400 acres, 40 miles away.

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Personally i don't think people care if someones 18 or 80
aslong as they're not patronising!
Looks like Lexion 1000 was just wanting to hear if anyone
else was doing something similar to his question!
It’s not patronising to correct people who are suggesting things when they have no idea or experience of the subject they talking about.
 

Cowcorn

Member
Mixed Farmer
Appreciate that. I’m not trying to be a dick just honest and facing the brutal facts. This exact thing could happen to me tomorrow so it’s been a good excerise going through it all and personally would find it very hard to justify on a standard CFA.
The voice of experience is never popular age has nothing to do with it,
 
I just had an hour long chat about it with the owner. He said he gets along well with one of his neighbours, so I’ve suggested he gets quotes from him and 2 other locals and I’ll help him pick the right guy. I said I’m not interested in bidding against other people for it at that distance and being friends there’s a bit of a conflict of interest for him anyway. So thanks for the replies, it was an interesting process to consider it.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
I just had an hour long chat about it with the owner. He said he gets along well with one of his neighbours, so I’ve suggested he gets quotes from him and 2 other locals and I’ll help him pick the right guy. I said I’m not interested in bidding against other people for it at that distance and being friends there’s a bit of a conflict of interest for him anyway. So thanks for the replies, it was an interesting process to consider it.
Sounds sensible for both parties
 

jms37

Member
On another tangent, did the poster say it was relatively blackgrass free? That perhaps implies the 2900 acres isn't? It might not help friendship with kit perhaps turning up carrying a few seeds?
Anyway, if you're farming 2900 acres I'd expect you're quite capable of making the correct decision yourself!!
Best of luck either way.
 

tjhooker

Member
I just had an hour long chat about it with the owner. He said he gets along well with one of his neighbours, so I’ve suggested he gets quotes from him and 2 other locals and I’ll help him pick the right guy. I said I’m not interested in bidding against other people for it at that distance and being friends there’s a bit of a conflict of interest for him anyway. So thanks for the replies, it was an interesting process to consider it.

I bet your wife is pleased!!!! Good call. Out of wider interest, if you don’t mind the question of course, how is your existing business broadly structured labour and machinery-wise? Your scale of existing business probably sits very well on a benchmarking exercise I imagine. Thanks :)
 
I just had an hour long chat about it with the owner. He said he gets along well with one of his neighbours, so I’ve suggested he gets quotes from him and 2 other locals and I’ll help him pick the right guy. I said I’m not interested in bidding against other people for it at that distance and being friends there’s a bit of a conflict of interest for him anyway. So thanks for the replies, it was an interesting process to consider it.

Acting as consultant for a friend is a good solution looking after your friends interests with a regular visit
You will be better placed than most agents
 

tjhooker

Member
It’s not patronising to correct people who are suggesting things when they have no idea or experience of the subject they talking about.

You have come up against that classic forum animal a couple of times here - a chip on each shoulder resulting in what they incorrectly think is a balanced opinion..... ;)
 
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wurzell1976

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
I have been offered 400 acres of good arable land 40 miles away. It’s in decent sized fields averaging about 22 acres and not too many awkward ones. It’s got ok grain storage with an ancient drier. There’s a couple of other barns too, nothing special. Think it is just being offered to me at the moment and I think I could probably get it on an ok deal. It’s about an hour to get to in a car.
My heart says go for it but my head says don’t. Is anyone else farming at this sort of distance? It’s in a different direction to anything else I farm. I would love to have a go at it but I just foresee lots of difficulties so I’m probably going to say no. Any thoughts from the tff collective?
I farm over a 17 mile distance having started with no land 30 years ago.Now at the age of 51 i don"t fully understand why,the vanity of all this wore off a long time ago,especially as there is only me and my wife,the children are all below the age of 8.I am in the process of condensing everything into a ring fence farm elsewhere .This will allow me to spend more time with my family,and create a different farming system hopefully with the integration of livestock into an arable rotation .I don"t need a 50 k tractor,new tyres ,bent wheel rims, off colour abuse from other road users,raining when i get there,bed off combine more times than i can count,yobs trying to fire crops whilst i"m on the combine,34 mile round trip dropping off seed and loader ,the list is endless.But the big question is why are you so desperate for more land to farm with what you already have it is pointless,if you are not satisfied with 2900 acres another 400 is not going to help you for long.You asked for comments i,hope this has not come over as being offensive to you as that is not my intention,however i wish you the best what ever you decide.
 
Farmers have farmed land over longer distances for centuries
Other farmers have aplord or decried them
If they are good at it they made a go at it
The big farming companies started this way and evolved

The biggest are over seas the kidman beef empire in the 19 century Australia Blackearth farming in Russia and many others
The uk has a few

The long term success of any is based on long term return on investment
And ability to survive the difficult periods be they weather or prices
 

wurzell1976

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Somerset
We can’t make a living off 1300
Acres !!
2 families!!
Not to my standard of life anyway hebcecweve has to diversify massively
I"m sorry that you say that,however everyone on here has different circumstances ,cost of their land is one of the main issues.Rent vs deeds in the cupboard is the big difference .You must be on a fair rent .I could only dream of that sort of acreage ,but by the sound of it i"m happy and content with my lot.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 67 35.3%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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