Our family has 17 acres of quality free draining land, passed down from my grandfather.
Currently rented as silage ground to a dairy farmer who's hanging up his clusters next year apparently and grazed over winter by my uncle's sheep. Plenty of dairy men in the area who would snap it up, but we've always had a notion if we could get a better return from the ground through other means.
Would holding onto it, use for winter grazing by the uncle's sheep and making equestrian hay / haylage or baling silage to sell either from the field or stored and sold over winter be a better means? We have some machinery gathering dust, and I'm working for a contractor who'll let me bale it with his kit without issue should it come to it, so machinery cost would be minimal. Bale storage indoor or out isn't much of an issue, unless we get a phenomenal crop.
Anything else?
Or save the hassle and re-rent to another farmer in the area? Not shy of the work, just want to maximise the return from the ground, for all the difference would be. Fully understand any self managed option be much more hassle for only a few quid more (if even), but my father is recently retired, so would keep him busy over summer, and we both love the work. Exploring the options.
Current farmer renting it has treated it fantastically over the last 20 odd years, and would much rather rent again at a fair rate to someone trusted who'll continue this on, if rent is the pick.
Currently rented as silage ground to a dairy farmer who's hanging up his clusters next year apparently and grazed over winter by my uncle's sheep. Plenty of dairy men in the area who would snap it up, but we've always had a notion if we could get a better return from the ground through other means.
Would holding onto it, use for winter grazing by the uncle's sheep and making equestrian hay / haylage or baling silage to sell either from the field or stored and sold over winter be a better means? We have some machinery gathering dust, and I'm working for a contractor who'll let me bale it with his kit without issue should it come to it, so machinery cost would be minimal. Bale storage indoor or out isn't much of an issue, unless we get a phenomenal crop.
Anything else?
Or save the hassle and re-rent to another farmer in the area? Not shy of the work, just want to maximise the return from the ground, for all the difference would be. Fully understand any self managed option be much more hassle for only a few quid more (if even), but my father is recently retired, so would keep him busy over summer, and we both love the work. Exploring the options.
Current farmer renting it has treated it fantastically over the last 20 odd years, and would much rather rent again at a fair rate to someone trusted who'll continue this on, if rent is the pick.
