Muck for straw

I have been approached by a neighbouring pig farmer asking whether I would consider a muck for straw agreement. Agronomically it is certainly of interest but how do others work it financially?
Who is responsible for all the operations? And if using a contractor for baling and spreading, who pays for it?


i want a long term relationship that lasts for years am not interested in screwing people over for the last £. However I would also like my fields cleared in good time. I guess they'd be paying £60/t ex farm for straw at the moment in this part of the world.
 

bitwrx

Member
You bale and clear the field, and charge them contractors' rates for doing so; keeps you in charge and can make a bit from the work.
Then you arrange and pay for muck to be hauled and spread at a mutually convenient time; gets your straw back to you plus all the unused nutrients in the pig farmer's imported feed. You keep control of timings. Offset the cost against the saving in bought-in fert.

You both improve your bottom lines.
 

jh.

Member
Location
fife
I've done a few over the years. First was 110 4x4 rounds , he baled and carted away. I went for and spread dung . We carted back 14.5 loads using 12 , 14 and 15 ton grain trailers but never weighed any just as a guide . This sort of ratio was then used for other places but tbh carting dung about the place isn't cheap , so now if they want the straw , they cart back dung . I'm not really well placed for it as right on the coast with sea on one side , a town on another and village on another, so it all has to come from the one side and gets quite far away at times .
 

DRC

Member
We have done it with a neighbour for years. Pig farm next door has about 100 acres of straw. He pays contractor to bale, stack and cart. I pay for spreading, either straight from his yard or I will trailer it out first.
We also get all his slurry which he pays contractor to tank out when and where I want it.
We use the same contractor who gets some work of us both .
He only has my straw, so I know I’m not importing black grass .
 

bitwrx

Member
We have done it with a neighbour for years. Pig farm next door has about 100 acres of straw. He pays contractor to bale, stack and cart. I pay for spreading, either straight from his yard or I will trailer it out first.
We also get all his slurry which he pays contractor to tank out when and where I want it.
We use the same contractor who gets some work of us both .
He only has my straw, so I know I’m not importing black grass.
Do you or he know the cash value (equivalent to bought in NPK) of the slurry?
 

HarryB97

Member
Mixed Farmer
Normally the stock farmer deals with the baling, carting and most if not all the muck hauling around here and the arable farmer pays for the spreading. If they are slow to clear fields you could always stack the bales up in the field for them as normally the arable farmer has a much better end of the deal.
 

Ted M

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Shropshire
We bale and cart 4ft 6" round bales of straw away at a charge of £8/bale (just the value of the straw in each bale) and return 14 ton trailer loads of fym(about 12 tonnes on a load) for £4.50/t tipped up in the field.
Either ourselves or another contractor spread it at a proper hourly rate.
Distance of about a mile from farm to farm.
 

David.

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
J11 M40
I have been doing this a while they bale and take straw away and tip muck back in field through winter and summer. I pay to spread muck.
Not sure where we stand really, if can't store it more than 12mth, or spread in autumn, because home land where muck goes is usually 100% winter cereals.
 

Matt

Member
We bale and cart straw. But we try to be prompt (providing weather is OK and straw fit to bale and we have had a bit of forewarning. Eg no good calling to say we been cutting for 5 hours wheres the baler)
Arable man carts muck and spreads.

Some years it's in the favour of livestock some years it's the Arable, but keeps it easy

All the better crops round here are where there are manures of some form going on.
 

Optimus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North of Perth
Our straw deals usually consist of us bailing,moving and either the farmer or a contractor( at my expense) carting it back.they spread it.
It is starting to get expensive especially if you need the contractor to haul it back.started to think buying some straw isn't that bad at least I can use the dung on my own land.
 

onthehoof

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cambs
was just reading through an old ledger book of my great grandfather's the other day, he sold the straw and had the muck back
Date 1897

DSC_1343.JPG
 

curlietailz

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Sedgefield
Pig farmer has his own baler. He brings it here and bales right behind the combine( or thereabouts) and he leads it back to his yard
We provide him with all his straw
He carts back as much muck as we want
Dumps it in field heaps

we pay for a contractor to spread
We grow OSR so have an autumn need and we grow some spring barley too so any that’s not spread onto OSR ground in autumn goes onto spring stubbles

we get the manure analysed so know exactly what’s in it

pig farmer is on hand at harvest to help lead a bit of corn or do a bit of trailer work etc if we need an extra hand

trust and mutual appreciation is the key
 

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