Contractor charges: Our guide for 2010
This year’s contractor price guide reflects lower fuel costs but higher machinery purchase costs.
It was compiled by the National Association of Agricultural Contractors, which used the figures sent in by members around the UK.
“You get what you pay for” is a common quote and it applies just as well to land-based contractors as any other business.
“You would say that,” I hear you cry, “you’re just protecting the interests of NAAC members”. True – however in reality if you pay rock-bottom prices it is highly likely you will get rock-bottom service.
Think about it. How can a contractor who has not costed a job properly in terms of labour, fuel, insurance, machinery, depreciation and time really expect to provide you with a sustainable high-quality service?
It may be tempting to take the cheapest option or pull in a favour from a neighbour, but what happens if things don’t go to plan? Who is covered by insurance? Is it you? Let’s face it – accidents do happen and you need to check that you are covered.
You are, after all, placing your business (and potential profits) in your contractor’s hands and it is vital that you get a reliable service.
Like your own business, it costs your contractor money to retain trained, competent staff, keep machinery well maintained and up-to-date and make sure that standards of safety are upheld. In fact these costs probably represent the reasons you are considering a contractor.
Jill Hewitt
Chief executive
NAAC
This year’s contractor rates
The figures for 2009/10 in the table below are only a guide, but do give an indication of the current market price.
They have been drawn up from a range of charges sent in by NAAC members from all over the UK. Boiling the range down into a single figure inevitably hides the quite large variations that occur. The figures do, however, include fuel.
There will inevitably be some regional variation and the quote you get from your local contractor may vary, but this gives you a ball-park figure.
In addition, rates will depend on the type of land and the specific terms of the individual job to be completed (eg size of field, distance travelled etc).
NAAC CONTRACTORS’ CHARGES FOR 2009/2010
These are the middle prices surveyed from NAAC members but the actual price may vary considerably between regions, soil types, distance travelled, size of contract undertaken, size and type of equipment used, amount of product applied etc. These prices are only a guide.
OPERATION | COST |
Ploughing – light land | 18.80 |
Ploughing – heavy land | 20.50 |
Add for furrow press | 2.60 |
Deep ploughing (over 30cm) | 22.85 |
Rotavating (ploughed land/ grass) | 23.75 |
Sub-soiling – conventional | 20.00 |
Sub-soiling – flatlift | 18.00 |
Mole-ploughing – single leg | 27.50 |
Mole-ploughing – twin leg | 30.25 |
Stubble cultivating | 12.25 |
Heavy disc cultivating | 16.15 |
Disc harrowing | 12.85 |
Power harrowing | 15.60 |
Spring-tined cultivating | 8.30 |
Seedbed harrowing | 8.20 |
Pressing | 9.40 |
Rolling – flat (grassland) | 8.60 |
Rolling – ring (seedbeds) | 5.50 |
Fertiliser spreading – spinner | 4.15 |
Fertiliser spreading – liquid | 5.15 |
Cereal drilling – conventional | 13.70 |
Cereal drilling – combi-drilling | 20.00 |
Cereal drilling – direct drilling | 17.20 |
One-pass tillage train | 21.20 |
Rape drilling with flatlift/subsoiler | 24.75 |
Grass seed (broadcast) | 7.40 |
Sugar beet/fodder beet drilling | 17.40 |
Maize precision drilling (including fertiliser) | 17.85 |
De-stoning potato land | 77.50 |
Potato ridging | 20.50 |
Spraying | 4.40 |
Extra if less than 50 acres | 95p |
ATV spraying | 8.00 |
Slug pelleting | 2.80 |
Combining cereals | 31.40 |
Extra for straw chopper on combine | 2.40 |
Extra for seeding (Autocast) | 6.00 |
Grain carting to store (per hour) | 29.00 |
Straw chopping (separate operation) | 13.75 |
Oilseed rape harvesting – windrowing | 18.00 |
Oilseed rape harvesting – combining out of windrow | 32.40 |
Oilseed rape harvesting – direct combining | 33.10 |
Combining peas | 32.50 |
Combining beans | 32.60 |
Combining grain maize | 40.00 |
Baling (per bale) – small | 44p |
Baling (per bale) – 80cm x 70cm | 3.00 |
Baling (per bale) – 120cm x 70cm | 3.95 |
Baling (per bale) – 120cm x 130cm | 5.30 |
Baling (per bale) – large round | 2.30 |
Bale-wrapping (per bale) – silage | 4.80 |
Bale-wrapping (per bale) – haylage | 5.10 |
Potato harvesting – 2-row unmanned excluding carting | 235.00 |
Potato harvesting – 2-row manned including carting | 395.00 |
Sugar beet harvesting | 90.00 |
Extra for carting | 14.00 |
Chain harrowing | 6.55 |
Grass mowing | 10.35 |
Grass topping | 10.00 |
Set-aside mowing | 10.75 |
Swath turning/tedding | 5.60 |
Forage harvesting – harvesting only – first cut | 24.00 |
Forage harvesting – harvesting only – other cuts | 22.00 |
Forage harvesting – harvesting, carting and ensiling – first cut | 45.30 |
Forage harvesting – harvesting, carting and ensiling – other cuts | 43.40 |
Forage wagon | 19.00 |
Maize harvesting inc carting and ensiling | 59.25 |
FYM spreading – tractor and spreader (£/hour) | 36.00 |
FYM spreading – tractor and loader (£/hour) | 30.20 |
Slurry spreading – tanker (£/hour) | 35.75 |
Slurry spreading – umbilical (£/hour) | 58.40 |
Slurry injection (£/hour) | 51.75 |
Hedge cutting (£/hour) – flail | 28.60 |
Hedge cutting (£/hour) – saw-blade | 40.90 |
Hedge laying (£/metre run) | 11.50 |
Fence erection – post and wire inc wire (£/metre run) | 4.20 |
Fence erection – post and netting inc wire (£/metre run) | 5.00 |
Fence erection – post and rail inc wood (£/metre run) | 12.00 |
Lime spreading £/t) | 3.95 |
Ditching 360deg digger (£/hour) | 32.90 |
Tractor and trailer plus operator (£/hour) | 30.00 |
Tractor plus operator (£/hour) | 27.00 |
Sheep dipping (£/head) – with chemicals | 0.85 |
Sheep jetting/ showering (£/head) – with chemicals | 0.75 |
Sheep shearing (£/head) – ewes | 1.35 |
Sheep shearing (£/head) – rams | 2.80 |
Sheep crutching (£/head) | 0.60 |
Foot trimming – sheep (£/head) | 0.65 |
Livestock husbandry – sheep (£/hour) | 12.00 |