The Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors in Ireland (FCI) has published its Contracting Charge Guide for 2023.
The FCI says that the new guide “continues to provide fair and reasonable guidance” for both farm and forestry contractors, and their clients farmers. However, the association stressed that it is only a guide.
The guide figures are produced on an annual basis and are compiled by collating an average figure for each operation from a panel of FCI contractor members from across Ireland.
The guided charges may very according to regions, soil types, distances travelled, size of contracts, size and type of equipment, and scale of work.
This year’s guide reflects “some modest increases” in some charges of up to 5%, while others are virtually unchanged, the FCI said.
Some of the charges, the association added, reflect some of the significant increases in costs of machinery replacement, tyres, lubrication oils, insurance and labour costs that have been experienced by FCI members throughout 2022, with more expected in 2023.
The number of contractor activities covered by the guide has increased to 98, from 94 last year, despite some activities being consolidated to offer greater clarity.
According to FCI, the quoted cost of a new self-propelled silage harvester for a contractor operation has increased by more than €80,000 since 2022. The cost of replacement silage trailers has increased by almost €10,000 in one year.
Meanwhile, interest rates have increased to almost 8% in the past year, a factor that many agricultural contractors had not factored into their 2023 costings.
The FCI also noted that many contractors face fuel cost increases of more than 60% in 2022 compared to 2021. The Carbon Tax increase, due in May, will fully hit contractors, who cannot avail of the rebate that farmers get.
The FCI is encouraging its members to use its new Fuel Costing Index Calculator so they can establish their breakeven charge rates for their services.
Michael Moroney, CEO of the FCI, commented: “Putting time and effort into establishing your operating costs has never been more important.
“FCI advocates developing a clear understanding of the actual costs of the machine operations. While this 2023 guide is helpful to both contractors and farmers in providing a guide to national averages, each contractor must now establish individual baseline costings,” Moroney added.
While fuel prices have stabilised at the start of 2023, the cost of AdBlue is continuing to increase, according to the FCI.
The association also says that the availability of skilled operators is a “huge unknown factor”.
Moroney said: “The dedicated land-based FCI contractor continues to provide the best, most cost-effective and lowest emission choice for Irish farming and forestry businesses.
“Today’s agricultural contractors give their farmer clients affordable access to new technology options with skilled operators in a cost-effective and low-carbon emission way,” he added.
Some of the key costs outlined in the new charge guide are as follows (all price shown here include VAT, but the guide also gives prices without VAT).
- Baling and bale handling:
- Baling – €11.30-€25/bale depending on inclusion of wrapping, stacking, moving and additional plastic;
- Bailing silage (4×4) – €8.50-€9/bale;
- Wrap (4×4) – €4-€4.50/bale;
- Bale transport – €85/hour or €5.50/bale;
- Bale stacking – €85-€90/hour;
- Square silage bales – €12.50-€19/bale depending on size;
- Hay bales – €2.50-€8/bale depending on shape;
- Hay mowing/cutting – €28-€30/ac;
- Hay turning/rowing – €13.50-€16/ac;
- Straw baled – €2.50-€16/bale depending on size and shape.
- Cultivation:
- Min-till cultivation per pass – €40-€42/ac;
- Disc harrowing €40/ac/run or €136/hour;
- Ploughing – €52-€59/ac depending on lea or stubble;
- Power harrowing (3m) – €59/ac/run or €166/hour;
- Rolling – €16/ac or €65/hour;
- Sub-soiling/mole drainage – €153-€164/hour;
- Gravel mole drainage – €17/t of gravel or €164/ac.
- Drilling/sowing:
- Conventional grain/fertiliser – €54-€59/ac;
- Conventional seed only – €45-€50/ac;
- Direct drill – €62-€65/ac;
- Maize seeding – €100-€105/ac;
- One pass – €54-€65/ac depending on inclusion of fertiliser drill;
- Strip-till drill – €51/ac;
- Non-till disc drill – €54-€57/ac;
- One pass grass reseeding – €65-€70/ac;
- Grass seeding – €272-€280/ac;
- Plough, till and sow maize – €250-€272/ac.
- Seed cleaning and crimping:
- Cleaned and dressed – €190-€195/t;
- Crimping – €18-€20/t.
- Complete cultivation work:
- Plough and one pass – €96-€104/ac;
- Plough, till and sow grain – €115-€120/ac.
- Fertiliser and lime:
- Fertiliser spreading (broadcasting or bulk) – €50/t or €105/hour;
- Lime spreading – €9-€11/t.
- Spraying:
- Low volume (83L/ac) – €13.50-€16/hour;
- Liquid nitrogen – €110/hour.
- Combining and beet:
- Cereals, oil seed rape, chopping – €74-€90/ac;
- Grain transport (up to 15k) – €10-€12/t;
- Beet harvesting – €180-€193/ac.
- Hedgecutting:
- Hedgecutting – €68-€96/hour depending on flail, sawhead or excavator;
- Mulching hedges – €90-€100/hour.
- Silage/willow harvesting:
- Mowing – €28-€30/ac;
- Raking/tedding/rowing – €16-€18/ac;
- Silage – €175-€205/ac depending on grass, maize or whole crop;
- Silage bagging – €28/linear metre;
- Zero grazing – €90-€102/load;
- Willow harvesting – €244/ac;
- Topping – €23/ac or €62/hour.
- Slurry and muck spreading:
- Muck loading – €75-€80/hour;
- Muck spreading – €65-€110/hour;
- Loading and spreading €153-€185/hour;
- Slurry agitation – €110-€130/hour;
- Slurry spreading – €74-€113/hour depending on tanker size;
- Umbilical spreading – €175-€185/hour (laying out and reeling in €100/hour);
- Dribble bar (2,500gal+) – €96-€102/hour;
- Trailing shoe (2,500gal+) – €102-€113/hour.
- Forestry:
- Forwarder – €100-€141/hour depending on size;
- Timber harvester – €141-€175 depending on size.