the daydream fund challenge thread

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

Hi

A few first thoughts.

1. Be very careful about any arrangment that allows someone else to graze your land. If they have permission or are able to graze for 366 days, you create and agricultural tenancy and cannot remove them.
You can right into agreements for this (removal for a day..its very normal). You do however need planning permission for horses and infact technically in many areas for use other than as agricultural pasture...you lso need insurance extra to the public liability insurance that you need as a landowner anyway...not worth not having especially with a public right of way bordering the land.

3. You will need some sort of shelter/tool shed if it is a mile away from home. I suggest a steel container as it needs to be theft proof.
Stell containers are excellent! we've used one before and I really miss it, secure, dry neat, rot free!


5. Are you going to be able to eat all the fruit you grow, or too sell it?

I'd be wary of gate sales where you are not living. Security is enough of an issue as it is! Selling where you live might also have more passing trade

I've added to some of RAS's excellent points. we're getting bees for the next season so I'll have more opinion after that.

I hope you enjoy your land tremendusly, , I love it, but it is a responsibility: to the land itself and the people who live in the area and wildlife. I'm very aware of things people expect having always had from our land/hedgerows etc, and things that might change when its no longer our land...next generation etc.

lostinrates

Do any of you guys make cheese? I know a few of you have sheep....

RAS

lostinrates wrote: »

You can right into agreements for this (removal for a day..its very normal). You do however need planning permission for horses and infact technically in many areas for use other than as agricultural pasture...you lso need insurance extra to the public liability insurance that you need as a landowner anyway...not worth not having especially with a public right of way bordering the land.

Agree that you can write in restrictions but you need to evidence that the stock have been removed for that one day. I know people who did not....

I also have a friend who has a small amount of grazing and "borrows" various pastures nearby to feed his Hebrideans, in exchange for meat in the autumn.

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

Agree that you can write in restrictions but you need to evidence that the stock have been removed for that one day. I know people who did not....

I also have a friend who has a small amount of grazing and "borrows" various pastures nearby to feed his Hebrideans, in exchange for meat in the autumn.

Agreed, but TBH, having both rented and granted tenancies with the one day removal, the correct contract solves all problems and doesn't have to be a problem...unless its not done, so you are most certainly 100% right to raise it as a vital issue.

I'd love to have someone else's sheep for meat...all my sheep and cross grazing issues resolved!

choille

I may be visable on Landward tonight at 7pm BBC 2 scoffing a mini mutton pie at the Scottish Crofter's Annual Gathering.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m994

RAS

LiR

You have reminded me of a couple of thing I intended to post here.

1. Do you have to buy?

I have posted this link before http://www.larosa.co.uk/about.html. These folk got 20 acres on a peppercorn rent in exchange for improvements/repairs to the property - basically roof work in the beginning.

I read recently that 30 percent of the land in the UK is owned by 103 people and 158,000 own 69% of the land! Thats a hell of a lot of ground that is not going to appear on any sales list for a while. So if you are looking for land and have little capital, think about rental?

2. The other thing to look for the the odd property, like my friends, which has grazing rights even if it has little land (a big garden).
His is an old waterboard property which included grazing rights on the ground around the reservoir adjacent. He started grazing a few sheep, then was asked by neighbours to help keep the grass down on the small fields adjoining their gardens and then.. Only a dozen sheep and followers but still keeps the freezer stocked.

RAS

choille wrote: »

I may be visable on Landward tonight at 7pm BBC 1 scoffing a mini mutton pie at the Scottish Crofter's Annual Gathering.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m994

I will check out Iplayer tomorow or next week.

Davesnave

I concur with everything that RAS and lostinrates have said. If it is good quality pasture then I'd be wary about putting horses on it, but I'd be looking to get a hay crop and some grazing for sheep/a few dexter cattle in exchange for meat or w.h.y. For that reason, consider the access carefully as you fence, remembering a large enough gateway for the modern self-powered balers that contractors use.

On the subject of fencing, you may have someone in mind already, which would be good, but if not, do get plenty of quotes and/or ask around for recommendations, and then make sure you are comparing like with like on the specifications. As an example, I was quoted £30 an hour for labour, which someone else thought was a good price, but the people I chose cost only £10 and £12 an hour each, including the diesel they used, and they even collected some of the materials! Posts vary enormously in price and the people you use may prefer to work with particular sizes, so liaise carefully on that. My fencing guys were very appreciative of the posts we bought, but I couldn't get the size of struts they wanted from that source, so we had to compromise a little and go with their supplier for those. It is possible to please everyone, just not easy!

As the footpath runs at the top of the land, I would be looking to put the pasture next to that I think, rather than tempting fruit bushes, but footpaths are sometimes rarely used, so a lot depends on the circumstances. At the bottom of the slope would be the best place to collect ground water, if there is any, but I'm guessing that there will be a piped supply if you contemplate having animals on there, so maybe a natural water source won't be so important. If it's fruit you are going for, then you'll have to think about possible bird damage, while if it were vegetables, then rabbits would be a consideration. There are certainly vegetables that you can grow with minimal input, like squashes, and those are reasonably immune to attack from anything once they get going! Near me, someone has a detached allotment where, with the aid of a rotovator, they grow huge amounts of spuds, squashes, beans, onions and leeks, so not being on-site still works for them.

Well, that's just a few things I've thought about. It's really good news that you have the land, and it will be great to have updates on this thread(and photos!) of what you decide to do with it. Have fun!

alfie_1

lostinrates wrote: »

Agreed, but TBH, having both rented and granted tenancies with the one day removal, the correct contract solves all problems and doesn't have to be a problem...unless its not done, so you are most certainly 100% right to raise it as a vital issue.

I'd love to have someone else's sheep for meat...all my sheep and cross grazing issues resolved!

i know of lots of people around here that have paddocks with thier properties but do not want thier own livestock that let farmers use them pre lambing season/pre slaughter [gulp!] for a month or so. it keeps the weeds down, looks nice,no effort and meat in exchange. i know one chap that has half a dozen cows to calf in his field.[not sure what he gets in return except the sight of new borns out of his window!] this could work if you work out the seasons and it also gives you an insight into whats involved in keeping them...

alfie_1

i have [luckily] a choice of 3 fields but the "bottom" one [about 10 acres] abutts a riverside footpath. no problem as its well fenced but when the footpath floods "people" think they can take a short cut over our gates [our acces to path]and fence, through the field and back onto the path further along. we were concerned someone would break the fence/gates and let our livestock out SO we contemplated getting a pair of female HIGHLAND cattle.:D...our thinking being that if they see a BIG pair of horns they may think twice!! instead we did the sensible thing and upped the fence and gates and put BIG notices up...still fancy the "horns" tho!!
just offered to "take in" for free 3 young mini shetlands :)for the winter. owner has lost her grazing in dorset and was devestated at having to sell her stock. this way when she gets sorted she will still have some of her "babies"to start again....i just hope i dont get too attatched!! i can feel the purse twitching as i write and i havnt even got them yet....
p.s. is there an equivelant of the "priory" for addictions to animals???:rotfl: