- Location
- Lincolnshire
It's an affront. As our vicar used to say, before we got a PC one, "Forgive them, it will do more at them than holding a grudge".
Creepy Christmas gift.
- Thread starter traineefarmer
- Start date
- Location
- East Sussex
This is a very good book and should be compulsory reading for all farmers as I am sure all of the Civil servants in Defra and Natural England have been given it as compulsory research. This is exactly where the money will be put as BPS is phased out and environmental payments take over.
I recently went to a talk by Charlie Burrell and as I knew something of the background to the Knepp Estate from the neighbours it was quite revealing how the finances work. This was a very run down estate when he inherited it and was mostly arable on poor land that was badly managed with far too much labour and as such was losing money.
It was a brave decision to do nothing and "rewild" but having no debt and getting rid of all the costs and just taking the SFP seemed a logical thing to do.
However when questioned about how the economics of this works today I was told the land agent pulls his hair out every year doing the BPS claim as it is difficult to decide what is eligible and what is not. Obviously there are large environmental payments and the Longhorn beef cattle seem to do well. It must be a headache finding them and ear tagging the calves though!!
They blocked up rivers to make it wetter and they also have large numbers of Deer which have taken over and are culled for meat.
Enjoy reading it!
I recently went to a talk by Charlie Burrell and as I knew something of the background to the Knepp Estate from the neighbours it was quite revealing how the finances work. This was a very run down estate when he inherited it and was mostly arable on poor land that was badly managed with far too much labour and as such was losing money.
It was a brave decision to do nothing and "rewild" but having no debt and getting rid of all the costs and just taking the SFP seemed a logical thing to do.
However when questioned about how the economics of this works today I was told the land agent pulls his hair out every year doing the BPS claim as it is difficult to decide what is eligible and what is not. Obviously there are large environmental payments and the Longhorn beef cattle seem to do well. It must be a headache finding them and ear tagging the calves though!!
They blocked up rivers to make it wetter and they also have large numbers of Deer which have taken over and are culled for meat.
Enjoy reading it!
- Location
- Mid Norfolk
I would like to take issue with those commenting on this thread with "You should read it", "It's a good book" or "you might learn something"
I didn't intend this thread to become some sort of TFF Book Club.
Had this publication come up in general discussion as a recommended read, I may well have taken a look. The issue I am trying to highlight is the way in which it was delivered. Unlabelled. At Christmas. To my aging parents.
A coward clearly trying to send a message. As I said earlier, we have a pretty good idea who sent it and I wouldn't be surprised if our farming neighbour also received one.
When I see said suspect, I shall wish him a Happy New Year and cheerfully than him for the gift. The twit.
I didn't intend this thread to become some sort of TFF Book Club.
Had this publication come up in general discussion as a recommended read, I may well have taken a look. The issue I am trying to highlight is the way in which it was delivered. Unlabelled. At Christmas. To my aging parents.
A coward clearly trying to send a message. As I said earlier, we have a pretty good idea who sent it and I wouldn't be surprised if our farming neighbour also received one.
When I see said suspect, I shall wish him a Happy New Year and cheerfully than him for the gift. The twit.
- Location
- Mid Norfolk
Hmmm. Twit isn't what I typed. What I REALLY wanted to put DEFINITELY wouldn't have made it through the swear filter.
averageguy54
Member
- Location
- New Brunswick, Canada
Might be more fun to say nought and leave them guessing.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
This. If he’s really trying to be clever, it’s much more effective not to rise to it.
If it’s the OP’s paranoia, then no harm done either.
Red Fred
Member
- Location
- Hants/Dorset border
You could say nothing but just do it back- wrap up a copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and leave it on his doorstep after he has gone to bed.
Mr Mackay
Member
- Location
- HMP Slade , Shropshire
You put T W U N T didnt you ??
Trainee farmer by name @traineefarmer by nature....you have much to learn my friend!
yes and he is not alone
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Spot on. I agree.
But don't expect universal approval of your opinion from a social media platform such as this one.
Some are trying to appease and cosy up to these twits. They naively think we can either win them over them or meet them halfway or maybe that we should even capitulate entirely to their balmy ideas and we will all live happily ever after eating nuts and roadkill in wilderness UK.
We can't without wrecking UK agriculture and probably also ending the concept of private property and life as we know it.
But hey ho.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
As far as I see it, the Knepp Estate have been able to indulge their ideas because they've received shed loads of CAP subsidies which by rights they should not have been eligible for. BPS is for land kept in GAEC, and thats specifically NOT what they were aiming for. Only because they have the connections/first mover advantage have they been able to get the powers that be to agree to a large Environmental Scheme AND keep their BPS on top. This amount of public subsidy is never going to be available to everyone, so it ill behoves them to champion their ideas from the roof tops when its almost guaranteed that they are the only people who will ever be able to get such a generous deal. Personally if I'd been receiving the thick end of £500k/yr from the tax payer for doing absolutely nothing (other than owning a capital asset worth the thick part of £50m) I'd be keeping pretty quiet about it, not writing books about how wonderful I am.
Incidentally as I've got no crops in at all at the moment, and am contemplating leaving the whole lot fallow until next autumn, can I not top it all next summer on the grounds that if GAEC does not apply to Knepp, why should it apply to me either?
Incidentally as I've got no crops in at all at the moment, and am contemplating leaving the whole lot fallow until next autumn, can I not top it all next summer on the grounds that if GAEC does not apply to Knepp, why should it apply to me either?
- Location
- Lincolnshire
And if rewilding happens on a large scale and much land generates no tax revenue whatsoever but just soaks up public funds, who pays for schools and hospitals?
If farming is lost, then so is a a lot of the supply industry with yet more people out of productive work and not paying taxes.
Then more food is imported, more environmental destruction out of sight out of mind abroad.
Rewilding is an indulgence of westerners who have lost understanding of the fundamentals of how human society works.
We can and do already farm reasonably efficiently and while doing evermore to help the environment.
Don't let these loonies destroy your confidence and wreck farming.
Crack on and leave them behind, stewing in their own juice.
If farming is lost, then so is a a lot of the supply industry with yet more people out of productive work and not paying taxes.
Then more food is imported, more environmental destruction out of sight out of mind abroad.
Rewilding is an indulgence of westerners who have lost understanding of the fundamentals of how human society works.
We can and do already farm reasonably efficiently and while doing evermore to help the environment.
Don't let these loonies destroy your confidence and wreck farming.
Crack on and leave them behind, stewing in their own juice.
Mr Mackay
Member
- Location
- HMP Slade , Shropshire
Society is too well off at present (by and large ) to worry about food availability ! How things can change !!
- Location
- Yelverton, UK
Someone sent me a half burnt sock once - scared the willies out of me but I chucked it away and told him it was the thought that counts.
Its miserable when someone plays psycho games.
Its miserable when someone plays psycho games.
In my opinion hypocritical do gooders in society are increasing at an alarming rate, as everyone wants to do their bit for society, but then turning round and enjoying 21st century living . To undo our pollution of the planet will never happen at this rate, as surely the ever increasing world population will be polluting the planet for decades to come,but perhaps bit more slowly than we are now.
Personally, when I say I might learn something, I mean literally that, and don't intend any slight on you. There's always opportunities to increase your knowledge if you want to.
As a convinced conventional farmer, for example, I have absolutely no intention of going organic, but still read reports of organic events and literature in the hope of gaining insights into how I can grow things cheaper or better in the future. A case in point is the horrendous possibility of the banning of glyphosate, and it's possible that reading about how organic arable farmers manage their crops may teach me something new.
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It's the same as "celebrities" with loads of friendly contacts in PR or TV production, using their money to buy a farm and a Gator, and some rare breeds etc, and then making some speciality cheese or yoghurt whilst telling everyone who will listen how we could all be profitably organic, and retail direct to the public, if we were not so blinkered.
This is my problem with it.
It's the same as "celebrities" with loads of friendly contacts in PR or TV production, using their money to buy a farm and a Gator, and some rare breeds etc, and then making some speciality cheese or yoghurt whilst telling everyone who will listen how we could all be profitably organic, and retail direct to the public, if we were not so blinkered.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
To my aged and cynical mind this stinks of fraud and probably cronyism and what I want to know if how civil servants get away with it? Take it through the proper complaints procedure and you'll probably be told it needs to go to judicial review which will cost you a five figure sum, minimum, and you probably won't win anyway.