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Farming in France
- Thread starter Walterp
- Start date
Niels
Member
- Location
- Netherlands/Suffolk
- Location
- Derbyshire
My Dad sold our place in the UK and moved to France to retire... He is only 57 ish. At the time, I was really hacked off. If I'm honest, I think Im still a bit hacked off but I cant really work out why. It's weird - he has turned into exactly the type of person that winds me up. The two of them bought a small farm with a MASSIVE house and they renovated it and made it EVEN BIGGER. Now he is talking about putting in electric gates! They have 20 hectares, which he mows for hay each year (the neighbouring farm does). They now live in a beautiful place, rattle around in a huge house and drink from about 12pm each day. Dad struggles to find anything to do all day so he dreams up new projects which usually include building new barns or extending the house. When we visit, he spends all of his time telling us how happy he is while he wonders around with a face like a slapped be-hind snapping at everybody....
- Location
- Derbyshire
- Location
- Derbyshire
Perhaps I'm a bit jealous...
or worried about what happens when we have kids.
or worried about what happens when we have kids.
Good on him. You being hacked off sounds like you felt you had a right to something. In that event what is it about English that dictates X happens when old man passes on. Least as this thread shows up equal share for all.
- Location
- Derbyshire
I think I was hacked off because I had to sell all of my stock and I guess we felt a bit like they werent concerned about us. I don't think I thought about it enough to think I had a right to anything.
My Dad is a stubborn man (we love him for it but it is his own worst enemy). I suspect someone in the family said he wouldnt do it so he stuck his fingers up at them and did it!
My Dad is a stubborn man (we love him for it but it is his own worst enemy). I suspect someone in the family said he wouldnt do it so he stuck his fingers up at them and did it!
- Location
- Limousin, France
Don't think I will ever be fluent but I prattle away. Talk with the neighbours and go to all the French meetings. Read Ok but writing it is where I fall down. Phone and meet who I want now but we faxed our way through the first few years. Never be as good as nxy but he knows big words in English too.
GenuineRisk
Member
- Location
- Somerset
Well, I lived in Switzerland for a year, so my accent is decidedly sing-song and definitely not Parisian
(ou Parisienne?!)....
(ou Parisienne?!)....
north shore of lake geneva is the best place in the world to live
it s southern aspect overlooking the lake onto the alps beyond
oh and the fact that the neighbours mostly own countries means you are incredably rich
and the high walls and security gates mean you can keep out marauding welshmen trying to service your daughters
sorry this was meant to be in if you could farm anywhere thread
I must leave the wine alone
it s southern aspect overlooking the lake onto the alps beyond
oh and the fact that the neighbours mostly own countries means you are incredably rich
and the high walls and security gates mean you can keep out marauding welshmen trying to service your daughters
sorry this was meant to be in if you could farm anywhere thread
I must leave the wine alone
- Location
- Limousin
I visited some Swiss dairy farms about 10 years ago and couldn't believe the incomes they were getting from herds of about 20 cows. Large houses BMW's in the garage all the toys for the farm and I even remember they got a subsidy for having bells around the cows necks in the tourist areas.
Hobo
Member
- Location
- Montlucon Allier France
No were not a client of David Wilson
And as far as I know David is no longer doing installations or farm sales
Hobo
Member
- Location
- Montlucon Allier France
The Claas combine in my pic belongs to my local contractor. We only do about 25h of cereal each year and he can cut that in a few hours.
Grain moisture well under 15% and the best that i have seen is 11%.
Most of the agri contractors in this area just have the big machines like combines or SF silage harvesters with the neighbors helping out with tractors and trailers.
Hobo
Member
- Location
- Montlucon Allier France
We are lucky enough to have an auction market like in the UK close to us that we use to sell all our cattle through. Which is one of just a hand full of such markets France. Must cattle are traded through dealers,buying groups or coops.
The market sell an average 600 cattle a week. With the export buyers present. Most of the younger aminals going through the market go straight for export. And the best part is you get your cheque after the animals are sold with most of the other buyers you have to wait 3 to 4 weeks for payment
The sale starts at 7 am each Monday morning stock start to arriving at 6am
http://cadranchateaumeillant.fr/cotations.htm this is the weekly market report if you open the link in Google chrome it will can give you a rough translation of the website
Campbell
Member
- Location
- Herefordshire
My limited experience of French and Euro farming is the culture of sharing kit and helping out neighbours, loads of folks turn up in the field at harvest times, they don't seem to have a tractor for every implement. But I suppose there are more small farms so it makes sense. Also notice the quantity of small vans rather than 4x4s in use. The pub/bar/cafe, shop, post office and garage are often the same place.
- Location
- Limousin, France
Yes, the contractors/ Cuma here have big kit. I try and do it all myself as the previous Frenchman did. Bought a JD935 combine with mate up the road. Can't get contractor to come on time, he was 3 weeks late one year, for my 6 Hc. Bought an Aitchison DD with 4 others. Got all my own baling, wrapping, grassland kit. Muckspreader, Bobcat, 2 tractors Etc. All old kit though, except Aitchison. If I can't do it myself, I change it so I can, exception being Vets.
Lucky to have the cattle market, I wish it was near me. One thing I miss from the Uk is going to market.
Walterp
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Well, at least someone agrees with me about something....
Now if you can get a third consentee, we'll go shares on a bottle of chilled Swiss white in the cloisters of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire at lunchtime one Summer's day; and I will buy the apple tart.
- Location
- Limousin
As a rule they don't do a lot of towing, as animals are generally picked up by the buying groups lorries, so no real need for a 4x4. The Tranny type floats in Hobo's photo are used quite a lot for small numbers of animals and moving to central weighing/pickup points.
Walterp
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Interesting.
My acquaintance, let's call him Russell, retired in his late 40's after selling his business. He built a villa on the Algarve, which was a very nice villa with a pool and everything. Then went to live there with his wife.
What happened? He found that from about midday most days he would open a bottle of chilled white and, during the course of every day, he would himself get progressively chilled until he would fall asleep quite sozzled by ten o'clock. Every day, more or less - because there was nothing left to do.
In the end, Russell came home to the UK instead. He and his wife kept the villa, but he rented it out afterwards and never went back there himself....
Oaklake
Member
- Location
- Höganäs, Sweden
Very interesting thread!
Any good homepages with farms for sale in France?
Any good homepages with farms for sale in France?