Haymaking

[Danindigo]

Hi, im in the process of buying a smallholding with 4 acres. The field have loads of grass on them & need cutting but i havnt a clue on how to go about this! Can anyone offer any tips on who to ask etc? Are there businesses that take bale or do you just ask a local farmer?????

 

[Daisychain]

I should ask your local farmer first, as he will know who if he cant!

 

[Danindigo]

Anyone know roughly how much it cost to cut & bale for haylage per acre in staff?

 

[scotsmare]

Will depend on who you get to do it - contractors will be way more expensive (but probably more reliable) than a local farmer. Would investigate farmer route first though....

 

[goldypops]

Hi, I pay a friend 70p/bale to do an acre or so of hay. One of the other fields I let another farmer round bale it for his sheep and then he pays me for it (rather cheap £50) but then that pays my friend for my baling so my hay costs nothing!
Difficulty you may have is getting a farmer in to do a small area if you are wanting small hay bales, may be worth you "selling" the grass for grazing or big round baling and buying in your own hay with the money?

 

[Danindigo]

i will be wanting to round bale it for haylage if possible

 

[Dressagebabe]

We get the farmer to bale ours which is big round bale haylage, it costs us £11 per bale to make and we get 82 bales off 10 acres if that helps! 1 round bale feeds 6 horses for 1 week and I can sell them at £25 each as it is superb quality.