Round bale cost

happylad

Hi all

Just wanted to ask what are people paying this year for making round bales.

Does the contractor charge separately for raking the grass prior to baling. If so what cost is it per acrea or per bale.

Do you supply the plastic or is it included in cost.

Thanks in advance

emaherx

Here is a list published in Agriland.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/fci-contractor-charge-guide-increases-by-modest-4/

lmk123

€9 to rake, bale & wrap, I supply the plastic

Silverdream

Cut bale and wrap, contractor supplying the plastic 16.50

weatherbyfoxer

Mowing €20+vat

Raking/tedding €15+vat

Baling €5.50+vat

Wrapping 2.50+vat

That's what I'm charging the past few years per acre

Grueller

€10 a bale for raking up, baling and wrapping, plastic supplied.

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122200515#Comment_122200515

you’d want to be getting that to make money but i would say you’re far more expensive than any around us

10€ plus vat / ac for tedding and raking

5.50€ plus vat / bale for baling and wrapping with a fusion

morphy87

last year it was 25 inc vat to mow, €13.5 to rake in front of the baler and bale including plastic

How does that sound

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122200888#Comment_122200888

Hard see much of a margin at those prices now but areas differ…contractors around here were charging €75+vat per hour for spreading slurry with a dribble bar on a 2500 gallon tanker and are near impossible to get where as my mate in donegal can get any amount of lads to spread his at any time for €50+vat

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122200515#Comment_122200515

I’d say you’re doing well out of the raking/tedding but maybe undercutting yourself a bit on the mowing.

When you think of the diesel you burn and the acres per hour you cover mowing relative to tedding/raking the cost difference would be a lot more than €5 per acre.

Baling and wrapping would be about the same around here.

Silverdream

Why would anyone pay for raking when the mower puts it into a row?

weatherbyfoxer

Maybe so but I'm not too pushed about mowing for hire as it the most likely machine to get damaged from picking up something in the grass..tractor is burning 7-8 liters per hour tedding/raking and 12-15 liters mowing..my machinery here isn't massive grassmen stuff,10ft non conditioner mower,20ft tedder,20ft claas rake and a tanco hi speed wrapper.I work it all myself too so I'm not worried about paying another driver

grass10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122201698#Comment_122201698

I agree from wha i see all contractors seem to rake automatically whether they are asked or not it tidies up their strokes and they seem to bale faster but I don't see why they should charge extra for this if the contractor wants to bring an extra drive and machine to the field to speed up his operation I don't really see why the farmer should pay extra for this

I just pay a rate per bale Inc plastic and all contractors seem to rake included in the charge usually around 8/ 9 per bale raked baled wrapped chopped incl plastic

happylad

Thanks for all the comments. A mate of mine is charged 15/acrea for raking and 10 per bale with him supplying the wrap. He was asking me what I thought. Prob not too bad. All plus vat

Sugarbowl

11 euro a bale here to bale and wrap, and I supply the wrap. Mowing is around 32/acre. Not including vat.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122202064#Comment_122202064

That's daylight robbery. Big risk for contractors carrying the cost of wrap

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122201698#Comment_122201698

Better bales. Cleaner field. And you might want to kick it out to let it wilt better too.

happylad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122202320#Comment_122202320

Is it the cost of the raking is expensive

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122202354#Comment_122202354

How is it cleaner. Mower cleans the grass into a clean row, rake can still flicks bits and miss corners and pull up clay and pull up stones, not all the time but a lot of the time.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122203435#Comment_122203435

15 acre is cheap to rake. Overall cost is very cheap 10 including wrap. Last year it was €11.50 a bale including raking and film instead of net. Farmer supplies wrap around here

happylad

Thanks Mr Stonewall for the reply. This farming lark is like throwing a ball up in the air and see what happens with costs, especially on the suckler side of things. Cattle prices are good but to be fair it can swing either way. You can't blame contractors for there charges with the way machineery and diesel prices are.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122203490#Comment_122203490

Baler pickup will leave a bit behind on the ground. Particularly for light swarths. Instead of having 40 light ones in a field you now have 10 heavy ones. Big rake, set correctly and not traveling too fast, will leave the field clean (and not pick up clay or stones)

mr.stonewall

Contractor here has an old lad doing all his raking. Nice even clean swarths set to match a touch wider than the chamber. He says he just saves him so much time over other lads as no blockages, clean fields and square bales that have farmers happy

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122203854#Comment_122203854

ah come on, without rake 40 bales, with rake 10 bales.

ffs

mr.stonewall

It like another form of gambling. It's a tough gig for contractors when you factor in labour, diesel, insurance, repairs and machinery costs and waiting til October November to get paid. I always wire some to them over the summer as cattle are sold, leaving a small balance to clear at the back end. These small things are appreciated and remembered in tricky times with weather

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122203901#Comment_122203901

swarths, not bales!

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122203901#Comment_122203901

Swarths.

Actually DBK1 beat me to it!

Seadin

The rake puts it into a good big swarth. The mower has a very flat swarth and I think the baler wouldn't work or form a bale evenly especially the newer machines and as mentioned here would leave stuff on the field too. It really has to be done imo.

RockOrBog

Some of my silage fields would be uneven, I see less bits left behind when the big rake is used instead of baling it out of the swart

Bangoverthebar

My contractor billed me for 1st cut. 20e a bale for complete job incl drawing and stacking. I make 800-1000 bales a year. Pay monthly by direct debit.

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212105#Comment_122212105

That’s some bill when plastic is included. Would you consider a pit?

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212105#Comment_122212105

At that number of bales would you not be better off with a put or doing your own bales?

Silverdream

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212105#Comment_122212105

Surly that includes the plastic?

Bazzer007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213051#Comment_122213051

It must I hope. Paying €13 here. Plastic is extra.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122200888#Comment_122200888

5.50 for baling /wrapping with fusion 🤔🤔🤔10 euro here for same with film …9 euro with net …10 euro /acre to rake …70 euro an hour for bale chaser ……I cut …Ted and stack bales

GrasstoMilk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214219#Comment_122214219

that’s what my bil is charging and anyone around him is the same.

Donald Trump

What about the lads in the headlines paying 500+ per acre and fertiliser on top of that before the mower enters the field.

mahoney_j

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214238#Comment_122214238

your doing well at that 👍👍

mahoney_j

a form of madness

Bangoverthebar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212275#Comment_122212275

Im doing the ground works at the minute. Was hoping to do it from cash flow but that may not be a runner this year

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214635#Comment_122214635

Even though I hate bales it's becoming harder and harder to justify spending money on concrete for silage.the way pit silage has gone with precision chop outfits and the speed and size of them they are nearly gone beyond what alot of yards and public roads can deal with.theres a big move to bales in West cork with pit silage crews numbers reducing.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214815#Comment_122214815

is it pit or bales you do? That’s one problem I have with the pit, the silage is chopped very fine

K.G.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214866#Comment_122214866

95 % wagon.i see it going 2 ways.either nitrogen use restrictions pushing towards bales or single use plastic considerations forcing people away from bales.

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214635#Comment_122214635

yeah concrete is a problem now alright, though tams would help a little if going down that route. It’ll be there for the next 60 years if that’s any consolation.

alps

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215404#Comment_122215404

Put down a floor 22 years ago...needs to be done again now. Quiet pitted and rough..no cracks yet. Can go on top of the old floor so not a big job.

Bangoverthebar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212610#Comment_122212610

I would consider doing my own. But the spend needed to tool up and time it would take. Id rather put in a pit.

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215404#Comment_122215404

Settling thankfully, Was quoted 98+vat on Thursday

farmertipp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235738#Comment_122235738

what part of the country are you in?

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235738#Comment_122235738

not before time. Cheapest I’ve heard locally over the last few months was 115 +vat

JustJoe7240

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122235751#Comment_122235751

That was in the midlands.

Price was probably discounted for volume, 100m^3

Silverdream

Concrete prices have gone up all over. Cheapest quote I got was 118 + VAT and that wasn't grant spec. Grant spec concrete (35N) was 125+vat

I rang about several places, all much the same, it can be got slightly cheaper in limerick from roadstone but they would only quote for grant spec at 122 + vat