Contractors Costs for Haymaking

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anguscat

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Hi does anyone else own land and use a contractor to make the hay? I had small bale hay made. I was billed £1.20 a bale not including VAT for making the hay, bringing in from fields immediately around house and loading in barn (big open fronted barn so mainly a tractor job). I'm in the south west. I'd be interested to hear other peoples costs as I have no idea as to 'going-rates' for this sort of work.
Many many thanks for any replies
 
Think about the work that went into price of fuel price of equipment string oil prces are high you have had a bargain stop whinging.

Old Contractors PROVERB
IF THERE ARE HORSES UP THE DRIVE YOU ARE USUALLY BETTER OFF NOT GOING UP IT
 
We have done really well then for a change, we paid £250 for 317 small but very heavy bales. Although 2years ago our costs worked out to £1.75 per bale. Still when you consider the price to but it in still makes good sense to make it ourselves with the addes benefit of knowing it is def weed and ragwort free!!
 
Oh dear. Some people do jump to conclusions! Given oil costs etc etc the price seems reasonable to me. What's wrong with comparing notes????
The costs are interesting though. I believe my contractor is making an acceptable amount for his time and also judgments (he uses his expertise as to when to make the hay) and yet the resultant price per bale seems reasonable. Then you think back to the extremely high hay prices people were paying last year. It seems those prices can't have actually been owing to production costs. They must have been in consequence of a perceived or real (I don't know which; panics can be easily be spread) shortage of supply which allowed those dealing in hay to really up their prices. You know...maketh hay while the soon doth shineth. And I would not blame them.
 
Bear in mind that for a farmer who sells hay, there needs to be added cost of seeding, fertilising and generally maintaining the grass, not to mention return on the investment of buying the land in the first place :)
 
Martlin...yes I agree with much of your point. I suspect though much of the hay horse owners buy is meadow hay from permanent pasture (so no re-seeding) to which artificial fertilisers are not applied. There will though be reguar costs of harrowing, rolling and occasional herbicide treatment. Also while the hay crop is growing (quite a number of months) the field can't be put to any other economic purpose.
As Martlin says for some farmers there is of course the original investment cost eg 25 acres ordinary grassland might cost £180,000. To match returns you might make by investing that 180k differently (say 3% p.a) that land would have to be making £5400 p.a.
Anyway I am just musing and rambling at a time that's getting rather late.
 
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