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Title: Factors to consider if renting a shed or using a B&B service
Coming to an agreement at the outset is central to the smooth running of shed rental or B&B movement arrangements.
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/factors-to-consider-if-renting-a-shed-or-using-a-b-b-service-168407
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Update Success !
Shed rental or B&B arrangements have become more common in recent years. The Irish Farmers Journal frequently receives queries as to how arrangements are drawn up, the important factors to consider and what sums of money change hands.
There is no straightforward answer. The reality is that there is a range of factors that will influence agreements. The most important of these, or common factors that continually re-emerge, are discussed below.
Starting point
When talking to farmers offering or availing of a shed rental or B&B arrangement, a recommendation made by the majority is to come to a clear agreement at the outset so that each party knows exactly what the terms are.
Failing to do so can lead to complications down the line and, in some scenarios, can lead to the collapse of an agreement or, worse still, legal action being taken. Some farmers who have experienced issues in the past will only enter into an agreement where there is a contract signed by both parties, sometimes in the presence of a witness.
Factors to consider
In the case of shed rentals, deals are most commonly done on a charge per bay. Costs reported for slatted sheds range anywhere from €150 to €400 per bay or 20c to 50c per head per day. The main factors influencing the costs and requiring clarification at the outset are as follows:
B&B arrangements
Some shed rental agreements also offer forage for sale, but they are not B&B arrangements. For B&B arrangements, animals move into the herd number of the farmer offering accommodation, feeding and stockmanship. This is done through a recorded movement on the Department’s CMMS or AIM database.
Nevertheless, some of the criteria used to determine prices for B&B arrangements can be used to determine a value for forage traded. Typical costs for B&B movements are calculated on a per-day basis, with animal class having a major bearing on cost.
Costs can vary anywhere from €1.20/day for light weanlings to €1.80/day for heavier store animals. A rough guide going on the value of silage consumed is detailed in Table 1. A value of €35/t is the benchmark often used for good-quality silage (DMD 70+) at 25% DM. Given the higher quantity of silage present on farms this year, some farmers may be offering silage traded with shed rental agreements at a lower value.
It is important not to let the cost per tonne of silage or bale of silage solely dictate decisions. The quality of silage should also be taken into consideration, as it will have a big impact on animal performance and the level of concentrate supplementation required to achieve target weight gains.
An example of the influence of silage quality on costs is detailed in Table 2. As can be quickly seen, there is a 50c to 90c difference in cost between feeding and supplementing weanlings on good- versus poor-quality silage. This is where another aspect comes into place – agreement on animal performance. Both parties need to agree at the outset an expected level or range of liveweight gain of animals over the period.
Other areas that should be clarified are as follows:
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