Price of Round Bales

farmernewbie

Hi lads,

I am selling some silage from the field. The fella I am selling too will be paying contractor for mowing, baling etc.

It got roughly 2 bags 18.6.12 per acre. Some good stuff some not so great, lot of buttercups etc.

Any ideas what I should be charging per bale? I presume somewhere between 10 -14 euro?

Username John

I got 10euro/bale last year, for good enough stuff (was reseeded recently) but it hadn't gotten any fertilser... so was lightish stuff

Pharaoh1

I have a few to sell also to a regular neighbour customer. Knocked about 5 acres today, it did get a couple of bags pasture sward18/6/12 since Feb but was grazed a couple of times so light enough. Re seeded maybe 5 years ago so good quality.

I'm going to pay the contractor 10.50 per bale and another neighbour 2.50 per bale to deliver add 12 for myself makes 25
Probably not enough really but he pays me fairly quickly and we have a long standing arrangement.

farmernewbie

Thanks John,

Do you think 11euro is reasonable then since it got fertilizer? I presume it will cost him an extra 10 euro per bale to pay contractor and wrap.

Username John

farmernewbie wrote: »

Thanks John,

Do you think 11euro is reasonable then since it got fertilizer? I presume it will cost him an extra 10 euro per bale to pay contractor and wrap.

I am in two minds about selling silage...

11euro/bale is prob ok in terms of the grass you are selling.
But to replace the P&K of what is gone in the bale, is a good bit of that 11euro if you had to buy it...
I was trying to find the levels of P&K removed there in silage, I know someone commented on it before, but I cant find it now...

In the same way - 11euro/bale to get good enough quality bales, is prob cheap enough as well...

Anyways,2 bags 18-6-12 / acre is what, about 45-50euro/acre?
How many bales/acre will you get? Maybe 8 bales?
@11/bale thats 88euro - so you have around 40euro from your field for the few months it was stopped... and maybe still have a P&K deficient to correct?

If I was you, I'd be pushing that 11euro up...

But it all depends on the relationship with yer man buying too. If he was a good neighbour, and wasn't out to do you, then maybe the 11 is fair enough...

1chippy

Theres a lad up north selling silage out of the field with no wrap for 35 a bale and having no bother selling it.

farmernewbie

Ya I have a good relationship with the lads I am selling too. I reckon 8 - 10 bales an acre.....maybe the 11 euro is abit cheap. He would have to collect but he has less than 3 miles to take them from field to his place.

Presume 14 euro a bale is too high?

farmernewbie

Got offered 12 euro a bale....what do ye lads think?

epfff

farmernewbie wrote: »

Got offered 12 euro a bale....what do ye lads think?

From a buyers perspective your getting near the price might be another 1/2Euro depending on the area your in

farmernewbie

I think 12 is ok....will cost him prob 9euro per bale to pay contractor and he has to pay for wrap so don't want to rip him off. Do you think I should be getting €14 per bale?

20silkcut

Jaysus they are shocking low prices to me. I have spent 5 grand reseeding and fertilising and spraying 20 acres of Italian ryegrass so far and by those prices I stand to get back 2400!!!!!!! Phuck this may call the auctioneer put a for sale sign up and get the phuck out of this game.

Dampintheattic

farmernewbie wrote: »

I think 12 is ok....will cost him prob 9euro per bale to pay contractor and he has to pay for wrap so don't want to rip him off. Do you think I should be getting €14 per bale?

If you were rearing cattle on it, and incurring all the other associated costs of rearing cattle, you would know the day you leave the same cattle behind you at a mart or abattoir, that you hadn't been paid the ideal price.

I guess the guy buying the bales from you faces the same dilemma. Especially since he has to buy fodder.

So I'd say, figure your own cost. Ask for a price that gives you an ok margin, and maybe both you and the buyer can feel the deal was as good as could be expected.

Next year is another year. A customer in the hand us worth two in the bush. And can hardly ever be as mean or ruthless, or as barefaced as Larry G, and his kind.

bbam

farmernewbie wrote: »

I think 12 is ok....will cost him prob 9euro per bale to pay contractor and he has to pay for wrap so don't want to rip him off. Do you think I should be getting €14 per bale?

I'd say €12 is about right.
Given an average crop you'll have spent €6 a bale. That leaves €6 a bale profit. Say 18 bales per Ha so that's €108 per Ha profit. For 8-9 weeks use of the ground. Considering the overall return in farming it's fair, and your not gouging out his eye either.

Pacoa

I think you should ask 15. He'll pay the contractor 10 euro a bale and have bales for 25 euro each which is cheaper than some of the prices i've been quoted. Look at it this way, if you sold them to some guy for a tenner each what would stop him from selling them on for 30 and making a 10 euro profit just for moving bales.

20silkcut

Could somebody point out the holes in my plan.

I reckon on 20 acres might get 200 bales.

Let's say it costs two grand to contractor.

Will be turning the crop myself with haybob.

Contractor will mow, bale, wrap and pay for wrap.

Bales will be top quality (fingers crossed) weed free. I am thinking at least worth 30 quid a bale.

Rather than giving contractor 2 grand I let him take away 60 bales as payment for work. Am I way off here??!

Judging by some of the posts above I would only be allowed a value of 14 quid
a bale.
So would have to give contractor 142 bales and be left with 60 odd myself.


If I paid contractor cash I would have 200 bales at hand that should be worth 30 euro a bale.

20silkcut

My head is really wrecked on this one I used to think I was smart one time but really I have quiet a small brain that gets quiet easily overloaded and blows smoke.

If my bales are valued at 30 quid a bale.

Contractor/buyer gives me 20 quid????

If I have 200 bales is my debt to
contractor/buyer cleared if I give him 100 bales.

Then I get to keep 100 myself.

But then another side of my brain says I should only give him 60 odd cause if we value bales at 30 a bale then 66 bales = 2000 quid. Wtf????? This is mind bending to me.
What is the right way of valuing????

Is

epfff

20silkcut wrote: »

Could somebody point out the holes in my plan.

I reckon on 20 acres might get 200 bales.

Let's say it costs two grand to contractor.

Will be turning the crop myself with haybob.

Contractor will mow, bale, wrap and pay for wrap.

Bales will be top quality (fingers crossed) weed free. I am thinking at least worth 30 quid a bale.

Rather than giving contractor 2 grand I let him take away 60 bales as payment for work. Am I way off here??!

Judging by some of the posts above I would only be allowed a value of 14 quid
a bale.
So would have to give contractor 142 bales and be left with 60 odd myself.


If I paid contractor cash I would have 200 bales at hand that should be worth 30 euro a bale.

U left out 3 Euro for plastic and a bit for drawing
10bales to the acre is big crop
it. Is not high quality at that
if u get victim for it at 30 a bale one of ye will lose money either he won't pay you or he will not be long in business

20silkcut

Who is the victim????

3 bags of 13-6-20 to the acre = 1650 euro

2 bags of CAN to acre =660 euro

2 bottles of dox star = 200 euro

Ploughing = 800 euro

Levelling = 350 quid burning diesel.

Seed= 1300 euro

2 hours every evening for two weeks solid picking stones.

To me the best way is to pay contractor 2 grand to cut and bale and hold on to the bales.
Allowing the contractor/buyer the cost of production is a lose lose for the seller.

bbam

20silkcut wrote: »

Who is the victim????

3 bags of 13-6-20 to the acre = 1650 euro

2 bags of CAN to acre =660 euro

2 bottles of dox star = 200 euro

Ploughing = 800 euro

Levelling = 350 quid burning diesel.

Seed= 1300 euro

2 hours every evening for two weeks solid picking stones.

To me the best way is to pay contractor 2 grand to cut and bale and hold on to the bales.
Allowing the contractor/buyer the cost of production is a lose lose for the seller.

Your not going to get the payback of reseeding on one cut.. Surely reseeding is a 5 year investment so the costs associated with that would be divided over the bales over the five years...

moy83

20silkcut wrote: »

Who is the victim????

3 bags of 13-6-20 to the acre = 1650 euro

2 bags of CAN to acre =660 euro

2 bottles of dox star = 200 euro

Ploughing = 800 euro

Levelling = 350 quid burning diesel.

Seed= 1300 euro

2 hours every evening for two weeks solid picking stones.

To me the best way is to pay contractor 2 grand to cut and bale and hold on to the bales.
Allowing the contractor/buyer the cost of production is a lose lose for the seller.

There is no big profit in selling bales Id say (unless it was this year ), but ploughing , leveling and seeding wouldnt be a cost for every acre every year either .
I dont think it would pay to be reseeding ground only to sell top quality silage off it . Would small square bale on some it pay a bit better if you could get some ?

iverjohnston

. I have spent 5 grand reseeding and fertilising and spraying 20 acres of Italian ryegrass so far and by those prices I stand to get back 2400!!!!!!! Phuck this may call the auctioneer put a for sale sign up and get the phuck out of this game


feel your pain, 20silkcut, but do remember that the money spent reseeding is not a "one shot" affair. After the first cut, you still have 20 acres of reseeded, sprayed grass, just need to get the fertilizer out on it. The cost of reseeding should be of benefit for 5 years, hopefully.

1chippy

Have you checked with the contractor to see if he is interested in the bales first. You are better off just paying the contractor and selling the bales yourself. 30 per bale during the winter is plausable but there wouldnt be that many lads out there who pay thirty during the supposed best growing months of the year. although nothing surprises me with the prices im hearing with some lads.

mf240

If making bales to sell leave the haybob in the shed.

Tipp Man

20silkcut wrote: »

Jaysus they are shocking low prices to me. I have spent 5 grand reseeding and fertilising and spraying 20 acres of Italian ryegrass so far and by those prices I stand to get back 2400!!!!!!! Phuck this may call the auctioneer put a for sale sign up and get the phuck out of this game.

How much money did you think you'd make from that game in a typical year?

Tipp Man

20Silkcut - are you getting confused between guys talking about the standing price of grass per bale and the actual selling price of bales??

mf240

Lads round here hoping to get 30 a bale wrapped and delivered into yard in summer.

Say bales are worth 20 for the grass and 10 for the machinery work.

You make 200, you owe the contractor 2000. you need to give him 67 bales to pay him. as he had to bale and wrap these 67 aswell.

20silkcut

moy83 wrote: »

There is no big profit in selling bales Id say (unless it was this year ), but ploughing , leveling and seeding wouldnt be a cost for every acre every year either .
I dont think it would pay to be reseeding ground only to sell top quality silage off it . Would small square bale on some it pay a bit better if you could get some ?

I understand that I have to look at it long term but if only my bank manager would do the same.

1chippy wrote: »

Have you checked with the contractor to see if he is interested in the bales first. You are better off just paying the contractor and selling the bales yourself. 30 per bale during the winter is plausable but there wouldnt be that many lads out there who pay thirty during the supposed best growing months of the year. although nothing surprises me with the prices im hearing with some lads.

I have plenty of interest but no deal struck yet.

mf240 wrote: »

If making bales to sell leave the haybob in the shed.

Why???? I hired a contractor one time who didn't have time to shake out the crop I ended up with a savage amount of bags of water. Surely a shaken out crop will sell better????

Tipp Man wrote: »

How much money did you think you'd make from that game in a typical year?

I do reckon a good quality crop of high dry matter content silage is a valuable commodity no matter what year.

restive

What are bales of silage making now?

Marooned75

restive wrote: »

What are bales of silage making now?

See on dd in and around 30 to 35 a bale

99nsr125

Marooned75 wrote: »

See on dd in and around 30 to 35 a bale

Roughly a bale of silage is worth a 100kgs barley.

Without slurry the advice for first cut silage is two bags of urea and three bags of 0-7-30 per acre, based on 10 maybe 12 bales per acre that's 10 euro of fertiliser per bale.

That doesn't include sulphur, copper, zinc, boron, selenium, cobalt, manganese, molybeum, magnesium or calcium.

It'll cost to 10-12 make, wrap and move the bale.

You also have to take account of herbicide and soil structure damage.

I calculated the cost to us before if we were to "export" bales completly instead of using it as feed and recycling the dung and the price of a bale was close to 40 euro.

lakill Farm

buying silage at €12 a bale right next door to me

farmernewbie

lakill Farm wrote: »

buying silage at €12 a bale right next door to me

Hi Lakill_Farm,

Presume you had to pay the contractor 9/10 euro per bale and wrap it yourself?

lakill Farm

farmernewbie wrote: »

Hi Lakill_Farm,

Presume you had to pay the contractor 9/10 euro per bale and wrap it yourself?

Ye. will be €12 for grass. €9 to mow bale and wrap and plastic is €88.50/32 =€2.76 so is €23.76 a bale. cheapest on DD is €25 collected from yard in meath. This is 100 yards away.

bob charles

lakill Farm wrote: »

Ye. will be €12 for grass. €9 to mow bale and wrap and plastic is €88.50/32 =€2.76 so is €23.76 a bale. cheapest on DD is €25 collected from yard in meath. This is 100 yards away.

crystal ball time - good silage will be bought for €18 next spring:rolleyes:

lakill Farm

bob charles wrote: »

crystal ball time - good silage will be bought for €18 next spring:rolleyes:

I should be able to store this for 2 winters?

kowtow

bob charles wrote: »

crystal ball time - good silage will be bought for €18 next spring:rolleyes:

Hmm..

that much?

bob charles

kowtow wrote: »

Hmm..

that much?

you could start up a hay and silage futures:D im in

kowtow

bob charles wrote: »

you could start up a hay and silage futures:D im in

Mine are usually more fungus than fungible.

On a serious note, growing silage of a known quantity really ought to become a specialisation in Ireland. Flatter land to forage and balance to grazing.

I'm considering stocking the grazing platform at just under peak summer SR, and buying in silage meadows. It's not strictly the most economically efficient approach but it might get me near the minimum scale I need, and our land is too bloody uneven to cut comfortably.

I know someone asked this above but how long does a round bale last well made & stored? Presumably 6 wraps would be better..

The big risk of course is a year where silage can't be had for love nor money... in which case I suppose we just go further away for it.

Muckit

bob charles wrote: »

crystal ball time - good silage will be bought for €18 next spring:rolleyes:

Throw that f**kin thing away, it's only foolin' ya. F all silage done yet in the country

Muckit

kowtow wrote: »

I know someone asked this above but how long does a round bale last well made & stored? Presumably 6 wraps would be better..

The big risk of course is a year where silage can't be had for love nor money... in which case I suppose we just go further away for it.

You need to build a silage base

kowtow

Muckit wrote: »

You need to build a silage base

(go on... ) ah ok, build a base for clamp silage? or to store bales?

I have a concrete clamp in reasonable condition, with one of those army bunker silage walls making up one side of the existing cubicle shed - although it could do with a bit of tidying, it could be used.

But will it preserve bales longer?

Muckit

kowtow wrote: »

(go on... ) ah ok, build a base for clamp silage? or to store bales?

I have a concrete clamp in reasonable condition, with one of those army bunker silage walls making up one side of the existing cubicle shed - although it could do with a bit of tidying, it could be used.

But will it preserve bales longer?

No, but make some clamp silage. I think you said before your land is hilly, but what if you make a clamp off the meadow that you are thinking of buying in? No messing with drawing bales. Let your contractor do that, just throw on a few covers and you are laughing

kowtow

Muckit wrote: »

No, but make some clamp silage. I think you said before your land is hilly, but what if you make a clamp off the meadow that you are thinking of buying in? No messing with drawing bales. Let your contractor do that, just throw on a few covers and you are laughing

It's a possibility, my feeling was that bales give me the option of drawing further if need be. If we're buying in, it's all about risk. Potentially also less wastage than clamp when we're talking about 2-3 dozen milkers.

mf240

for that number bales all the way.

beet would also be something to consider.

jomoloney

20silkcut wrote: »

Could somebody point out the holes in my plan.

I reckon on 20 acres might get 200 bales.

Let's say it costs two grand to contractor.

Will be turning the crop myself with haybob.

Contractor will mow, bale, wrap and pay for wrap.

Bales will be top quality (fingers crossed) weed free. I am thinking at least worth 30 quid a bale.

Rather than giving contractor 2 grand I let him take away 60 bales as payment for work. Am I way off here??!

Judging by some of the posts above I would only be allowed a value of 14 quid
a bale.
So would have to give contractor 142 bales and be left with 60 odd myself.


If I paid contractor cash I would have 200 bales at hand that should be worth 30 euro a bale.

have you customers willing to give 30€ a bale,

I have a shortfall to make up and buying bales would be well down my list of priorities

audam

I have seen bales on done deal and the asking price is 40 euro per bale, now here is the thing brought cattle to mart today was bid 50 euro lower than when i had them out 6 weeks ago and this after meal and good grazing. **** this game.

moy83

bob charles wrote: »

crystal ball time - good silage will be bought for €18 next spring:rolleyes:

I dont think it will go much less than €23/€24 next spring , there probably wont be a shortage but there will hardly be much of a surplus either and lads wont be too quick to sell for the sake of getting it out of the yard next year

Pacoa

asking price is 40 euro per bale

Asking and getting are two different things. I've seen an ad every week in the paper for the last month looking for 35 a bale so he's not getting much takers at that price if he has to keep running the ad.

Sam Kade

Anyone know how much a growing crop of silage is worth? Never grazed and well fertilised, ready for cutting.

freedominacup

Sam Kade wrote: »

Anyone know how much a growing crop of silage is worth? Never grazed and well fertilised, ready for cutting.

If it was never grazed and well fertilised it was ready for cutting a month to five weeks ago it's now not worth anything much at all other than as dry cow feed. So value it on that basis.

Sam Kade

freedominacup wrote: »

If it was never grazed and well fertilised it was ready for cutting a month to five weeks ago it's now not worth anything much at all other than as dry cow feed. So value it on that basis.

It was grazed bare the end of last year and with the cold hard weather it didn't start growing until may.