Higher fuel and machinery running costs, combined with contractors struggling to recruit and retain staff, mean livestock farmers face an increase of around 25% in silage harvesting costs for 2022.

This would raise the average contractor charges to close on £90/acre for mowing, raking, harvesting and buck-raking grass.

While most contractors have yet to finalise their exact price lists for the upcoming silage season, early price quotes start from around £80/acre where a farmer is operating a multi-cut system with lower yields and short haulage.

Upper end

At the upper end of the range, prices exceed the £90/acre mark for heavy grass crops harvested on fragmented land, or where a longer haulage distance is involved.

Last year, contractor charges were more typically £65/acre to £80/acre, depending on the level of handling required.

Contractors specialising in baling silage also indicate higher costs are inevitable. Early price quotes are up by £3 /bale to £4/bale, putting the end costs between £12/bale and £15/bale.

Bale wrap has increased in price by £20 to £25/roll, adding £1 to the cost of a bale.

Higher net, fuel and labour costs add at least £1 more, while mowing and raking is also set to rise by at least £5/acre.

Input costs

A key factor behind all these price rises is red diesel, which is currently hovering around the £1/l mark, a 40p/l increase on last spring.

However, contractors maintain they also face a huge challenge in recruiting and retaining skilled staff to keep machinery operational.

Higher wages and more social working hours have seen staff opting for employment in other industries such as construction and road haulage.

Machinery running costs are also higher year on year, with dealerships often experiencing delays in sourcing replacement parts.

Fewer cuts

A number of contractors also expect to cover fewer acres this year due to the exorbitant cost of fertiliser, with clients on a four-cut system moving to three cuts, and with a later start date in mid to late May.

On drystock farms, the expectation is that more farmers will opt for a larger, single cut of grass where bulk is the objective rather than forage quality.

Bales are also expected to be popular, especially for later cuts. With farmers scaling back on fertiliser, grass yields will be reduced, so baling could be more cost-effective than pit silage.

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