# Cutting Costs 2015



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Top 9 ways....

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/top-9-ways-farmers-plan-to-cut-costs-in-2015-NAA-ben-potter/


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Boy would I like to reduce fertilizer costs.......my biggest expenditure with this poor ass dirt we have. Only way I can see to do it is use another form of N like anhydrous.......may try that next year, can't get geared up n time this year....nobody has a applicator here, probably a reason for that I should heed.....


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I guess that I am on the right track then. The big one for me is getting the right help. By process of elimination I have determined just how expensive the wrong help is.
We cut back on fertilizer this year but increased our equipment purchases.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

somedevildawg said:


> Boy would I like to reduce fertilizer costs.......my biggest expenditure with this poor ass dirt we have. Only way I can see to do it is use another form of N like anhydrous.......may try that next year, can't get geared up n time this year....nobody has a applicator here, probably a reason for that I should heed.....


I could send you about 50 applicators in various sizes. Fall applied anhydrous is still popular here, but that's also not a good way to save costs as you have to put down 18-20% more just to make up for the leaching effect.

Cutting out fertilizer always seemed like a double edged sword to me. Sure you reduce your inputs, but you also have just limited your output. Corn likes N. Yield is directly related to availability of it.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

somedevildawg said:


> Boy would I like to reduce fertilizer costs.......my biggest expenditure with this poor ass dirt we have. Only way I can see to do it is use another form of N like anhydrous.......may try that next year, can't get geared up n time this year....nobody has a applicator here, probably a reason for that I should heed.....


Do you have any sources of compost in your area? Like Chicken/turkey houses?
I bought a spreader and began composting my fields this year with mushroom compost to cut back PK costs. Everyone around here does it. My fertilizer cost was ~$12,000 for 110 acres last spring, my bill for this spring was $5,000 for 110 acres. I have a few fields that won't allow any chemical fertilizers, so I can compost them and satisfy their "organic" requirements.
It's too early to see if those savings will hold into the future, but a couple of other hay farmers I talk to In my area do the same thing. Also noteworthy is you have to buy a spreader, but it should pay for itself quickly. 
On equipment I try to avoid off brands or long time discontinued stuff. Difficult to resell. Also try to share equipment with others you can trust. Shed any equipment you can. Appearance is a big selling plus when trading in or up on other equipment.


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Cow manure has the same effect, to a degree. I cannot say that I would ever eliminate fertilizer, but with a fair amount of spread manure and reduced chemical fertilizer I have seen an overall reduction in cost.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

stack em up said:


> I could send you about 50 applicators in various sizes. Fall applied anhydrous is still popular here, but that's also not a good way to save costs as you have to put down 18-20% more just to make up for the leaching effect.
> Cutting out fertilizer always seemed like a double edged sword to me. Sure you reduce your inputs, but you also have just limited your output. Corn likes N. Yield is directly related to availability of it.


Ya, my intent is to be able to apply more N at a cheaper cost with the anhydrous. I'm usually at about 300-350# pa with N, early it's urea, later it's usually sprayed on......either way is more expensive. But the one thing I do like about the anhydrous.....I run the hay king aerator thru my fields every year in the spring, depending in the applicator, I thnk it would have the same effect as the hay king, so I could eliminate a step in my yearly process. I had even thought of dragging a tank behind the hay king and install tubed shanks, of course a regulator of some sort.....idk, never have messed with the stuff, heard horror stories aplenty.....our soil is very sandy, I would think that could be the reason it's not in vogue here, however I am applying to sod forming grass fields so that may be better......or for all I know it could be worse. Don't know alot about it, except it's a whole lot cheaper and quite possibly 1 application. Of course still gotta have copious amounts of K so will have to scatter some anyway......idk just tryin to save a dollar and possibly increase yields.

I like the cow manure, compost ideas but i have problems with them and litter beings I have neighbors, the compost not so much obviously


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

One of the companies here is trying to sell me on a biosolid/wood ash mix. The solids are kiln dried so no pathogens, or permits. It works out to 5-0-3 plus the lime effect for 15 a ton plus trucking. I'm thinking about it for a fall application.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Had chicken litter spread on a lot of our lighter ground, with the way the spring had been up till now should have had it all covered, was concerned about compaction on the heavier soils.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Dill said:


> One of the companies here is trying to sell me on a biosolid/wood ash mix. The solids are kiln dried so no pathogens, or permits. It works out to 5-0-3 plus the lime effect for 15 a ton plus trucking. I'm thinking about it for a fall application.


Is it all piled-up in their yard? Cause if it is, Id tell them you'll only take it if it's free.

I had a mushroom grower offer me compost soil for $75/triaxle 3 years ago. Not cheap because it takes ~ 1 triaxle to do 1.5 acres. 150 acres = 100 triaxles at $75/each = $7500 bucks.

Screw that.

I got it for FREE once I found out they are pretty much desperate to get rid of it. The EPA and their insurance companies want them to keep the piles SMALL. Once I negotiated with them, they couldn't bring me enough of the stuff. Piled it exactly where I wanted. Thanked me and asked me when they could bring more.

See if you can find someone locally having trouble getting rid of a "clean" compost of some kind.

I often wondered if there was some way we could use shredded leaves from suburban yard cleanups as a free field compost???

I know the small "organic" vegetable farms do that around HERE.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

JD3430 said:


> I often wondered if there was some way we could use shredded leaves from suburban yard cleanups as a free field compost???
> 
> I know the small "organic" vegetable farms do that around HERE.


Depends what kind of leaves make up the majority of it


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Seems like a great free source of organic matter and attracts worms.


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