The cost of making a round bale of silage is set to increase to between €45 and €50 per bale this summer. Rising fertiliser, plastic and contractor costs mean that baled silage will be 31% more expensive to make compared to last year.
The cost of making a round bale of silage is set to increase to between €45 and €50 per bale this summer.
Rising fertiliser, plastic and contractor costs mean that baled silage will be 31% more expensive to make compared to last year.
New analysis by Teagasc shows that baled silage is more expensive to make than pit silage, due to higher plastic and transport costs.
When a land charge of €300/ac is included, the cost of making a round bale of silage from first-cut grass is €226/t dry matter (DM) compared to €206/t DM for first-cut pit silage.
Excluding a land charge, baled silage will cost €36 per bale.
According to Teagasc, contractor costs have increased by 56% when compared to recent years but it stressed input cost volatility.
Other feeds are also examined, for example, a 13t DM/ha crop of maize sown without plastic is costing the equivalent of two cuts of grass silage.
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