A UK Trip for U.S. Farmers?

[in-too-deep]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

 

[Welderloon]

Hi Chris.
From a Scottish perspective Visit Scotland run dedicated farm tours annually, contact them directly for the details, they have a range of tours including different hospitality options the length & breadth of Scotland including the Islands & will be able to organise a cross border option that suits or a least put you in contact with the relevant people in England & Northern Ireland.

 

[Rich_ard]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

It's only a pipe dream if you don't do it?
Stop by here if you fancy, not alot to show you but could break a journey for a bit.

 

[L P]

I think it's a great idea. I, for one, find farming in foreign countries far more interesting than the "holiday" . Just remember that guests are like fish, they go off in three days!... that and you may have return invites to Minnesota to deal with.

 

[David.]

Hi Chris,
Do it. There are sheep here if you fancy travelling this far south.
I love travelling and seeing farms, could happily visit America and not set foot in NY or LA.

 

[kfpben]

Very welcome here. Mixed farm- beef, sheep, arable, vines. Small English village with a great pub.
Close to historic Salisbury, Winchester, Stonehenge and you can take the train to London for a day trip if you like.

 

[Hesstondriver]

I could put you in touch with a couple of big arable and or stock farms in Scotland who I’m sure would interested in your visit

 

[Lincs Lass]

Be thankful that if you get stopped by british police ,,they don't carry lethal weapons so they're not as intimidating as your guys .
Be prepared for road works on every motorway ,,theres thousands of cones but you wont see anybody doing anything .
Take no notice of the weather forecast ,,if it says you're in for fine sunny day ,,ignore it . take a coat because its more likely to rain .

Cyclist ,,they used be targets but now they think they own the roads , they peddle in the middle of the road no matter how many there are ,they wont get out the way and iff you get too close to them ,,guaranteed with in minutes ,your car details are plastered onto you tube .
Trains are often on strike and services are totally unreliable.

If you are driving around ,speed limits vary from 20-60mph and back to 20 in a matter of a few hundred yards ( yes thats Wales and a few other places .
Congestion and emission charges in many major cities .
Other than the above ,,enjoy

 

[SilliamWhale]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

I think you are spreading yourselft too thinly trying to do see all that in a week.

There would be loads of interesting farmers for you to visit but I would think focus on what you want to see? Technical stuff, innovation or just nice farms?

 

[Jerry]

Go north/south or south/north.

You will see a huge variation in ground/stock/climate/farming in what you will think of a sort distance.

Im down in the south and it’s vastly different to other areas. Our climate varies massively

This was the other day here after moving sheep.

what time of year you thinking?

 

[Rich_ard]

I think you are spreading yourselft too thinly trying to do see all that in a week.

There would be loads of interesting farmers for you to visit but I would think focus on what you want to see? Technical stuff, innovation or just nice farms?

By spending a bit of time on the forum they will find similar minded farmers who have things in common. There are a few folk I'd ask to visit if I was thinking similar.

 

[upnortheast]

If you wanted someone to do the organising legwork for you there is a lady called Caroline Cree who runs an excellent company called field farm tours who would help. They have a massive list of contacts throughout the UK
Otherwise decide on your route and come on here and ask. for example beef breeding farm near Carlisle. Good chance you would get some offers .

Field Farm Tours

Field Farm Tours Ltd are a UK specialist in the organisation of farming based tours worldwide, the preferred agent for many cattle society congresses and providers of agricultural event accommodation.

www.fieldfarmtours.co.uk

 

[Chae1]

@unlacedgecko has links with farming in the US.

Perhaps he could help?

 

[unlacedgecko]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

Easily achievable.

As others have said you will need to shrink your geographic area, or plan for longer than a week.

In August 2023 I flew to Houston, Tx and hired a car. I spent the next 2 weeks and 4,000 miles visiting interesting ranchers and farmers in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Washington.

It will mostly organised from social media, then some of those people recommended others nearby. I also found a couple of people from Google, and sometimes saw interesting things from the highway, drove up a drive and knocked on the door.

Many things transcend cultures and people were extremely welcoming.

At its most basic just book a flight, hire a car and start driving. Feel free to PM me, or message on WhatsApp +447842 071126.

 

[xmilkr]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

Hi Chris, l was in the same boat when l turned fifty, planned a holiday in Canada picked all the places to visit including the Calgary Stampede, knew a few farms l could visit but mainly exploring
Canada, booked all the places then two friends heard l was going and insisted they came with me so l had to re buck, six of us flew to Canada just in time for the Stampede then spent three weeks and three thousand miles touring western Canada, my first holiday in over thirty years, then a year later a one in a million farming couple asked, we are going to see our daughter in New Zealand
does any one want to come with us, that lovely couple took thirty of us to N. Z. for five weeks, we all paid our fairs but what a farming holiday.
A year later that same couple planned a trip to Australia, within ten years they planned and carried out farming holidays to N. Z. Bali, Australia, Singapor, Thialand, South Africa, America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Patagonia, l was lucky enough to go on every one as some years previously an aunt left us £26000. to have a good holiday that took us around the world all because of a really marveluose one in a million farming couple.

 

[Macsky]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

A week to cover Scotland, NI and northern England doesn’t sound like much fun at all I’m afraid, you’d want at least a week in each area if you want to do much other than travelling.

 

[melted welly]

Hello from the northern U.S.. Spring is just getting started here. Grass is greening up nicely and some early leaves are poking out of the trees. Almost done with calving.

My wife and I raise beef cattle in Minnesota and would love to travel to the UK someday.

How realistic would it be for us to visit with farmers there? We'd like to spend about a week skipping around Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England, etc. and have zero interest in tourist traps or big cities. My bride would love to spend time with cattle and sheep, and I might lean more towards equipment and crops, but I raised sheep when I was younger, so everything and anything for both of us would be nice to learn about. We're generally friendly people, but not overly talkative. We're in our 30's and in good shape, so walking plenty is fine, and stopping by a pub here and there would be great.

Is this just a silly pipe dream? Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Thank you for having me on the forum.

Chris

We’re a small country compared to the US, but there’s a huge variety of things going on in relatively close proximity. If you’re planning combining with farm/people visits around Scotland, NI and northern England, youre only gonna fit in one or two visits in each place. Give yourself more time, or come back again. Come to Scotland in June, and visit the west coast before the midges come out, it’s stunning (our east coast isnt too shabby either mind)

ps. We’re actually quite friendly and nice, our teeth aren’t as bad as your media make out and contrary to Hollywood stereotypes, a British accent doesn’t automatically mean international crime lord.

 

[in-too-deep]

Very welcome here. Mixed farm- beef, sheep, arable, vines. Small English village with a great pub.
Close to historic Salisbury, Winchester, Stonehenge and you can take the train to London for a day trip if you like.

Thank you!

 

[in-too-deep]

We’re a small country compared to the US, but there’s a huge variety of things going on in relatively close proximity. If you’re planning combining with farm/people visits around Scotland, NI and northern England, youre only gonna fit in one or two visits in each place. Give yourself more time, or come back again. Come to Scotland in June, and visit the west coast before the midges come out, it’s stunning (our east coast isnt too shabby either mind)

ps. We’re actually quite friendly and nice, our teeth aren’t as bad as your media make out and contrary to Hollywood stereotypes, a British accent doesn’t automatically mean international crime lord.

I don't buy into those stereotypes, anyway. I think we'd get along very well.

 

[in-too-deep]

A week to cover Scotland, NI and northern England doesn’t sound like much fun at all I’m afraid, you’d want at least a week in each area if you want to do much other than travelling.

I'm thinking you're right. Is that a Cheviot in your picture? I used to raise them. Only a handful, though, when I was a teenager.