Round bale silage is costing over €50/bale to produce this year when land costs are taken into account, according to Teagasc.
The table with financial information was included in the handbook which was distributed at BEEF2024 at Teagasc Grange, Co. Meath, today, Wednesday, June 26.
The costings included the cost per bale, the cost per tonne of dry matter grown and the contribution of each costing to the total cost when land charges are excluded.
The table below outlines the calculated cost to produce a round bale of grass silage in 2024:
For the fertiliser costing in the above table, 2,500 and 2,000 gal/ac of slurry was applied for first-cut and second-cut silage respectively and the remainder of nutrient requirements was supplied via inorganic nitrogen fertiliser.
The harvesting cost factored in is €26.77/bale, bringing the total cost excluding a land charge to €42.12/bale.
When the land cost is factored in, the Teagasc-calculated cost to produce a round bale of grass silage in 2024 is €50.46/bale.
The national biennial beef open day ‘BEEF2024’ is taking place today at Teagasc, Grange, Co. Meath.
The theme of the event this year is ‘securing your future’ and the focus of the event is on the application of technologies that will help beef farmers increase the profitability and environmental sustainability of their farm businesses.
BEEF2024 is being hosted on a new site on the farm in Grange, with a new layout and structure for the day.
At the event, there are two technical main stands. The first is focusing on: ‘Securing your future in beef farming’ and the second stand is titled: ‘Key factors underpinning viable and sustainable beef farming’.
There will be a number of panel discussions covering key topics across a range of beef cattle production systems. These will take place in the forum centre and will be staged throughout the day.
