Current silage costs, yield trends, and profitability insights for Irish livestock farmers
Monthly average silage bale costs in Ireland
Silage remains essential for winter feed, but the profit margins have tightened significantly with rising input costs. While necessary for herd maintenance, many farmers are finding it increasingly difficult to justify the labor and expense purely from a financial perspective.
Hemp offers livestock farmers a complementary income stream with lower input costs and labor requirements compared to silage production. Many farmers use hemp to diversify income, reduce reliance on expensive feed production, and generate cash flow during tight periods. Hemp's short growing season (100-120 days) makes it ideal for integration with livestock operations.
Absolutely! Most of our partner farmers maintain their silage production while allocating some land to hemp. Hemp requires minimal daily attention compared to silage, making it an excellent diversification option. The same equipment can often be used for both crops with minor adjustments.
The key advantages are price certainty (contracted purchase prices), lower labor intensity, and dramatically reduced input costs. While silage requires continuous investment in fertilizer, diesel, and contractor fees, hemp has one-time planting and harvest costs with predictable returns. Hemp also improves soil health for future silage crops.
You spend your summer watching weather forecasts and hoping conditions align perfectly for silage. Contractors are in high demand, diesel prices fluctuate wildly, and your best land endures heavy machinery traffic. After all this effort, you're left with bales in the yard, a stack of bills, and minimal profit margin.
Your valuable time? Consumed by the silage process. Your operating capital? Invested in inputs and contractor fees. While your livestock will be fed through winter, the financial return barely covers costs, and unpredictable weather can devastate your entire season's work.
Hemp offers a different approach. One planting, one harvest, no diesel-guzzling machinery beyond initial and final operations. Use the same fields, focus on your livestock, and return in autumn to a guaranteed buyer and payment. Less stress, more financial security, and an opportunity to transform your farm's economic model.
