Lime Costs

[foggy1111]

I just posted on my lime spreader over at the attachments section. I was planning to buy a trailer-load of lime tomorrow. The lime company will deliver 22+ tons in an end dump trailer.

I did some math on my lime costs....and thought I would share the results. The products shown have similar liming qualities....but I think the ag-lime will have longer lasting effects.

1. The first time I put down lime I bought bagged product in skid quantities at Fleet Farm for $3.10 per 50 lb bag.

2. Then I bought a dump truck of lime (14 tons) at $600 for the load. This works out to the equivalent of $1.07 per 50 "bag"....when compared to #1. Not bad.

3. Now I am buying 22 tons at $600. This works out to $.68 per 50 lb bag. About 1/5 the cost of a bagged lime product.

I now have enough land to apply all the lime that they deliver (a bit over ten acres). Early on I would have drown in lime as I only had a few tillable acres.

I have sandy loam soils....so I am contemplating getting a trailer load about every three years - depending on what my next soil samples tell me.

Hopefully an average of $200 per year for lime will provide much better crop results.

 

[atgreene]

I've been buying ash from the mills. They deliver it to me in 30 ton loads, usually about $300.00. It is less potent than lime, but cheaper.

I just paid $244 for a pallet of pelletized (70 bags).

The ash they say to run it out at 5 tons per acres for fields that need it, less if your fields are in better shape.

 

[Carykong]

a controlled burn for food plots will sweeten the soil and stimulate grass/grain growth,too