Grain price.

newholland mad wrote: »

Re do the sums for spring barley
1.5 t/ac and 4 bales of straw / ac . There's many acres like that. Or beans 1 t/ ac and no straw plus the aid

We had a large percentage of the farm in grain for a few years not so long ago. As tough as any farm enterprise to make money at. Granted we had no scale and were contracting a lot of the work but still margins are very tight coupled with the fact you'd want balls of steel to cope with the stresses of a lot of the harvests where you're fighting the conditions with crops deteriorating in front of your eyes. If there's a few quid in it this year more power to them. Dairy expansion needs the tillage sector to be in good health. If right was right it would be a very symbiotic relationship with upsides for everyone.

yosemitesam1 wrote: »

Not everyone will, lots of spring down crops will be loss making or barely breaking even

Any serious tillage farmer has little to no spring barley or spring wheat

Hard Knocks wrote: »

They’ve had a tough stint & good to see improvement

A tough stint?? Really???

Tillage lads in our area are paying 250 an acre for rented land on a consistent basis for the last 5 or more years

All the while driving around in the best of tractors and combines

newholland mad wrote: »

Re do the sums for spring barley
1.5 t/ac and 4 bales of straw / ac . There's many acres like that. Or beans 1 t/ ac and no straw plus the aid

Like I said serious tillage farmers have low to none spring barley and wheat

What price is a ton of beans? And minimal input costs. As much margin as anything

freedominacup wrote: »

We had a large percentage of the farm in grain for a few years not so long ago. As tough as any farm enterprise to make money at. Granted we had no scale and were contracting a lot of the work but still margins are very tight coupled with the fact you'd want balls of steel to cope with the stresses of a lot of the harvests where you're fighting the conditions with crops deteriorating in front of your eyes. If there's a few quid in it this year more power to them. Dairy expansion needs the tillage sector to be in good health. If right was right it would be a very symbiotic relationship with upsides for everyone.

As a dairy farmer your concerned by the weather far more days of the year than as a tillage farmer

Also you’re working what 365 days a year compared to a tillage farmer doing what 150 days a year??!!

Conflats

Panch18 wrote:

Winter Wheat freely making 1,000 an acre for wholecrop

Panch18 wrote:

Winter barley in this area from 3.75 - 4.1 ton per acre, straw making 20 minimum per bale collected, realistically it's impossible to get it under 25, if you are lucky enough to get it.

Panch18 wrote:

The tillage boys are making a killing this year.

Panch18 wrote:

Dairying is a mugs game boys

When the price of straw was looking for 12-14 every other year no livestock lad cared. Loyalty to a tillage man is paying off this year with lads paying 15 a 4x4 to regular pay on time customers.

Winter barley did alright this year not anything to get excited over, spring crops will be poor.

Grain price is rising this year, malt barley specs will be hard to meet due to poor weather. Crop yields across northern Europe will be down due to the warmer summer

freedominacup wrote: »

We had a large percentage of the farm in grain for a few years not so long ago. As tough as any farm enterprise to make money at. Granted we had no scale and were contracting a lot of the work but still margins are very tight coupled with the fact you'd want balls of steel to cope with the stresses of a lot of the harvests where you're fighting the conditions with crops deteriorating in front of your eyes. If there's a few quid in it this year more power to them. Dairy expansion needs the tillage sector to be in good health. If right was right it would be a very symbiotic relationship with upsides for everyone.

Listened to this synyergie shyte before. The only crops grown on a tillage farm are human consumption to be put on a boat to somewhere that will pay a return on it. In a year with output reductions of 25+%, you've lame duck iga dairy farmers complaining of gold digging because the pipe in the sky meant the real farmers are running out of feed and so should be subsidised, fook that. How often have folk offered above the going rate for straw or rolled straights in the last few years to show 'solidarity' that is now expected.

Panch18 wrote: »

As a dairy farmer your concerned by the weather far more days of the year than as a tillage farmer

Also you’re working what 365 days a year compared to a tillage farmer doing what 150 days a year??!!

Have you never heard of the Wheat, rape and tenerife rotation?

newholland mad

Panch18 wrote: »

As a dairy farmer your concerned by the weather far more days of the year than as a tillage farmer

Also you’re working what 365 days a year compared to a tillage farmer doing what 150 days a year??!!

This is the year for you to jump so. Sell the cows plough the lot and make your fortune and buy a new fendt like the rest of us wealthy tillage farmers . By the way why has the tillage area dropped by approx 30 in the last few years

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Listened to this synyergie shyte before. The only crops grown on a tillage farm are human consumption to be put on a boat to somewhere that will pay a return on it. In a year with output reductions of 25+%, you've lame duck iga dairy farmers complaining of gold digging because the pipe in the sky meant the real farmers are running out of feed and so should be subsidised, fook that. How often have folk offered above the going rate for straw or rolled straights in the last few years to show 'solidarity' that is now expected.

I've never haggled on price and won't this year. Not looking for any subsidy. Hauling slurry to a neighbouring tillage farmer and glad to get it away. Had no problem sourcing straw either. No idea of price. Just assume supplier will be in the ballpark same as other years. Straw dropped in yard as we want it. Not every field will make food grade especially in this country. I would have no truck with that gold digger comment. Despite what you say there is scope for working relationships between livestock and tillage farmers. From memory the farm you are running has some dealing with livestock farmers where both parties are getting something from the deal?

That said there were some real horror stories around last harvest of tillage farmers being left with forage crops where deals were thrown up on some very spurious grounds when the real truth was that silage pits in this part of the country were full to bursting and lads thought they could get away with it. If it's ever going to work there's a job to be done developing some goodwill.

Say my name

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Have you never heard of the Wheat, rape and tenerife rotation?

You might want to change that second year to something else.

newholland mad wrote: »

This is the year for you to jump so. Sell the cows plough the lot and make your fortune and buy a new fendt like the rest of us wealthy tillage farmers . By the way why has the tillage area dropped by approx 30 in the last few years

And the number of dairy farmers has fallen by a similar factor As well

newholland mad

Panch18 wrote: »

And the number of dairy farmers has fallen by a similar factor As well

Maybe number but not area

newholland mad wrote: »

Maybe number but not area

I'm not sure you're right about that. The number of dairy cows only passed the mid eighties figure last year. I wouldn't be that surprised to find the area devoted to dairy production was lower than 30 yrs ago. Dairy farm numbers at 60% lower than they were in the early nineties.

st1979

Hearing of lots of very soft bales being made this year. How light is acceptable. Most years the bales would be 180kg. Would drier Straw make much difference. Would the Straw actually be much drier this year. As the Straw other years was always bales dry

Buford T. Justice XIX

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Listened to this synyergie shyte before. The only crops grown on a tillage farm are human consumption to be put on a boat to somewhere that will pay a return on it. In a year with output reductions of 25+%, you've lame duck iga dairy farmers complaining of gold digging because the pipe in the sky meant the real farmers are running out of feed and so should be subsidised, fook that. How often have folk offered above the going rate for straw or rolled straights in the last few years to show 'solidarity' that is now expected.

I was at the conference yesterday and that is exactly NOT what was said.

His comment as taken totally out of context as he was having a dig at the farmers, and not just dairy farmers either, who were complaining about tillage farmers increasing the price of straw due to the current shortage. He has an excellent relationship with the tillage farmer in question and both are using the current situation to their mutual advantage.

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Listened to this synyergie shyte before. The only crops grown on a tillage farm are human consumption to be put on a boat to somewhere that will pay a return on it. In a year with output reductions of 25+%, you've lame duck iga dairy farmers complaining of gold digging because the pipe in the sky meant the real farmers are running out of feed and so should be subsidised, fook that. How often have folk offered above the going rate for straw or rolled straights in the last few years to show 'solidarity' that is now expected.

I was at the conference yesterday and that is exactly NOT what was said.

His comment as taken totally out of context as he was having a dig at the farmers, and not just dairy farmers either, who were complaining about tillage farmers increasing the price of straw due to the current shortage. He has an excellent relationship with the tillage farmer in question and both are using the current situation to their mutual advantage.

He was speaking to his audience.

In a year most guys got lumped with a lot of spring crops that are going to be crap with guys out west having their second disaster in a row. Ye should hope feedstock is kept out of the country as it will blow everyone out of the forage game and puts a floor under straw prices as farms in the Sw are finding out here.
Don't worry I'm sure the latest grant aid isn't far off once it starts to bite in dairy country, again.

freedominacup wrote: »

Waffletraktor wrote: »

Listened to this synyergie shyte before. The only crops grown on a tillage farm are human consumption to be put on a boat to somewhere that will pay a return on it. In a year with output reductions of 25+%, you've lame duck iga dairy farmers complaining of gold digging because the pipe in the sky meant the real farmers are running out of feed and so should be subsidised, fook that. How often have folk offered above the going rate for straw or rolled straights in the last few years to show 'solidarity' that is now expected.

I've never haggled on price and won't this year. Not looking for any subsidy. Hauling slurry to a neighbouring tillage farmer and glad to get it away. Had no problem sourcing straw either. No idea of price. Just assume supplier will be in the ballpark same as other years. Straw dropped in yard as we want it. Not every field will make food grade especially in this country. I would have no truck with that gold digger comment. Despite what you say there is scope for working relationships between livestock and tillage farmers. From memory the farm you are running has some dealing with livestock farmers where both parties are getting something from the deal?

That said there were some real horror stories around last harvest of tillage farmers being left with forage crops where deals were thrown up on some very spurious grounds when the real truth was that silage pits in this part of the country were full to bursting and lads thought they could get away with it. If it's ever going to work there's a job to be done developing some goodwill.

The best place for an Irish tillage farmers produce is on a Panamax. Get as much as on a boat for premium grades and put a floor on domestic to match what can be bought in for.Tillage farms are not there to supply dairy farms with cheap forage and straights or by product straw.
You lot seem to think tillage farms are doing well this year, where's the missing 25 or 30% your neighbours are back? If we didn't inherit a 40 year seed bank of Bg wouldn't need to lease to a stock farmer.

MF290

Waffletraktor wrote: »

The best place for an Irish tillage farmers produce is on a Panamax. Get as much as on a boat for premium grades and put a floor on domestic to match what can be bought in for.Tillage farms are not there to supply dairy farms with cheap forage and straights or by product straw.
You lot seem to think tillage farms are doing well this year, where's the missing 25 or 30% your neighbours are back? If we didn't inherit a 40 year seed bank of Bg wouldn't need to lease to a stock farmer.

How is the harvest going? I see some on lighter land are finished up already.

Base price

st1979 wrote: »

Hearing of lots of very soft bales being made this year. How light is acceptable. Most years the bales would be 180kg. Would drier Straw make much difference. Would the Straw actually be much drier this year. As the Straw other years was always bales dry

WBS straw has been baled in the best possible conditions this year. Some of our younger suppliers have never seen such perfect conditions.

In Ireland bales of straw/hay are not usually sold by weight so unless you have a supplier willing to sell by weigh then you just have to judge the density of the bales as best you can. I would assume that the drier the straw the more compact it will bale but it also depends on if it is a belt or roller baler.

Here is a link to bale weights as per Teagasc guidlines - https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/dairy/Bale_size.pdf

wrangler

Base price wrote: »

WBS straw has been baled in the best possible conditions this year. Some of our younger suppliers have never seen such perfect conditions.

In Ireland bales of straw/hay are not usually sold by weight so unless you have a supplier willing to sell by weigh then you just have to judge the density of the bales as best you can. I would assume that the drier the straw the more compact it will bale but it also depends on if it is a belt or roller baler.

Here is a link to bale weights as per Teagasc guidlines - https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/animals/dairy/Bale_size.pdf

Local contractor bales a great bale but I cant seem to get bales that have even 75% of the straw from dealers.....don't know how they even keep them on the lorries

wrangler wrote: »

Local contractor bales a great bale but I cant seem to get bales that have even 75% of the straw from dealers.....don't know how they even keep them on the lorries

When we were selling straw a few years ago we had a local lad who used to do the straw baling. He usually wanted payment in straw which was handy. He ran a three quarters fcuked Krone. Great sellers bale from it though.
Another neighbour who ran his own baler bought straw on the flat by the bale iykwim. Should have seen it coming. He was getting 7 bales where anyone else would get 10. All you could do was laugh at it. Got completely turned over on that one.

wrangler

freedominacup wrote: »

When we were selling straw a few years ago we had a local lad who used to do the straw baking. He usually wanted payment in straw which was handy. He ran a three quarters fcuked Krone. Great sellers bale from it though.
Another neighbour who ran his own valet bought straw on the flat by the bale iykwim. Should have seen it coming. He was getting 7 bales where anyone else would get 10. All you could do was laugh at it. Got completely turned over on that one.

even for storage in sheds these fluffy bale are non runners, sometimes my contractor couldn't give me enough and it used to break my heart to deal with these guys so I just give the local guy what he asks....loyalty might pay off this year