Power and machinery costs

[Jdunn55]

Hi all, just wondering for those who cashflow and yearly budget what you allow for this?

Mine is currently forecast to be running at 6.4ppl and am just wondering if that's overkill?
That includes doing all my own silage and most cultivations, the exceptions being, spraying, direct drilling, forage harvesting (wholecrop and maize).

Most of the cost comes from heat and light (1.5ppl), fuel (1.8ppl) and then machinery repairs too (1.8ppl).

Too much or about right I know there will be variations depending on different systems but if anyone is willing to say what theirs costs them that would be great just so I can compare!
Thankyou

 

[Beef farmer]

Power and machinery 3.82.

 

[Beef farmer]

Contractors are 1.42ppl the rest is in house/fuel/electric

 

[Blue.]

My contractor cost (without diesel) is .6p,I’ll have work the others out.

 

[farmer JD]

Contractors does that include everything eg umbical cord etc

 

[farmer JD]

Power and machinery 3.82.

When you break that cost down do you do much field work like silaging etc yourselves?

 

[Blue.]

Contractors does that include everything eg umbical cord etc

I only have them help out at grass.

 

[jackrussell101]

Contractors are 1.42ppl the rest is in house/fuel/electric

Is that in addition to the 3.82ppl? So 5.2ppl overall?

Ours were 6.32ppl last year, but includes 0.52ppl of machinery depreciation.

 

[jackrussell101]

Just how it's shown in our accounts, does anyone else include machinery depreciation?

 

[Beef farmer]

Is that in addition to the 3.82ppl? So 5.2ppl overall?

Ours were 6.32ppl last year, but includes 0.52ppl of machinery depreciation.

No. 3.82 ppl total

 

[Beef farmer]

When you break that cost down do you do much field work like silaging etc yourselves?

Some, thats in the 3.82ppl

 

[Jdunn55]

Thanks for all the replies I'm just trying to work out if it pays for me to do the work myself or get contractors in. What does everyone think?

My current plan is this:
Roughly 45 acres of silage (3-4 cuts depending on yield and weather)
23 acres of wholecrop spring barley inbetween or after Forage rape for winter grazing
20 acres of maize for buffer feeding from March-September as I'm going to need to buffer feed to support the number of cows I want and maize complements the grass diet and will keep yields high when I'm being paid well for milk,
Then 40 acres for hay for either cows when they're dry or in-calf heifers whilst grazing fodder beet to keep them full and give them a source of fibre.

All the hay, maize and half the silage would be at another farm which is a 15-20 minute drive in a tractor from the dairy. There is storage there for the hay, and silage bales so they could be brought back as and when they are needed but no clamps so would have to haul the maize back as its cut.

I have a mower, tedder, rake, Baler and wrapper but could do with a new bale trailer which I would probably need regardless or wether I do most of the work myself or get contractors in.

So was going to have contractors in to do foraging for maize and wholecrop but help pull trailers as we would have 3 tractors capable of pulling 12/14t trailers. Direct drill in the rape into burnt off grass. Spraying to be done via contractor.

Then I would do all grass work myself and bale all the silage which is what we currently do for the suckler cows as it would mean less contractor cost and we already have the equipment to hand- thoughts on this?

Slurry is my next question, am I better off just paying a contractor than messing around with my 1500 gallon marshall from the 1990's? It would be a fair old trek back to the silage/hay ground at the other farm. How much would it cost per load do you reckon to pay someone?

Once again thanks

 

[Beef farmer]

How many cows?

 

[Fendt820]

Thanks for all the replies I'm just trying to work out if it pays for me to do the work myself or get contractors in. What does everyone think?

My current plan is this:
Roughly 45 acres of silage (3-4 cuts depending on yield and weather)
23 acres of wholecrop spring barley inbetween or after Forage rape for winter grazing
20 acres of maize for buffer feeding from March-September as I'm going to need to buffer feed to support the number of cows I want and maize complements the grass diet and will keep yields high when I'm being paid well for milk,
Then 40 acres for hay for either cows when they're dry or in-calf heifers whilst grazing fodder beet to keep them full and give them a source of fibre.

All the hay, maize and half the silage would be at another farm which is a 15-20 minute drive in a tractor from the dairy. There is storage there for the hay, and silage bales so they could be brought back as and when they are needed but no clamps so would have to haul the maize back as its cut.

I have a mower, tedder, rake, Baler and wrapper but could do with a new bale trailer which I would probably need regardless or wether I do most of the work myself or get contractors in.

So was going to have contractors in to do foraging for maize and wholecrop but help pull trailers as we would have 3 tractors capable of pulling 12/14t trailers. Direct drill in the rape into burnt off grass. Spraying to be done via contractor.

Then I would do all grass work myself and bale all the silage which is what we currently do for the suckler cows as it would mean less contractor cost and we already have the equipment to hand- thoughts on this?

Slurry is my next question, am I better off just paying a contractor than messing around with my 1500 gallon marshall from the 1990's? It would be a fair old trek back to the silage/hay ground at the other farm. How much would it cost per load do you reckon to pay someone?

Once again thanks

3 tractor seems a lot. Not so bad if they are older ones but can cost a lot in break downs.

 

[Jdunn55]

How many cows?

150 pedigree friesians eventually (90 to begin with)

 

[Jdunn55]

3 tractor seems a lot. Not so bad if they are older ones but can cost a lot in break downs.

Only 1 would be mine (plus a scraper tractor) the other two are my dads but I have access to them for things like silage

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

Would you do all round bales? No clamp silage?

 

[Jdunn55]

Would you do all round bales? No clamp silage?

That's my thinking, other than wholecrop and maize.

45 acres at 16t/acre over the year would only be 1100 bales which is less than what I do now (plus hay).
But i would like to know what others think and wether it would be cheaper to have a forager in especially as half of it needs hauling back which could be an hour round trip?

 

[Beef farmer]

8p cake bill. 6.4p machinery. Your half ya milk cheque gone.

 

[Fendt820]

Half the silage ground 15/20min away carting silage bales 12/18 at a time I guess is a fair process if u are on your own and want to get them shifted quick as bird damage. Plus u want to get slurry/fert out. Worth looking at contractor doing the lot but you mowing as need a mower and pulling a trailer then get straight on slurry