Drainage

[Adeptandy]

Struggling to make the figures stack up on wether to have some more drainage done.
Council Farm tenant and anything done to improve the farm carries a 8% charge of capital cost into the rent.
Laat year had a 15 acre field drained at close to £14k cost so just over £1k added to the rent. That field now effectively has had a rent increase of approx £67/acre.
I could do with another 2 fields having some
done, but beginning to think it better to work around the lakes on bad years of high rainfall like the last 2
Another thing to consider, rent review is this year and hearing a 15% increase is being sought

 

[organicguy]

Can you negotiate the drainage against the rent increase?

 

[Adeptandy]

Can you negotiate the drainage against the rent increase?

That will be the plan of attack, but will also be fighting the increase considering the fall in subs starting this year. TBH was surprised they are going for a rise, I would have thought it better to leave well alone until things level out rather than risk defaulters on a higher rent and get nothing

 

[teslacoils]

Length of tenancy? Are the other fields already drained but just need updating?

 

[Ffermer Bach]

so, you rent a farm, and you improve the farm (with your own money), so they increase the rent because the farm is more productive? Thinking about drainage, I was told years ago, that when you own land, it does not pay to put in drainage, let alone when you rent then get charged for the privilege of improving the value of the owners asset.

 

[teslacoils]

No, landlord is improving drainage at a set repayment rate.

Rent increase is seperate.

 

[Adeptandy]

Length of tenancy? Are the other fields already drained but just need updating?

Max 14 years left, payback doing it myself is just about equal, prefer LL to do it as no guarantee I'll be here for the full 14 years if I can't make it pay.
No drainage on the fields that it would be beneficial to drain.

 

[teslacoils]

Get them done then.

 

[Will7]

Get them done then.

I agree

 

[wanton dwarf]

Max 14 years left, payback doing it myself is just about equal, prefer LL to do it as no guarantee I'll be here for the full 14 years if I can't make it pay.
No drainage on the fields that it would be beneficial to drain.

Instead of drainage could you do:

1) Create a pond and get an environmental payment ?

2) Dig a ditch (even if it's piped & covered over) to drain the single spot ? ie form a soak away to existing draingage ditches/system.

 

[Adeptandy]

3 spots on both of the fields covering nearly 5 acre on each. its flat land here, so once it starts there's no real containment area so it spreads quickly. There was a small area on 1 field last year but nothing on the 2nd field. I'm hoping some work after harvest might help

 

[wanton dwarf]

3 spots on both of the fields covering nearly 5 acre on each. its flat land here, so once it starts there's no real containment area so it spreads quickly. There was a small area on 1 field last year but nothing on the 2nd field. I'm hoping some work after harvest might help

So I guess the only other alternative would be a pump then, which is impracticle.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

3 spots on both of the fields covering nearly 5 acre on each. its flat land here, so once it starts there's no real containment area so it spreads quickly. There was a small area on 1 field last year but nothing on the 2nd field. I'm hoping some work after harvest might help [emoji1696]

Can you find the source of the water and get away with a few drains that won't cost a lot

 

[Adeptandy]

Can you find the source of the water and get away with a few drains that won't cost a lot

The source is from the sky.

Could possibly get away with 3 x 200m runs on 1 field, the other would need 15 out of the 20 acre drained due to where the lakes are forming.

 

[Adeptandy]

So I guess the only other alternative would be a pump then, which is impracticle.

Yes, would be time consuming and not easy to sort out.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

The source is from the sky.

Could possibly get away with 3 x 200m runs on 1 field, the other would need 15 out of the 20 acre drained due to where the lakes are forming.

OK
On our farm we the land is split . Free draining that has no drains or ditches . Rain falls on that . Then the other that has springs that burst up , we tap into those and it does the job, Ain't that concerned about the sky stuff . But I suppose it makes its way to the springs somehow

 

[Badshot]

There's probably going to be some quite big payments coming soon for taking land out of production and entering into environmental schemes.
I'd bide my time just a little longer and see.

 

[Kevtherev]

Struggling to make the figures stack up on wether to have some more drainage done.
Council Farm tenant and anything done to improve the farm carries a 8% charge of capital cost into the rent.
Laat year had a 15 acre field drained at close to £14k cost so just over £1k added to the rent. That field now effectively has had a rent increase of approx £67/acre.
I could do with another 2 fields having some
done, but beginning to think it better to work around the lakes on bad years of high rainfall like the last 2
Another thing to consider, rent review is this year and hearing a 15% increase is being sought

Can you do a little bit each year and keep adding to it?
Any land suitable for mole draining?
Cheap and effective short term

 

[Derrick Hughes]

There's probably going to be some quite big payments coming soon for taking land out of production and entering into environmental schemes.
I'd bide my time just a little longer and see.

What does that do to the long term value of your land
Environmental Schemes have been part of farming for many years. Lot of land that was expensively drained with grants in the 70ts has been grant aided again to block the drains
Not my way and never will be

 

[Adeptandy]

OK
On our farm we the land is split . Free draining that has no drains or ditches . Rain falls on that . Then the other that has springs that burst up , we tap into those and it does the job, Ain't that concerned about the sky stuff . But I suppose it makes its way to the springs somehow

1 of todays area's I patched back in to give an idea of the topography