What's standing grass for silage worth this year?

gellis888

Member
Livestock Farmer
Ground I'm farming with sheep is currently really under stocked as it was took on in September 2020, sheep were over wintered outside and the grass wasn't performing well. So, this spring and summer I'm going to have a huge surplus. A neighbouring farmer is short of silage ground this year and wants to buy my surplus grass. But what does anyone think its worth per ha or bale?

I can send a picture of my workings but a rough £23 a bale/£215 per ha value (9-10 bales) and a cost of contractors of £140 a ha. That's a difference of £75. Does £50 a ha sound realistic? Would be interesting to hear peoples thoughts.
 

gellis888

Member
Livestock Farmer
Not sure if I understand your £50 but if I do it way to cheap . At least double that, whos paying for firtilizer
Not sure whether I will or they will yet. But its to take 1 cut off? I'll then graze it after or leave it again for another cut if I have too much grass still
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
[emoji23] its not something I've ever done, as you can tell, I'm not sure what its worth! It's to be cut and then I'll graze it after
You've not been clear with your post sorry to say
How many acres is it
Are you applying firtilizer
And is it for bales or pit
For bales it is normal just to sell the grass per bale and leave the buyer to do the work
 

gellis888

Member
Livestock Farmer
You've not been clear with your post sorry to say
How many acres is it
Are you applying firtilizer
And is it for bales or pit
For bales it is normal just to sell the grass per bale and leave the buyer to do the work
Possibly 20 acres maybe a few more
I might apply fertiliser which will have cost about £16 an acre
It's for bales
So if it costs them to pay contractors £10-15 a bale and bales I've seen in my area sold were £23.
In that case £16 for fert plus applying it £5 over 5 bales is £4, plus the £10 diff in cost and value^, £14 a bale wouldn't be unfair?
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
Possibly 20 acres maybe a few more
I might apply fertiliser which will have cost about £16 an acre
It's for bales
So if it costs them to pay contractors £10-15 a bale and bales I've seen in my area sold were £23.
In that case £16 for fert plus applying it £5 over 5 bales is £4, plus the £10 diff in cost and value^, £14 a bale wouldn't be unfair?
Grass in bales they do all the work makes between £5 and £10 bale
 

teslacoils

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
And the agreement involves the P and K going back as slurry or similar as well.

I'm not sure it's possible to balance pk offtake from silage just from slurry without being over the organic N limits. And I'd not want someone else's fym either. Best either have them apply a npk fertiliser in the right ratios, or bill them for fibrophos as per offtake.

Slurry a different matter.
 

Tsa115

Member
Livestock Farmer
We have been paying £8 to £10 /bale for every bale we take off, doing the job in house. Atleast we can cut it when we want weather wise. Fert included.
 

gellis888

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'm not sure it's possible to balance pk offtake from silage just from slurry without being over the organic N limits. And I'd not want someone else's fym either. Best either have them apply a npk fertiliser in the right ratios, or bill them for fibrophos as per offtake.

Slurry a different matter.
My p and k levels are both 3 so it can afford to drop slightly?
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
I pay £6 to the land owner and I endure all the costs, not the best of grass but 4-6 bales/acre as the sheep are usually on it until weeks before.
 

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