Nitrogen

[Bill]

Angusguy, I spent $8 an acre to put in and take off my barley in 2006. No chemicals. That was seed, organic seed treat and fuel costs.

1 field went 42 bushels and 1 went 32. The best I had ever done on that second one was 35 with $60 of fertilizer and chemical.

My bottom line is better even with lower than the neighbors yields. My land smells better and is more mellow. I am in year 3-4 of no/reduced chemicals.

Wouldn't organic seed must be over $8/acre alone?

Could you give us a breakdown of the costs.

 

[Jason]

Bill I'm not certified organic and at present have no intention of going there. I am using some organic techniques to do a better job with less inputs.

I just use my own seed, so last spring it was valued at $2.40.

1.5 bushel seed rate($3.60), $3 an acre for fuel, and about $1 an acre for the seaweed/fish seed treat.

No overhead is counted ..machinery purchase etc.. just cash outlay. The machinery costs would be similar either way, and fuel would be higher if fertilizer and chemical passes had to be done.

I bought a $360 straight cut header for my 760 combine so I saved swathing costs as well. It was just a good deal for me this year. Barley climbing when I have some to sell is very unusual.

 

[Cal]

Bill I'm not certified organic and at present have no intention of going there. I am using some organic techniques to do a better job with less inputs.

I just use my own seed, so last spring it was valued at $2.40.

1.5 bushel seed rate($3.60), $3 an acre for fuel, and about $1 an acre for the seaweed/fish seed treat.

No overhead is counted ..machinery purchase etc.. just cash outlay. The machinery costs would be similar either way, and fuel would be higher if fertilizer and chemical passes had to be done.

I bought a $360 straight cut header for my 760 combine so I saved swathing costs as well. It was just a good deal for me this year. Barley climbing when I have some to sell is very unusual.

Jason, what's the longest that you're aware of that anyone's been doing the bio-farming? Is composted manure being used the majority of the time, how much, and how time intensive is the process of getting it properly composted. Do you know of any outfits doing this on a large scale?

 

[MO STOCKER]

Yes 'a lot of our litter comes from over around Tontitown and Siloam. Also some from southwest MO.


Hey how do ya do the quote thingy with the box????javascript:emoticon(':???:')
Say what?

 

[Red Robin]

Just hit the quote button on the top of the post you want to reply to.

Do you truck it in in walking floor trailers and dump it in the field you'll spread on? Do you spread it or buy it spread?

 

[andybob]

Anyone priced nitrogen yet? Wow.

At present, the pig effluent is still considered waste and not charged to the cattle herd, it will be interesting to see how this will increase the margins for the pigs when we begin to calculate the total fertiliser value of the manure instead of paying to dispose of it on the Bermuda sprayfields.
Utilising the methane will also offset the rising corn costs.

 

[MO STOCKER]

Just hit the quote button on the top of the post you want to reply to.

Do you truck it in in walking floor trailers and dump it in the field you'll sprea
d on? Do you spread it or buy it spread?

We buy it delivered to the pastures,then we have an old lime truck we spread it with. we get along real good like that unless there's some dead chickens in it. They tend to plug up the gate. It almost always comes in walking floors 24 or25 ton to the load. What we really like is to catch some of the boys hauling grain down to Springdale and get some back hauls.