[ausssiefarmboy]

How does everyone work out there costs and profits of these crops? More so on the dry matter production and profits you can make from the stock prior to harvesting? What would be a general rule for how much dry matter a wheat crop would produce through grazing prior to locking it up and what sort of price would you put on it? Just trying to do some costings and my figures don't seem to add up to what I think they should

 

[ausssiefarmboy]

?

 

[madsnake]

GRDC's Farm business management fact sheets - Grains Research & Development Corporation

Maybe worth a look for some GRDC grain and graze info also.

 

[aussie farmer]

How does everyone work out there costs and profits of these crops? More so on the dry matter production and profits you can make from the stock prior to harvesting? What would be a general rule for how much dry matter a wheat crop would produce through grazing prior to locking it up and what sort of price would you put on it? Just trying to do some costings and my figures don't seem to add up to what I think they should

To simplify it =Grazing it to locking it up, its a matter of season if the spring is good you wont need to graze it, if its tough you will be glad to have it for hay or grazing. win win situation plenty of value in dual purpose the stock will do better and turn out better offspring easier.

Its probably easier to come from a straight livestock operation and introduce some cropping say 10 % of your land. Sowing tried and proven long season varieties early. This 9 times out of 10 will halve the number of paddocks running stock through autumn ,which in turn sets you up to get through winter with extra pasture. By early spring you should be able to decide off conditions and forecasts if you can shut up all or some or none of your crops, depending on feed needs . If the crops keep improving extra nitrogen can be added and let them finish. If they look like a possible failure hay can be cut or stock introduced either way value is again added to your initial input.
AS for doing the math's some people do it. I just wait for the bank balance to show it.

 

[aussie farmer]

Now I re read your post I see you said" prior to locking it up " not instead of locking it up. any way I guess you already new the benefits .

There's blokes around here that constantly way stock weekly or so and do dry matter calculations and run control paddocks etc. but I don't seem to get time, to busy with the manual side to do the theory .

 

[blanchfarm]

How does everyone work out there costs and profits of these crops? More so on the dry matter production and profits you can make from the stock prior to harvesting? What would be a general rule for how much dry matter a wheat crop would produce through grazing prior to locking it up and what sort of price would you put on it? Just trying to do some costings and my figures don't seem to add up to what I think they should

I have some interesting data that I'll have to find for you.
Might not be exactly what your looking for but it compares ryegrass with grazing wheats and oats for cost per ha and cost per t of dry matter.
I found it very interesting as we have been growing a lot of revenue for dual purpose on our dairy farm.
I was interested to to find that ryegrass didn't work out the most cost effective way all the time.
But I will endeavour to find that info for you.

Cheers Roger

 

[ausssiefarmboy]

Cheers.. We are just trying to get down to the nitty gritty and see exactly what makes us money and what works for us. Also compare naparoo for a graze then lock up for hay vs wedge tail or whistler for graze the harvest for grain

 

[goodoo]

For hay you should get twice the weight of the grain you would get. We bailed a weedy paddock this year and got 8 t/ha. Similar wheat with out the weeds we harvested went 4 t/ha. We sold it standing for $140 tonne.

On my Wedgtail grazing wheat we usually run 10 sheep to the acre, but the crop has to have some bulk before the sheep are put in. If I get the sheep out in mid August and give it a good hit of urea and a couple of waterings I still get 5 t/ha of wheat off the paddocks.