage I would have to cut down our numbersWell yes by my previous posts, but if you can get it then crack on. Don't get me wrong I'm all out for making money and perhaps I need to readdress my outlook, I'm by no means slating anyone just going on what I know from round here.
Oh I'm fully awake to the reality, I never said there wasn't a shortage. What I said was prices are going through the roof and it's livestock lads that seem to have the shitty end of the stick so to speak, I suppose there is a touch of jelousy as I'm not being paid anymore for my beef, still making money but not as much as previous years.
When I know I have enough fodder I sell bales at £25-28 and make money, I'm happy at that so just going off my experience.
If one turned up near me and offered me £1000/acre for anything i could grow,i would snap their hand off there and then.Cattle and sheep down the road to the nearest mart straight away.
houses, roads, golf courses.........
We’ve just sold 40 bales of dry silage,well got stuff from old pasture to our next door neighbour.
He said he was down about 50 bales.
Luckily we were offered grazing to cut so baled,carted and stacked them for him and charged £10 per bale.
Theoretically we probably made a loss on them however if you can’t help a good neighbour once in a while then the jobs not worth doing.
Well I hadn't started this to scare monger I only asked a question. The thing is my income source is the selling of whatever bales I produce but I need to sell them at a reflective value whilst I do have existing customers you cannot suggest bales are sold at an almost fixed price. Everything rises and drops in value beef is good, milk is good, then beef is bad, milk is bad etc.
Why should I take the hit if everyone else is making hay while the sun shines if you know what I mean. As for my existing customers I wouldn't be hanging out for top dollar because at some stage the silage/bales will be plentiful and cheap. Swings and roundabouts!
We all have to make something, machines to keep going, insurance etc never heard of an insurance company drop their quote because milk was down or beef etc. However with some there is no middle ground either so time will tell this year.
Whilst I feel sorry for anyone short of fodder, I don’t get this idea that those that have it to sell, should keep their price down.
Imagine a year when straw or silage is plentiful, I haven’t seen any livestock lads saying I’ll give you £28 a bale if they can beg it for £15. Same with straw in the swath . I’ve seen it make £20 acre at sales. No one puts their hand up and says, that’s too cheap,I’ll give you a bit more.
Same with store lambs or cattle. Playing devils advocate ,
Another point to think about, is it right to wholecrop cereals, thus losing more acres of straw, and is it right to feed grains to cattle and sheep .
A lot of problems are caused by farms specialising . In my youth, every dairy farm grew a few fields of their own corn, now it’s mainly very big dairy farms that import their feed and bedding.
Nothings as simple as it seems.