Can we all carry on farming?

[Exfarmer]

The reality is russians have 2000 tanks. Ukraine is size of france and germany. May i suggest most rural ukraine will never see a russian. So it depends on political stability and availability of fuel etc. and port facilities not blown up for export. Just my ignorant thoughts? Welcome better knowledge.

Nato reckons Russia has 13,000 battle tanks

 

[ollie989898]

Nato reckons Russia has 13,000 battle tanks

Any crew for them, any spares or fuel? Are they all in working order?

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I don’t know if we can carry on.
Not that we don’t want to.
The combine is 40 this year.
The splines on the half shafts have actually worn out. One side sheared them completely last year and we lost drive. Replaced with a part from a scrap yard but only half of the joint so won’t last long.
The engine is blowing as much exhaust gas out the breather as the exhaust when you open her up and despite all efforts with cooling system etc she tends to run hot. Spool valve block is leaking internally so won’t keep drum speed. John Deere want £5000 for a new block so hawking it round the independent hydraulic specialists is only hope.
Forget buying a replacement machine. Secondhand out of our league.
I’d say we are getting near to end of farming it ourselves.
And buying fertiliser for next year??!!!
Normally we buy in June but this year I reckon it will cost us £40k for a 200 acre arable farm if we do it “properly”. £200 an acre on fertiliser?
Not really sustainable on grade 3.
If commodities remain high we could cover the increased costs maybe even make a good profit but it’s suddenly become a very high stakes game where if it goes wrong we’d be looking at a forced sale rather than a dip into our own reserves.
What to do? Crop half, let some? Do another job? Get a contractor in? Let the lot to my cousin? Carry on till the combine finally blows?

When you put it like that some of the elms options look attractive.

 

[teslacoils]

Farms look to be a good investment, however compare them to houses or even a decent pension fund and you'll find this not the case. Over a period of time.

 

[David.]

Farms are a good investment, if you are sheltering money that wasn't earned farming from IHT and CGT when you die.

 

[teslacoils]

Farms are a good investment, if you are sheltering money that wasn't earned farming from IHT and CGT when you die.

Just do some decent tax planning in advance.

 

[David.]

But you don't want to run out of money before you die, and you can't give assets away for IHT and reserve benefit from them for yourself.

 

[PostHarvest]

Ukraine is size of france and germany

Actually, in terms of total land area, Ukraine is about 10% larger than France and about twice the size of Germany. I agree its quite a big country, and I've spent many days travelling around most of it.

 

[N.Yorks.]

Realistically with fertiliser prices still rising and my fuel supplier is saying Red diesel will just hit parity with white diesel very shortly, can we actually carry on?
Just looking at our combine as it’s going to cost us £45,000 in fuel alone this coming harvest if Red diesel hits £1.50/l.
Had a guy come today for an interview and he wanted £15/hour with a guaranteed 60 hour week all year round. Tried to explain to him that it’s not viable due to input prices increasing and he just didn’t get it.
We were going to spend £100,000 prior to harvest on a used tractor and a couple of pieces of used equipment but we’ve shelved that idea. I’m uncomfortable using cash reserves just to carry on farming and having a couple of years off producing crops looks very attractive at the minute. Luckily we’re diversified so could retain existing staff and be ok. What’s everybody else thinking?

AB15 Sown legume fallow CS option on as much as you can, that scales back your cereal area, reduces costs, lets the fertiliser situation settle, helps deal with any blackgrass, improves soil structure and builds some fertility back (higher organic matter etc).

Gives you time to think about rotation etc etc going forward?

 

[Lincsman]

I don’t know if we can carry on.
Not that we don’t want to.
The combine is 40 this year.
The splines on the half shafts have actually worn out. One side sheared them completely last year and we lost drive. Replaced with a part from a scrap yard but only half of the joint so won’t last long.
The engine is blowing as much exhaust gas out the breather as the exhaust when you open her up and despite all efforts with cooling system etc she tends to run hot. Spool valve block is leaking internally so won’t keep drum speed. John Deere want £5000 for a new block so hawking it round the independent hydraulic specialists is only hope.
Forget buying a replacement machine. Secondhand out of our league.
I’d say we are getting near to end of farming it ourselves.
And buying fertiliser for next year??!!!
Normally we buy in June but this year I reckon it will cost us £40k for a 200 acre arable farm if we do it “properly”. £200 an acre on fertiliser?
Not really sustainable on grade 3.
If commodities remain high we could cover the increased costs maybe even make a good profit but it’s suddenly become a very high stakes game where if it goes wrong we’d be looking at a forced sale rather than a dip into our own reserves.
What to do? Crop half, let some? Do another job? Get a contractor in? Let the lot to my cousin? Carry on till the combine finally blows?

While bps is still there have you worked out your income if you dont leave the house?

 

[jendan]

While bps is still there have you worked out your income if you dont leave the house?

The outgoers scheme might be a plan.You can still keep the house and 12 acres,or plant trees on all of it.

 

[Hillside]

Cracking on yesterday in the Ukraine

kraine

 

[The Seeker]

Wonder what the deal is with application rates over there

 

[jondear]

Average UK farmer would rather have 1000 acres at a loss than 100 acres at a profit.

Big has always been beautiful in farmers eyes !

 

[teslacoils]

But you don't want to run out of money before you die, and you can't give assets away for IHT and reserve benefit from them for yourself.

If you cant rely on your children supporting you in your old age if you pass on assets on to them early, do you really want to leave them anything after you die?

 

[Flatlander]

And with the changing political winds there is no guarantee someone won't try and tax agricultural land somehow!

Property tax has been here long since I was here. My bill to the local authorities was just over 52k last year. Fir that I get gravel roads graded occasionally and snow ploughed. Rubbish I take to the dump and pay to leave behind. Only thing I can really say I benefit from is the school system. Either way it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

 

[ollie989898]

Property tax has been here long since I was here. My bill to the local authorities was just over 52k last year. Fir that I get gravel roads graded occasionally and snow ploughed. Rubbish I take to the dump and pay to leave behind. Only thing I can really say I benefit from is the school system. Either way it’s a bitter pill to swallow.

Sounds fine to me, tax is the price of admission to a great society.

 

[Jackov Altraids]

When you put it like that some of the elms options look attractive.

If inflation keeps going, the payments at the end of the scheme may not be worth very much and the cost to start/ increase production could be considerable.

 

[steveR]

Does no one else think its not healthy wanting guaranteed 60 hours/ week year round?

I would imagine it would be some dodgy ground if the employee had a driving incident/accident....

 

[steveR]

Same here, often stand up on the bike on way into Monty just to see what’s going on in the land of milk and honey

Ahh, but you are coming in from the Hilly end of the county rather than the lush flatlands of the N Shropshire plain...