It's that time of year again, when farmers have a rare spare minute to think about tidying up around the yard.

Every farm in Ireland has it - that corner in the yard or side of a shed where scrap seems to accumulate over time.

Old ring-feeders, broken gates, rusty sheets of galvenised iron, dead tractor batteries and even old cars; every farm will have their own variation of scrap.

Or maybe you're a contractor with a pile of scrap metal that has grown to a point where it now takes up more space than it's worth.

But how much is it worth?

Agriland found that prices can vary heavily between scrapyards, but that there can be an avenue for all farmers.

Prices

Of course, price all depends on the type of scrap that you have.

E.g., one scrapyard explained how old farm machinery can fetch €150/t to €170/t, whereas modern round feeders and gates will only make €100/t to €120/t.

However, even with quality of steel accounted for, prices will still vary between scrapyards.

Old agricultural steel in general can make anywhere from €100/t to €170/t.

Old cars can be some of the lowest value scrap on farmyards, but items like catalytic converters and alloys can significantly increase their value.

Depending on where you are in the country, scrapyards are offering anywhere from €60-120/t for old cars.

Collection

Most scrapyards are open to waiving the cost of collection if there is a large amount of metal being scrapped.

However, some scrapyards do stress that longer distances would have to be deducted from the final payout.

The minimum amount needed for a free collection can vary anywhere from 3t to 5t, while some scrapyards just require the lorry to be full leaving your yard.

Some scrapyards even offer a quote based on a picture of your scrap, which can be done for free over WhatsApp, while other scrapyards will come to your yard to value the scrap.

Both rigid and artic lorry options are available from some scrapyards.

Some scrapyards will weigh their empty lorry at a local mill and weigh it again when full at the same mill, providing a docket to the farmer off the weighbridge to ensure fairness.

When asked what advice they would give to farmers thinking of cashing in on some unused metal this winter, one scrapyard said:

"We try and be as fair as we can with everyone, we tell them the best way to segregate their metals to get the most value out of scrapping them."