How MUCH does it COST to make 1 TON of SILAGE??

UPDATE: Since recording I have concluded it is likely 230kg/m3 is to high. The difference is likely to be ~10%. So 10% less yield, 10% more expensive. I plan to weigh a volume of silage in the new year and get a definitive answer!
What was meant to be a very simple question turned out to be much more complicated than I expected!!
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[@Andy-ix2ox]

Strangely enough I did this sum about six weeks ago and came up with a cost of €29.43 a ton or € 110.32 a ton dry matter with an average dmd of 79 ( some produced over 3 cuts some over 4 ) so I came up with a value of.1396 per kilogram of dry matter so if I was buying silage at 70 dmd it was worth about €97.75 a tonne dry matter or allowing that as it is a bit stronger than we would normally make the dry matter percentage would be a bit higher so say 30 percent a tonne of silage is not worth much more than 29.32 . If I have to pay for it to be delivered or go and get it realistically I would have to pay less than that so I offered €27.50 a tonne for the silage which would be good enough for the dry cows and wasn’t too far away which I thought was fair enough especially since I was asked to buy it and didn’t really need it but I was told that I would have to pay €45 a tonne for it so needless to say it was not feed to my cattle and up until last week it was still in the same place. I have a problem with maize and beet etc as well because if you make good enough grass silage why would you go to the expense of growing or buying expensive alternatives? And don’t get me started about lucky bags if I got them for nothing I would have to think about it when you consider the hardship involved with handling them especially as we are not set up for them.

[@adriant900]

Please do a video on anaerobic digestion. Both on the impact on farming in the area ie price of land, and the environmental impact, I have my doubts that whether it should be subsidised and labeled as renewable, green energy when crops are grown especially for it and include the environmental impact of manufacturing, transport and spreading of fertiliser, the crop harvest and transport and spreading of digestate etc. Also the impact of biodiversity impact of intensifying farm land that might otherwise be extensive and the removal of food production that market forces will ensure will be produced some where else in the world, likely in parts of the world where regulation will allow expansion such as South America with much higher environmental damage than we have. Please do a video with your views.

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I would love to. 😅 I'm waiting for context so I have an excuse to do it. I will have the context when DAERA release their new climate policies in 2024

[@simondennis262]

Great video. Thanks for going to the effort to make it 👍

[@FarmTheoryNI]

No problem 👍

[@michealprendergast9121]

Hi great video as usual. I usually use a figure of 1.46 cubic m for settled silage. This would alter your calculations a lot. Keep up the good work.

[@danmurphy6541]

Always enjoy and learn, thanks

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Glad to hear it!

[@eoghanhayes7699]

I think it’s the yield helping, your reseeding and rent etc are fixed costs no matter how many loads come off, 18t a hectare is serious going the multi cut, reseeding and Italian help of course, thank that dilutes the figures in turn

[@finbarreburn5112]

Allowances for capital depreciation of silage storage facilities & feeding equipment, Also Silage covers & additives together with grubbing your workmen 😋 Nolaig Shona Dhuit 🙏

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Excellent point! I forgot all of that! Covers are £1500/yr, Depreciation of silos is £563/yr for 2023

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Ecosyl was £3500

[@annielane6018]

Merry Christmas to you and your family. Try to get a little R & R and family time. Much love from Launceston, Cornwall . 🎄🎅🚜🐄🐄🐄🐄😍🤩

[@FarmTheoryNI]

A late Merry Christmas to you also! 🌲🎉

[@pak6103]

Just a question regarding the data you were collecting for each field, was it noticeable when you reseeded a field that the yield increased?Do you know roughly how long it took for the reseeding to pay for itself with the increased yield? Happy christmas.

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Yes! I was noticeable. I will have to look back and work out the repayment on reseeds, that's a great video idea.

[@Alejandrogarcia-fp1fr]

nice and interesting video

[@seamusobrien3728]

What density, (ie kg/m3), are you assuming for the silage. I think the density should be factored into the calculation first before applying the dry matter %age.

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I used a density of 230kg/M3. I'm going to weigh it and find out for sure.

[@ciaranconeely8579]

👍👍👍.

[@michealprendergast9121]

Of course I meant 1.46 per tonne, if silage. I guess your compacter would change that a bit.

[@FarmTheoryNI]

At least 10%, maybe a little more.

[@TheFarmerTheCheesemaker]

Could it be that your costs are different because your acreage harvested costs are fixed more or less year to year…BUT…the yield changes year on year. A record harvest costs less to bring in, than a mediocre one….

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Yes, I think that's exactly it, this was an ideal year for us.

[@davidgilmore3018]

Do you still use the moschia swivel plate for spreading slurry?

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Unfortunately it's a legal requirement to use a dribble bar now.

[@davidgilmore3018]

@@FarmTheoryNI would you recommend it over the dribble bar if it wasn't a legal requirement?

[@FarmTheoryNI]

@@davidgilmore3018 I have been very happy with mine. It is a big of work to maintain but it gives you a 16m working width.

[@charlesyeo8252]

Did you buy Urea pre the Ukraine war because post war urea has been more like £800/tonne ? Red tractor are trying to allow urea to only be used between the 15 January to 31 March.

[@patrickbuckley7832]

I think he'll have to change to a blue tractor 🙂

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I paid £630 for some in Aug 22 and I got some more in June 23 at £380/t

[@FarmTheoryNI]

No way Red Tractor are going to start trying to restrict urea? Do you have a source?!

[@charlesyeo8252]

@@FarmTheoryNI It is only for England at the moment but it usually moves out to all of the U.K.

[@v8interceptor134]

How many head of cattle do you have ? Does your Jcb not have a weigher on the boom ? Ollyblogs Merlos have them , how much would are they eating every day to munch through that lot ? A silage additive company were not so long ago claiming a nearby farmer to us was getting something like 6000litres from his grass silage which we worked out from the analysis they gave to around 65 kg fresh weight of silage every day before concentrate , in theory that would be possible but to achieve it 365 days a year ? We don’t think so as he gets the exact same weather as us , anyhow I think you should be able to see what I’m getting at , if your figures are indeed correct they will work on your total farm output , that’s your next video , how much milk do you get from a acre of silage ? My 84 yo father told me decades ago they found out that direct cutting produced the most milk per acre but I bet nobody has done any studies since then

[@FarmTheoryNI]

We have 460 head, 190 dairy cows. We dont have any way to weight a block, but I plan to chnage that next week and weigh a volume of silage. 6000 litres from grass is basically impossible. 3000 is very good and 4000 is achievable for the very best.

[@v8interceptor134]

@@FarmTheoryNI thanks for answering, your cows could easily be munching 40-50kg/ head/day which means they could be eating up to 10 tons a day in which case you would definitely need what you calculated you have , if you can feed 190 cows from 4 cuts totalling 650ac that’s pretty impressive

[@jamesmcmillan8032]

Lime costing has nothing to do with reseeding costs , surely ? Correct ph should reduce fertiliser costs “

[@finbarreburn5112]

Lime costing appear slightly on the Conservative side, 01/08/'23 €32 / ton Down South 🤔

[@barrymontgomery4019]

Do you use additive ??

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Absolutely, Ecosyl 100 is the only one I have found with production related research so i use it.

[@downtown123]

You can safely say you made the equivalent of 6000 bales 😂

[@johnculbert1545]

You don’t include a cost for phosphate and potassium. Based on your slurry application you are spreading 5000 gallons per acre which is less than maintenance?

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I usually apply a lot of MOP and some DAP but in 2023 i didn't with the price of fert. My soil indexes are high enough i could miss a year. Have to buy ~10t of MOP in 2024 to maintain the K indexes

[@TheFarmerTheCheesemaker]

Do you test your slurry/muck for N,P & K amounts? Surely its application gives you much of the necessary P & K…

[@kevinhayes1975]

I think you are missing Plant, Equipment, Fuel, Labour for Lime & Fertiliser. All your silage storage, pit, handling and feeding costs. Feed testing. Effluent management etc

[@FarmTheoryNI]

All excellent points. All of the things you mentioned add a few % at most. So let's add £1/t

[@kevinhayes1975]

@@FarmTheoryNI how many m3 of silage did you make this year?

[@Aidanby2009]

is this definitely ure farm and how u make money ????

[@FarmTheoryNI]

This is my farm and how I make money! I'm certain!

[@matthewshaw3718]

157ac x 4 = 628ac Will avg around 5 ton per acre per cut at 30%dm = 3140 tons £115700 total cost = £37 ton 👍🏻

[@olivermunday3122]

I'd have thought 700kg FW per cube rather than 1000kg would be closer to the mark.

[@matthewshaw3718]

@@olivermunday3122 yeah will be, 1 cube of water is 1 ton so if the silage is 30% dm then there is 700kg of water plus the dry grass

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I am going to weigh some silage and find out. I am 95% certain i am within 10% of my estimate.

[@davidporter9556]

Your making numbers up here. Did you not watch the video

[@matthewshaw3718]

@@davidporter9556 yeah but I just think he miscalculated his tonnage by trying to work it out in DM then converting it back to fresh weight. It is possible he’s right but I’d be very surprised if he hasn’t miscalculated

[@stephenkelly2067]

How is 8s depreciation £100/ hr? If so better paying a contractor surely any man work for less than half that

[@FarmTheoryNI]

In financial depreciation its 1/4 of the value per year. Its a "fictional" cost but still the best way to account for the capital value. So year 1 is always going to be awful for depreciation.

[@stephenkelly2067]

@FarmTheoryNI but that isn't a true value nor accurate maybe official but nowhere near an accurate picture

[@thepeoplespal5]

@@stephenkelly2067 it is all pie in the sky, if I remember correctly we have 100% capital allowances at the moment and I've heard of 130% super deduction capital allowances for some business investing pre april 2023, but I'm not involved enough to know when and where these can apply.

[@matthewshaw3718]

You’re way off with £100 hr depreciation on the 8s. If it cost say £150k £100 hr would mean it’s worth zero pounds after 1500 hours. If it’s doing 500 hours a year £40hr would be more like it for the first couple of years. Should settle closer to £10 👍🏻

[@FarmTheoryNI]

Financial depreciation is 1/4 per year. So the rate of depreciation decreases year on year. Its not a perfect way to do it, but its the normal way.

[@matthewshaw3718]

@@FarmTheoryNI I’d go on 1000 hrs yr at a 1/4. Divide the 1/4 price by 1000 and x by the hours the tractors done 👍🏻

[@stephenkelly2067]

Plus where u get lime.spread at £20/ ton?

[@FarmTheoryNI]

I think I paid £25 this year? I was guessing at an average over the last 5 years.