silage base

restive

What are the costs of putting down a silage base? Are the regulations strict for effluent?

I do not have a slatted house and i outwinter cattle. This year i will have 140 bales of silage at 11 euros a bale and am thinking of cost and convenience.

reilig

restive wrote: »

What are the costs of putting down a silage base? Are the regulations strict for effluent?

I do not have a slatted house and i outwinter cattle. This year i will have 140 bales of silage at 11 euros a bale and am thinking of cost and convenience.

You'll be a long time saving the cost of the slab with only 140 bales - I'm guessing its about 10 to 12 acres?

You could be talking €6k to €9k of a rough estimate to build a small slab and a tank to control effluent.

The biggest problem will be getting a contractor to pick up that small of an amount of silage. Perhaps you might get someone with a wagon.

Username John

restive wrote: »

What are the costs of putting down a silage base? Are the regulations strict for effluent?

I do not have a slatted house and i outwinter cattle. This year i will have 140 bales of silage at 11 euros a bale and am thinking of cost and convenience.

I don't know the cost of a slab, but how would you feed the silage? With a grab?
If so - and if you are only using a small amount of silage every day, would the face go bad by the time you go from one side to the other? Maybe someone else can comment on this?

The other alternative is to let the cattle pull it from the pit face, we used to do this years ago, as it was the done thing. I remember there being a lot of waste...

Sorry to take the thread off topic, but I would be interested in hearing more about how you outwinter - pros and cons.
I don't have a shed, and couldnt justify building one (nor do I want to) but would like to get some cattle eventually... So just interesting in hearing how it works for you...

Farmer Pudsey

restive wrote: »

What are the costs of putting down a silage base? Are the regulations strict for effluent?

I do not have a slatted house and i outwinter cattle. This year i will have 140 bales of silage at 11 euros a bale and am thinking of cost and convenience.

Regulations are strict enough if you have no tank you have to install an effluent tank to take effluent from slab you then have to get this spread when it fills. This could happen a couple time a year. Along with cost of slab you will need a grab/shear grab to take silage from pit.

At present 140 bales are costing you 1540 euro. If it comes off say 10 acres it will cost you 1K for contractor at least and another 100 for plastic. So you will save 450 euro/year.

Is you tractor strong enought to handle a grab. You outwinter so you go and get a bale land it in feeder and maybe have two feeders so that you only have to feed silage every 2-3 days. For every journey with a bale you will make 2-3 with grabs of silage so it will transfer work from the summer to the winter.

It will cost about 10K for Slab, effluent tank, grab and upgrade tractor if your present will not handle pit silage. The Intrest on the money would be more than the savings that you make.

restive

Username John wrote: »

restive wrote: »

What are the costs of putting down a silage base? Are the regulations strict for effluent?

I do not have a slatted house and i outwinter cattle. This year i will have 140 bales of silage at 11 euros a bale and am thinking of cost and convenience.

I don't know the cost of a slab, but how would you feed the silage? With a grab?
If so - and if you are only using a small amount of silage every day, would the face go bad by the time you go from one side to the other? Maybe someone else can comment on this?

The other alternative is to let the cattle pull it from the pit face, we used to do this years ago, as it was the done thing. I remember there being a lot of waste...

Sorry to take the thread off topic, but I would be interested in hearing more about how you outwinter - pros and cons.
I don't have a shed, and couldnt justify building one (nor do I want to) but would like to get some cattle eventually... So just interesting in hearing how it works for you...

I simply put a bale into a ring feeder at the bottom of a field. Depending on the weather it can b a mucky business. I do b praying for frost to keep the ground hard and dry.

bbam

restive wrote: »

I simply put a bale into a ring feeder at the bottom of a field. Depending on the weather it can b a mucky business. I do b praying for frost to keep the ground hard and dry.

Maybe it would be a good idea to look into building up some sort of feeding platform where you usually feed.. If you could raise/buy cheap rough filling to get you above the natural ground level it would reduce the muck element.. that said there would probably be a need for soiled water collection but I wouldn't know..

Even if you put up a base and tank you're biggest problem at present is no feeding stand and it will remain, unless you intended feeding at the face as stated above... We did that too and the waste can be high.

Username John

restive wrote: »

I simply put a bale into a ring feeder at the bottom of a field. Depending on the weather it can b a mucky business. I do b praying for frost to keep the ground hard and dry.

Do you have a field every year that you sacrifice, and then reseed it the next year? Or is it just one bad field you use the whole time?

Am I right in saying there is a stocking rate restriction of 1LU / Ha for out-wintering?

Do you grow a fodder crop (Rape / Kale / Turnips / Beet) to feed em over the winter?
If not - maybe that would be a better idea than investing in a silage slab. It would reduce the silage required - so reduce cost I'd imagine. Not sure if it would be more convenient tho.

Good loser

A small slatted house would probably be a better investment than a silage base.

You would go a long way in a two bay one for €15,000 - 14 ft 6 in slat.

restive

Username John wrote: »

Do you have a field every year that you sacrifice, and then reseed it the next year? Or is it just one bad field you use the whole time?

Am I right in saying there is a stocking rate restriction of 1LU / Ha for out-wintering?

Do you grow a fodder crop (Rape / Kale / Turnips / Beet) to feed em over the winter?
If not - maybe that would be a better idea than investing in a silage slab. It would reduce the silage required - so reduce cost I'd imagine. Not sure if it would be more convenient tho.

I am not sure of the stocking rate for outwintering. I do not grow any forage.
I have an acre at the bottom of a field that i reseed in May.

I will look at the alternatives to spending 10 - 15 grand on concrete silage slab. Eventually (in years to come) i will probably be looking at a slated house but i will have to wait to get the money together.

Would railway sleepers be any good as a feeding platform?

Good loser

The tank of the slats can be sited to catch any silage effluent.

bob charles

stick to making bales, don't pour concrete until you have to and continue to have a great chance at making a few quid. Alternatively pour concrete and spend loads carting silage/slurry and have a much reduce chance of making money due to concrete repayments

moy83

I think Bob hit the nail on the head there . Concrete and sheds arent cheap and the margin on cattle isnt huge .
Even if I wanted to grow numbers I would sooner spend a few quid on renting dry ground for outwintering rather than putting it in concrete

1chippy

moy83 wrote: »

I think Bob hit the nail on the head there . Concrete and sheds arent cheap and the margin on cattle isnt huge .
Even if I wanted to grow numbers I would sooner spend a few quid on renting dry ground for outwintering rather than putting it in concrete

I can get your point on keeping costs down, but there comes a point when you have to weigh up the benefits of a decent shed and yard. I am also a strong believer in giving ground a break for a while.

just do it

Good loser wrote: »

A small slatted house would probably be a better investment than a silage base.

You would go a long way in a two bay one for €15,000 - 14 ft 6 in slat.

+1.
Makes life a lot easier on man and beast and you can increase the productivity of the land you currently outwinter on.

just do it

How about a change in farming type. Buy young stock in early Spring and sell in the Autumn. Low margin but feck-all cost and work load. In the years when stock is too dear farmers go mad buying stock so demand for silage the following winter is strong. Just singe thoughts off the top of my head

bob charles

just do it wrote: »

+1.
Makes life a lot easier on man and beast and you can increase the productivity of the land you currently outwinter on.

yes, but animals are more susceptible to disease so if one animal dies and you are more productive on grass in real terms you are back to square one. One of the most profitable farmers (thats a loose term for this guy) has no sheds and winters his animals outside. numbers are small, mortality is close on never and he is always in the money and he is at beef. I reckon he is in the top 2% for profitability on a beef farm

ABlur

just do it wrote: »

How about a change in farming type. Buy young stock in early Spring and sell in the Autumn. Low margin but feck-all cost and work load. In the years when stock is too dear farmers go mad buying stock so demand for silage the following winter is strong. Just singe thoughts off the top of my head

Just Do it, what weight animals would you be suggesting buying in the spring? I'm in same boat as OP, small area of land no buildings. Thanks

Good loser

just do it wrote: »

+1.
Makes life a lot easier on man and beast and you can increase the productivity of the land you currently outwinter on.

Yes and in bad weather as this year it is easy to run stock into a slatted house for days - even overnight if bad weather due.