One cut of grass price

[Zippy768]

Been offered a bit of grass to clear - the type @Hfd Cattle would get paid to take!! - just wondered what would be a sensible price to pay NOT to be paid!!
Not been cut up to now, was left to take a cut of hay off but didn't happen. Could do with a bit more grass, but could cope without; but is a little bit of distance and will be busy enough next week.
Haven't looked at it yet tho.

 

[P.O.T]

If baling i would just do so much per bale, seems fairest way for both parties. £10 a bale maybe.

 

[d williams]

Been offered a bit of grass to clear - the type @Hfd Cattle would get paid to take!! - just wondered what would be a sensible price to pay NOT to be paid!!
Not been cut up to now, was left to take a cut of hay off but didn't happen. Could do with a bit more grass, but could cope without; but is a little bit of distance and will be busy enough next week.
Haven't looked at it yet tho.

Will grass that’s not been cut yet have enough feed value to justify plastic cost ??

 

[Zippy768]

Will grass that’s not been cut yet have enough feed value to justify plastic cost ??

Good point. Was looking at it as more of a glorified belly filler.

 

[Zippy768]

If baling i would just do so much per bale, seems fairest way for both parties. £10 a bale maybe.

Nice idea

 

[kiwi pom]

How far away, how many acres and what's the access like? Could be a lot of hassle for little gain.
It's August, grass that's not been grazed or cut yet isn't going to be great feed value is it.
Might be cheaper than straw?

 

[Zippy768]

How far away, how many acres and what's the access like? Could be a lot of hassle for little gain.
It's August, grass that's not been grazed or cut yet isn't going to be great feed value is it.
Might be cheaper than straw?

18 acres, 14 miles away. Not sure on access. I just know that they had planned to make hay of it, but now not bothering. May of had sheep bad in spring.
Want more than 30, less than 40.

Got my hands on plenty of straw, and ours is yielding more than I expected,

 

[nxy]

It just goes to show the different world some people operate in. Most years since we have been here I have been offered some grass for free. If I can, I try to be helpful and take it as long as they know I am doing them an enormous favour. Rents are half of area payments so land is free but needs to be kept tidy which is a cost, I can't imagine a situation where I would pay for grass.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Will cost you a bit In diesel running 28 miles round trip .
If you need it £10 .
If you want it £7
If its a favour £0
Im doing a bit tonight, if it's dry ,12 miles away , it's lovely stuff but he has had it advertised for over a month and not one phone call for it . Someone gave him my number. I don't really need it but he just want it cut and gone .....therefore £0

 

[bluebell]

Shows how its all changed, 30 odd years ago there would have been people fighting over it, how much have stock levels dropped in that time ? I bet its enormous and still declining, what else do you do with grass? If you dont graze/cut it. with in a few years your left with a wilderness? Maybe thats what they want?

 

[Spencer]

It just goes to show the different world some people operate in. Most years since we have been here I have been offered some grass for free. If I can, I try to be helpful and take it as long as they know I am doing them an enormous favour. Rents are half of area payments so land is free but needs to be kept tidy which is a cost, I can't imagine a situation where I would pay for grass.

Bit more land in France than our little rock in the Atlantic! Supply and demand

 

[devonbeef]

It just goes to show the different world some people operate in. Most years since we have been here I have been offered some grass for free. If I can, I try to be helpful and take it as long as they know I am doing them an enormous favour. Rents are half of area payments so land is free but needs to be kept tidy which is a cost, I can't imagine a situation where I would pay for grass.

would these not very sought after grass fields grow corn or is it grass ground?Sounds like france could up its AGri output if we drop ours (I should say forced to drop output)

 

[nxy]

would these not very sought after grass fields grow corn or is it grass ground?Sounds like france could up its AGri output if we drop ours (I should say forced to drop output)

Mostly just grass ground. A lot of this area is either permanent pasture or long term temporary grass where a crop is grown occasionally more to tidy up or provide a bit of straw than as a major money earner.

 

[livestock 1]

A month ago when there wasn’t much won at this end it was £40/£50 an acre standing grass
A lot has happened in a month most folks have gathered up crops are good and the ones selling fodder are not shifting it. The answer depends on a lot of things one of the main things being if you want it to be a permanent arrangement therefore if you do might pay to meet him half way

 

[nxy]

When driving around with an old farmer in my teens I can remember him pointing at what looked like grade 2 arable land and him saying that when he was a boy in the 30s his dad had been tenant on the land but none of it was farmed. Then when we dropped down into a valley he said his dad had only taken on the farm for the river meadows and permanent pasture. You couldn't make money from arable because you needed to invest too much but livestock always made money because all it took was a dog and a stick.

 

[livestock 1]

When driving around with an old farmer in my teens I can remember him pointing at what looked like grade 2 arable land and him saying that when he was a boy in the 30s his dad had been tenant on the land but none of it was farmed. Then when we dropped down into a valley he said his dad had only taken on the farm for the river meadows and permanent pasture. You couldn't make money from arable because you needed to invest too much but livestock always made money because all it took was a dog and a stick.

Did he farm in the 90’s ?

 

[balerman]

If baling i would just do so much per bale, seems fairest way for both parties. £10 a bale maybe.

That’s too much for what is very old grass now surely,baling and wrapping will add another £10 plus mowing,raking,haulage soon get to £30.Only worth a token payment IMO.

 

[nxy]

Did he farm in the 90’s ?

Interesting to compare the two periods because the decline in farming in the 1930s resulted in the UK being rationed in WW2 and ended in massive support for agriculture after the war.

What ended the decline in farming in the 90s was the "MacSharry" reforms which bought in area payments for the first time.

So are you headed back to the 30s or the 90s given that a whole generation of UK farmers have never lived without support?

 

[bluebell]

As i understand it, france is roughly twice as big as the UK with a smaller population, also the young french are deserting the countryside for a "better" life in the cities, the opposite to us here in the UK, so villages are becoming deserted/abandoned and large chateaues (spelt wrong are 10 a penny), most of which, according to recent tv bought up by english ex patts looking for a "good" life in the country how long does that last?

 

[livestock 1]

Interesting to compare the two periods because the decline in farming in the 1930s resulted in the UK being rationed in WW2 and ended in massive support for agriculture after the war.

What ended the decline in farming in the 90s was the "MacSharry" reforms which bought in area payments for the first time.

So are you headed back to the 30s or the 90s given that a whole generation of UK farmers have never lived without support?

The opposite happened to what you are suggesting above. The mid 90’s to 2001 were probably the worst time to be farming.