Getting started in the West Mids - advice on finding land to lease please!

[GeneralBobLopez]

Hi everyone!

I'm new on here and I'd love to hear any advice on finding land to lease. I've had a poke around in other bits of the forum, but still feel like I'm missing something. Seems like either hardly anyone is leasing out their land, or it doesnt exchange hands via the internet (or there's a bit of the dark web that newbies like me dont know about). I'm guessing that given a lot of people lease direct to neighbours/ others farmers in the area/ people they already know, there just isnt much that ends up getting advertised? I know that county councils have smallholding estates, but can't find anything on where they advertise their application processes.....

I'm looking for a small acreage to get started in mixed regen farming - the usual Salatino/ Richard Perkins type thing - pastured poultry, maybe cows, some veg, so I'd be looking for more pasture than arable (and of course some woods and little stream would be perfect - I can dream). Near as possible to South Birmingham (family commitments mean we can't move) - so mostly looking in North Worcestershire.

I don't have farming connections up here, as I grew up in West Wales, so don't have an obvious in to start asking around. I read somewhere to try asking auctioneers? I also read about driving around and asking at farms, but that feels a bit intrusive....
Any tips/ advice (or offers of rolling pasture with some woods and a stream, of course ) would be very much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[onesiedale]

4.72 acres, Camp Lane, Grimley, Worcester, Worcestershire - UKLAF

<p>THREE Modern timber stables and two parcels of pasture extending to 4.72 acres. The stables are in two separate buildings with one comprising a Tack Room 3.42m x...</p>

www.uklandandfarms.co.uk

Here you go. A quick search threw up this. Obviously its a horsey paddock, you could always be naive in your enquiry and assume that the £500 rent is pa and not pm! Unfortunately, your wish list would be easier to meet if you were in the market to buy.
However, it would be worth talking to the agent as it may just set the ball rolling on a contacts list and open a door somewhere else.

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

Thanks, onesiedale!
I saw this one- seems like a lot of rentals round here are horsey ones (being so near the outskirts of a big city I guess) and unless I could pull a fast one on the per month/ per annum thing (!), they’re out of budget. Also, I reckon they wouldn’t thank me for what I’d be planning to do to it!! Good idea to speak to the agent though....

 

[GeneralBobLopez]

Also, I am looking at the lower end of the sales listings, but there’s not a lot that’s close enough and affordable- but am working out what I could manage as a business loan as obviously it would be better to improve my own land. A lot of the smaller parcels near the city are sold with planning permission or the possibility of it so again, way out of budget....

 

[Ffermer Bach]

why not move back to West Wales? I think you would find something far easier here

 

[wormy535]

If you're interested in 60 acres in Cheshire, get in touch as I'm looking for a cropping/grazing partner to implement some regen ag practices here. Also starting pasture reared poultry next year but need to work with others on the main block as I'm not planning to have my own livestock in the short term.