Standing Maize Price

[John Bull]

Looking for people’s thoughts on a reasonable price for Standing Maize.

We grow maize for a couple of farms as it is a useful break for our arable rotation, the blocks vary from roughly 25 to 75 acres, the customers supply a varying amount of cattle FYM, not enough to see the crop through so depending on how much is spread we occasionally top up with MOP and always apply nitrogen at 3 leaves, contractors haul the muck in and generally a fair distance, pre and post em herbicides are applied, no fungicide, rented land.

All the operations are carried out by contractors, we supply all inputs apart from the FYM.

We aren’t looking for the top of the market in the freak years when there is a shortage of forage and not looking to discount in years of abundance, just trying to keep relationship’s happy between each other and continue a system that has worked for a few years now and to givie us a reasonable profit from a break crop (which seems to be increasingly difficult) and good entry for 1st wheat.

We know our costs exactly, just can’t agree on a fair price that everyone is happy with.

Thanks.

 

[neilo]

Looking for people’s thoughts on a reasonable price for Standing Maize.

We grow maize for a couple of farms as it is a useful break for our arable rotation, the blocks vary from roughly 25 to 75 acres, the customers supply a varying amount of cattle FYM, not enough to see the crop through so depending on how much is spread we occasionally top up with MOP and always apply nitrogen at 3 leaves, contractors haul the muck in and generally a fair distance, pre and post em herbicides are applied, no fungicide, rented land.

All the operations are carried out by contractors, we supply all inputs apart from the FYM.

We aren’t looking for the top of the market in the freak years when there is a shortage of forage and not looking to discount in years of abundance, just trying to keep relationship’s happy between each other and continue a system that has worked for a few years now and to givie us a reasonable profit from a break crop (which seems to be increasingly difficult) and good entry for 1st wheat.

We know our costs exactly, just can’t agree on a fair price that everyone is happy with.

Thanks.

If it’s any help, bare land rent to grow maize on round here has been making between £250 & £400/ac from what I hear. Add your growing costs on to that and you’ll have a starting point?

Why any landlord would be willing to see his land effectively sublet to grow a crop as damaging to the soil as maize is beyond me, but that’s up to them.

 

[serf]

Why any landlord would be willing to see his land effectively sublet to grow a crop as damaging to the soil as maize is beyond me, but that’s up to them.

LL wouldn't have a choice if it's AHA rented ...

 

[jackrussell101]

Looking for people’s thoughts on a reasonable price for Standing Maize.

We grow maize for a couple of farms as it is a useful break for our arable rotation, the blocks vary from roughly 25 to 75 acres, the customers supply a varying amount of cattle FYM, not enough to see the crop through so depending on how much is spread we occasionally top up with MOP and always apply nitrogen at 3 leaves, contractors haul the muck in and generally a fair distance, pre and post em herbicides are applied, no fungicide, rented land.

All the operations are carried out by contractors, we supply all inputs apart from the FYM.

We aren’t looking for the top of the market in the freak years when there is a shortage of forage and not looking to discount in years of abundance, just trying to keep relationship’s happy between each other and continue a system that has worked for a few years now and to givie us a reasonable profit from a break crop (which seems to be increasingly difficult) and good entry for 1st wheat.

We know our costs exactly, just can’t agree on a fair price that everyone is happy with.

Thanks.

I would think £750-900 an acre wouldn't be too far off the pace.

 

[d williams]

Looking for people’s thoughts on a reasonable price for Standing Maize.

We grow maize for a couple of farms as it is a useful break for our arable rotation, the blocks vary from roughly 25 to 75 acres, the customers supply a varying amount of cattle FYM, not enough to see the crop through so depending on how much is spread we occasionally top up with MOP and always apply nitrogen at 3 leaves, contractors haul the muck in and generally a fair distance, pre and post em herbicides are applied, no fungicide, rented land.

All the operations are carried out by contractors, we supply all inputs apart from the FYM.

We aren’t looking for the top of the market in the freak years when there is a shortage of forage and not looking to discount in years of abundance, just trying to keep relationship’s happy between each other and continue a system that has worked for a few years now and to givie us a reasonable profit from a break crop (which seems to be increasingly difficult) and good entry for 1st wheat.

We know our costs exactly, just can’t agree on a fair price that everyone is happy with.

Thanks.

If you know your costs then it’s those plus a profit margin take it or leave it ???
If your clamping it i would say 70/ton ex yard

 

[Boysground]

If it’s any help, bare land rent to grow maize on round here has been making between £250 & £400/ac from what I hear. Add your growing costs on to that and you’ll have a starting point?

Why any landlord would be willing to see his land effectively sublet to grow a crop as damaging to the soil as maize is beyond me, but that’s up to them.

I have a few people who grow maize for me or I rent their land. All are arable only farms, they all see the maize and import of muck as a valuable part of the rotation especially in this area where osr is increasingly difficult to grow. One of my suppliers used to do 1000ac of osr it’s zero ac now. With a may planting it’s also blackgrass control friendly. Some of the ground i have has been alternate years of maize/wheat and a bad blackgrass problem is now very manageable. Harvest here is getting earlier and with decent kit there is a lot less soil damage no heavy clay in this area though.

Bg

 

[Henery]

LL wouldn't have a choice if it's AHA rented ...

Can you sublet AHA land ? …… I’m pretty sure that’s a no, share farm, grass tack, but sublet…. ?

 

[neilo]

Can you sublet AHA land ? …… I’m pretty sure that’s a no, share farm, grass tack, but sublet…. ?

When the new agent started here, all the tenants received a letter reminding us that we weren’t allowed to sublet anything.
Next time he came out I asked him how it seemed to be ok to grow maize or potatoes, using contractors to do all the work, then sell the crop for contractors to harvest and cart away. Apparently that’s different, somehow.
I suspect the real reason is that knowing those rents are coming in means he can tighten the screw and get some of it for themselves.

 

[serf]

Can you sublet AHA land ? …… I’m pretty sure that’s a no, share farm, grass tack, but sublet…. ?

He won't be subletting it , he will be growing it to sell as a crop .

 

[Henery]

When the new agent started here, all the tenants received a letter reminding us that we weren’t allowed to sublet anything.
Next time he came out I asked him how it seemed to be ok to grow maize or potatoes, using contractors to do all the work, then sell the crop for contractors to harvest and cart away. Apparently that’s different, somehow.
I suspect the real reason is that knowing those rents are coming in means he can tighten the screw and get some of it for themselves.

Agreed, until they want rid and then they will be mighty offended that land was sublet for maize / pots and no sublet clauses pointed out with a notice ……..bunch of gangsters….

 

[neilo]

I have a few people who grow maize for me or I rent their land. All are arable only farms, they all see the maize and import of muck as a valuable part of the rotation especially in this area where osr is increasingly difficult to grow. One of my suppliers used to do 1000ac of osr it’s zero ac now. With a may planting it’s also blackgrass control friendly. Some of the ground i have has been alternate years of maize/wheat and a bad blackgrass problem is now very manageable. Harvest here is getting earlier and with decent kit there is a lot less soil damage no heavy clay in this area though.

Bg

I don’t deny that it’s economically worthwhile to grow it, but nobody can claim it’s good for soil, especially in areas where soil is more marginal for harvesting in a wet Autumn.

Plenty grown round here on river meadows that regularly flood. Mauled in, mauled out, then slurry pumped on after.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

If that was me I would show the guy a breakdown of your costs ,if he's not familiar with maize growing costs ,then all you have to agree is your profit margin
I would want in the region of £200 acre over costs , maybe a contribution for The Westerwolds seed to graze my sheep on over the winter
I do get a fair bit more for potato ground , but that can only be cropped 1 year , I have the cost of putting it back to grass and I struggle some years to get the Westerwolds in

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I don’t deny that it’s economically worthwhile to grow it, but nobody can claim it’s good for soil, especially in areas where soil is more marginal for harvesting in a wet Autumn.

Plenty grown round here on river meadows that regularly flood. Mauled in, mauled out, then slurry pumped on after.

But that's not what the OP asked , he's clearly grown it before and is happy to continue

 

[neilo]

But that's not what the OP asked , he's clearly grown it before and is happy to continue

And I answered the OP’s question upthread. You have quoted my reply to @Boysground .

 

[Derrick Hughes]

And I answered the OP’s question upthread. You have quoted my reply to @Boysground .

OK I forgive you
But when I oder a roast beef dinner I find it annoying if the next table is talking loadly about the reasons I should be eating nut roast

 

[neilo]

OK I forgive you
But when I oder a roast beef dinner I find it annoying if the next table is talking loadly about the reasons I should be eating nut roast

I apologise for going off on a tangent. I shall endeavour to remind you of such crimes, every time you drop some photos of various turnip varieties into a thread on the weather.

 

[Enry]

Can you sublet AHA land ? …… I’m pretty sure that’s a no, share farm, grass tack, but sublet…. ?

just grow the crop, and sell, no different to selling grain

 

[Enry]

When the new agent started here, all the tenants received a letter reminding us that we weren’t allowed to sublet anything.
Next time he came out I asked him how it seemed to be ok to grow maize or potatoes, using contractors to do all the work, then sell the crop for contractors to harvest and cart away. Apparently that’s different, somehow.
I suspect the real reason is that knowing those rents are coming in means he can tighten the screw and get some of it for themselves.

depends who takes the risk i guess. A few sailing close to the wind, but like contract farming agreements, it's all down to the paperwork. Who pays for inputs etc, even if sold as standing crop, is very different to a £200/ac payment up front for the land. Suspect a lot of landlords and agents will

 

[ringi]

just grow the crop, and sell, no different to selling grain

Given high transport cost there will be limited choose of buyers so can't depend on buyers completing to set price.

 

[Enry]

Given high transport cost there will be limited choose of buyers so can't depend on buyers completing to set price.

I meant with prior agreement on a per acre or per ton basis, rather than be seen to sublet. I did not mean grow and then hope to sell in autumn. Hear of maize moving from East mids to Scotland and Wiltshire to West Wales so haulage can't worry those buyers