Fifteen acres??

[Mcclelland]

met a lady who had just retired.She was telling me she her two sisters and parents ran a 15 acres holing in Shropshire,which they still have today.These few acres were used to milk fifteen cows and provided a living for the father throughout his life .Today they tell you a minimum of 200 acres is needed to live So what has happened with the passing of years to our country life?

 

[serf]

 

[Bokey]

Continued mechanisation and efficiency, trains were the start of the downfall now we hardly need any labour and can produce more for less, supply outstripped demand and its only going one way, in the end they'll be a handful of mega farms running the job and then the rich and powerful will have absolute power

 

[Bald Rick]

Can make an extraordinary living off only a few acres … or even less with the right herb

Just need to think outside the box or be lucky enough to sell for development

 

[delilah]

Loads of people making a living from 15 acres.

https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/

https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/

 

[Still Farming]

You cut your cloth accordingly!

 

[Wood field]

Get big or get out brigade will be here shortly

 

[JP1]

Watching C5 70's supermarket programme now

As well as Watneys Party Seven tins they showed a chest freezer in Tescos. Birds Eye peas were 48p then , you can see how scale and mechanisation has driven prices down

 

[Bokey]

Can make an extraordinary living off only a few acres … or even less with the right herb

Just need to think outside the box or be lucky enough to sell for development

Saffron?

 

[Still Farming]

Watching C5 70's supermarket programme now

As well as Watneys Party Seven tins they showed a chest freezer in Tescos. Birds Eye peas were 48p then , you can see how scale and mechanisation has driven prices down

And supermarkets profits up.

 

[JP1]

And supermarkets profits up.

Think Jack Cohen was already making decent ££

How they've changed the distribution mechanism is incredible . I can remember manufacturer trucks delivering to stores etc

 

[Still Farming]

Think Jack Cohen was already making decent ££

How they've changed the distribution mechanism is incredible . I can remember manufacturer trucks delivering to stores etc

Selling damaged tins off Sainsbury's

 

[kiwi pom]

15 acres would be more than enough to live on I'd expect, if you were prepared to put the work in and live a certain way.
We want more than that these days though don't we? Don't realise how lucky we are.

 

[Mcclelland]

Loads of people making a living from 15 acres.

https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/

https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/

Well maybe so,perhaps I just haven’t met them during my 72years on this planet! But enlighten me are any of those replying who say it can be done etc.actually farming such an acreage and speaking from experience?Its like saying as we all have two legs there’s no reason why everyone can’t run a four minute mile,lots of folk have done it!

 

[toquark]

22 acres here, sheep and directly marketed hens and Xmas trees. A couple of hen sheds and there would be a living on it. Chap before us had mushroom houses and made a living. A friend runs a plant nursery on 10 acres and lives well. It can be done, just not the same way the previous generations did it.

 

[Bald Rick]

Well maybe so,perhaps I just haven’t met them during my 72years on this planet! But enlighten me are any of those replying who say it can be done etc.actually farming such an acreage and speaking from experience?Its like saying as we all have two legs there’s no reason why everyone can’t run a four minute mile,lots of folk have done it!

Be a struggle traditional farming on 15ac unless very specialised or horticultural/bottom fruit.

Met a woman once turning over £1m+ per acre but growing very specialist herbs

 

[Bwcho]

Be a struggle traditional farming on 15ac unless very specialised or horticultural/bottom fruit.

Met a woman once turning over £1m+ per acre but growing very specialist herbs

The "herb"-like plant that seems to be very profitable around here is very common unfortunately

 

[tractorsandcows]

The "herb"-like plant that seems to be very profitable around here is very common unfortunately

And growing it can lead to you living very cheaply

 

[Kidds]

I have roughly 15 acres that I make an income off, in fact of those 15 I don't even use 6 of them. It isn't difficult but nor is it 15 cows.

On the flip side I know at least half a dozen people who make an even better living just by walking other people's' dogs for them. Go and tell the old boys that and see what they think.
The world has changed.

 

[mwj]

What was the living that they made? If we were spending only on the things they lived from, it would be a very stark existence.

Sometimes the ''good old days'' were not as nice as some think.