Free land

[Drillman]

nowt to do with me and I have no real understanding of this particular scenario. But it seems as though a cover crop/sheep graze one year then cereal the next and repeat would be a good option.

Or maybe some sort of grazing for a few years maybe with stitching a bit of fresh seed in on an annual basis then back to arable would work.

If it really is for nowt and you can get some sort of security time wise on it it must be worth a go.

 

[Mr Charisma]

Question ,,,,, how long is this land free for ,,,,,,,,, in my experience there are never many free dinners out there

 

[David.]

Take it to prevent somebody else getting it. Doesn't matter if it makes a profit or not, just as long as "they" don't have it.

 

[Kevtherev]

It would be interesting to see what a 50/50 cover crop / cash crop rotation would do ?

no need to plough it (to expensive) but costs to rotate cover crop then say wheat or oats would be interesting, organic matter and biology would improve quite rapidly and maybe it would buffer the pH and nutritional issues without reaching for the cheque book for bottles and bags ???

If you can guarantee it for a fixed term then it's worth doing I'd have thought?

 

[Simon Chiles]

If you were offered rent free land, no BPS ................BUT it was utter shite, i.e. terrible drainage, zero indices of most nutrients, not kind to work etc

would you take it ? and what would you do with it ?? (assume you are an arable farmer and it must be cropped)

Walk away unless you can get it for at least 10 years. It's not as though you need the work. You'll sort it out and get it productive for either the rent to go up or someone else will get it, probably both. It's very easy to be a busy fool and earn nothing.

 

[Clive]

Walk away unless you can get it for at least 10 years. It's not as though you need the work. You'll sort it out and get it productive for either the rent to go up or someone else will get it, probably both. It's very easy to be a busy fool and earn nothing.

I probably will pass on it, besides anything else I can't get excited about farming rubbish !

comes to something though when land is basically worthless to a farmer ! and some still think farming cant destroy soils !!

 

[capfits]

185 acres to let on 5 year fbt just south of Brum with similar remit. Rent free till September then rent payable. Not been cropped for a year and in need of some tlc. Be interesting to see how much rent it is deemed worth. Under Bruton Knowles.
Land at Walton Pool, Clent
Stourbridge, Worcestershire DY9 9RN

Was down that way last summer on a canal boat. Coming from a mixed farming area I was really surprised how much of the land was wall to wall arable, and to my eye, a lot of it looked pretty ropey, wet feet and deficient I would suspect in manganese. The land really looked like it really needed livestock in the rotation.

 

[solo]

I've come to a similar conclusion with the land I mentioned earlier. A lot of work for little financial reward especially with 5 yr agreement. Next 5 yr would be £150/acre or walk away with little to show for your efforts apart from job satisfaction if you've managed to turn it around.

 

[solo]

Was down that way last summer on a canal boat. Coming from a mixed farming area I was really surprised how much of the land was wall to wall arable, and to my eye, a lot of it looked pretty ropey, wet feet and deficient I would suspect in manganese. The land really looked like it really needed livestock in the rotation.

The land to the west of Dudley can be very light black sand which is more drought and manganese prone. There are good bits around but not often available for sale or rent. There was a huge amount of sugar beet grown around this area before the factories closed. Livestock is not as common as it used to be as arable was more profitable for less effort. I don't own livestock anymore but work with a local beef and sheep producer to keep the muck rotating around the land.

 

[Pasty]

Probably wants mob stocking for 10 years with little return. The reward would come after that.

 

[Grassman]

If you dont particularly need or want it why not just leave it alone.
It may be an opportunity for a young farmer to get started rather than swallowed up into a big unit.

 

[johnflimston]

Surely no-til would instantly improve it!

No till not much good with poor drainage

 

[Drillman]

If you dont particularly need or want it why not just leave it alone.
It may be an opportunity for a young farmer to get started rather than swallowed up into a big unit.

How about a livestock based partnership with a young person. Clive supply inputs and let the other party bring stockman/woman skills to the party. Maybe something in it for both of you?

 

[caveman]

Could your shepherd use it?
If it was me, I would encourage the owners to make the outer boundary stock proof (a capital expenditure that they could maybe offset elswhere) and then split it into four myself and rotate native cattle around it, one week on, three weeks off, moving them once a week.

 

[Brisel]

If you were offered rent free land, no BPS ................BUT it was utter shite, i.e. terrible drainage, zero indices of most nutrients, not kind to work etc

would you take it ? and what would you do with it ?? (assume you are an arable farmer and it must be cropped)

Based on the above criteria? Be VERY careful. Building P, K & Mg indices to 2 from 0 plus liming to a sensible pH will cost YOU hundreds of pounds per acre. Raising phosphate by 1 index requires at least 250 kg/ha of P2O5. At todays' P values you can do the maths easily enough. If the land is prone to waterlogging & needs draining to be viable for cropping then that's another £1200/acre with sand membrane on the drains add extra for ditching too.

I would discuss a full schedule of condition then mutually agree a valuation for the tenant's improvements if you improve its productivity as YOU are improving THEIR asset value at your own expense in the current ag climate.

If you can't agree on this improvement value then walk away. Some young buck fresh from ag college will bid £150/acre for it, think they got a bargain then lose three times that trying to farm it. Wait until they go pop then step in

FBT or contract farming?

 

[Darren]

Get it then sell it on to some gullible foreign types in the belief they're allowed to build a mosque, takeaway, houses or whatever they desire. "Only 5 grand an acre mate pp is in the post" job done

 

[Clive]

Based on the above criteria? Be VERY careful. Building P, K & Mg indices to 2 from 0 plus liming to a sensible pH will cost YOU hundreds of pounds per acre. Raising phosphate by 1 index requires at least 250 kg/ha of P2O5. At todays' P values you can do the maths easily enough. If the land is prone to waterlogging & needs draining to be viable for cropping then that's another £1200/acre with sand membrane on the drains add extra for ditching too.

I would discuss a full schedule of condition then mutually agree a valuation for the tenant's improvements if you improve its productivity as YOU are improving THEIR asset value at your own expense in the current ag climate.

If you can't agree on this improvement value then walk away. Some young buck fresh from ag college will bid £150/acre for it, think they got a bargain then lose three times that trying to farm it. Wait until they go pop then step in

FBT or contract farming?

its not worth spending on and i doubt the owner would either - its owned with long term development in mind and short term is just a BPS "mule" - it would be FBT but having slept on it with other things we have going on it I really don't need this kind of rubbish

anyone paying proper rent for land like that would lose a fortune - I think its probably best suited to some kind of extensive livestock enterprise !

 

[Hampton]

its not worth spending on and i doubt the owner would either - its owned with long term development in mind and short term is just a BPS "mule" - it would be FBT but having slept on it with other things we have going on it I really don't need this kind of rubbish

anyone paying proper rent for land like that would lose a fortune - I think its probably best suited to some kind of extensive livestock enterprise !

I asked earlier, but I don't think you have replied.
Is the soil clay over sandstone or lighter red soil?
If the sandstone is close to the surface, is it on undulating land and due to a rock fault? Or is the land flat?
All this makes a difference, as sandstone can be very good natural drainage due to fissures in the rock.
Indices can be altered, but if it's just thin good soil over rock, then you can grow for crop need without spending a fortune.

 

[Clive]

I asked earlier, but I don't think you have replied.
Is the soil clay over sandstone or lighter red soil?
If the sandstone is close to the surface, is it on undulating land and due to a rock fault? Or is the land flat?
All this makes a difference, as sandstone can be very good natural drainage due to fissures in the rock.
Indices can be altered, but if it's just thin good soil over rock, then you can grow for crop need without spending a fortune.

its undulating land, not flat, there is not much clay content, its reclaimed land so forget any natural drainage from bedrock etc

 

[Hampton]

its undulating land, not flat, there is not much clay content, its reclaimed land so forget any natural drainage from bedrock etc

Ok