How do you …. Get out of farming?

[Nearly]

Every acre of land on a farm is worth a different amount to a different person on a different day.
If you want to keep it all it just keeps the neighbours further away.
Changing it for money has to be at the right time to suit you to buy something else.
We've sold for £3k an acre to £200k (rate) an acre over the last 5 years. Some of which suprised us.
Unfortunately we've bought at £3500 to £15k.

Look at each acre and decide what you can do without or don't want to lose.

 

[czechmate]

We had a meeting with our land agent and at the moment (all moor and sda) we are better off in mid tier, she had pages of sfi options relating to grassland but as yet no figures or firm dates when it comes in .
That said we are looking at the options

I’ve always wanted to go back home , mrs says it’s like the Welsh term “ hiraeth”
However there’s no way we could afford to farm there
My son and his mrs say they want to take the place on “ one day “ so .. For now we will keep trying to improve the place and somehow try different tups or whatever to get more value from the lambs
One thing I do want is , when the time comes, to have a few years taking it easy with some quality of life

the last bit worries me… but of course I see a fair few here; ex pats that retire in their mid 50’s sitting in the bar non stop, telling everyone how well they have done for themselves - to retire at 55 … to sit in a bar

 

[Kiwi Pete]

People keep saying give a “new entrant” a chance to share farm it but if the op can’t make money at it on his own at a time of life when his cost of living will be less how will a young person make money for the both of them. If you have someone in there 20’s 30’s who has to think about raising a family and buying a house how will they have any money to invest in the stock and the next part of there business? I speak from experience that I just doesn’t work, the young person does all the hard graft and gets pee'd off with the older land owner seemingly get more money to doing nothing but sticking his noise into the business, where as the landowner thinks they are being done because they have millions invested and the young person doesn’t put anything into the infrastructure that is getting worn.

Bingo

There are a LOT of people who would love to go farming but simply don't have and maybe never will have all that it takes to get there; including a LOT of 'post turtles' already in the industry who, (if it was just up to them and their financial habits) would not be or not for very long

Yes I love being in a position we can help people, sometimes the biggest help you can be is to be no help at all and not enable people without much behind them, into something that requires it.

I make no bones that most of my money wasn't made farming

 

[Wood field]

the last bit worries me… but of course I see a fair few here; ex pats that retire in their mid 50’s sitting in the bar non stop, telling everyone how well they have done for themselves - to retire at 55 … to sit in a bar

I would have to keep active in mind and body
Couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting in the pub every day

 

[czechmate]

Would you be able to get someone from the uk ? There seems to be a lot of capable youngsters looking for farms that aren’t there

i did actually have an English lad here through 2018 and we were supposed to be working towards a share farming deal. Unfortunately he became obsessed with the farmers daughter next door and it all turned to sh!t.
Now, thanks to fog horn Farage, it’s not really possible unless they have a large pot of money behind them already… similar to the difficulty it would be for my wife to now live in the uk

 

[Wood field]

Right there is your answer. If you keep putting it off then it will suddenly be too late to ‘take it easy with some quality of life’.
I don’t know the details of your finances, but you say you don’t owe much. If you can sell up, clearing any debts, and buy a nice little place in the Lakes with no rent or mortgage, then you don’t need a lot to live on.

You can’t put your plans on hold because one of your children might want to take it on ‘one day’. They can always sell your place in the Lakes and buy somewhere then, after you’ve enjoyed it.
If it were my parents, I wouldn’t want them putting anything on hold just because I might want to enjoy the fruits of their labour one day. I would want them to enjoy themselves, whether that was farming or tinkering with old bikes in the garage of their cottage in the Lakes.

I might be wrong but going by this thread, and a similar one you started last lambing time, is your heart still in it? Making a living at it isn’t going to get easier due to govt policy and age. Maybe it’s time to cash in on your capital growth since buying, before it’s forced on you.
Remember, life isn’t a rehearsal, you only get the one crack at it.

To be honest last Year I wanted to end more than the farm but that’s another topic.
I really want to farm if I am honest, but it needs to pay not just break even. I suppose the weather and constant drip drip from govt , ie sfi etc gets me down , but again that’s another topic
I got myself in a mess mentally ( you sure learn who your friends are) but am ok now
To sell everything after working so hard to build it up feels like giving in.
They say age is just a number… I think we will crack on for a few more seasons, change a few things , and try to pinch a day or so each week for ourselves

 

[neilo]

I would have to keep active in mind and body
Couldn’t think of anything worse than sitting in the pub every day

It would be nice to have the option sometimes though.

Previous tenant here retired quite young, which allowed him time to get to the pub earlier. He didn’t reach retirement age.

 

[czechmate]

To be honest last Year I wanted to end more than the farm but that’s another topic.
I really want to farm if I am honest, but it needs to pay not just break even. I suppose the weather and constant drip drip from govt , ie sfi etc gets me down , but again that’s another topic
I got myself in a mess mentally ( you sure learn who your friends are) but am ok now
To sell everything after working so hard to build it up feels like giving in.
They say age is just a number… I think we will crack on for a few more seasons, change a few things , and try to pinch a day or so each week for ourselves

back to the start …
“Don’t let the old man in”

 

[Hilly]

Semi retirement would be great , wake up feel
Like work go work wake up want day off have day off ..

 

[Hilly]

Once a man twice a boy as was discussed on fed by farmers pod cast. .

 

[czechmate]

Semi retirement would be great , wake up feel
Like work go work wake up want day off have day off ..

i keep telling myself that is hat I am currently doing, but nonetheless, here I am bedding cartoon a Sunday

 

[Estate fencing.]

It would be nice to have the option sometimes though.

Previous tenant here retired quite young, which allowed him time to get to the pub earlier. He didn’t reach retirement age.

One of my grandfathers retired from a very well paid stressful job at 55, he died just before retirement age. He spent that last 10 years of his life spending his fortune on women and drink.

 

[czechmate]

i did actually have an English lad here through 2018 and we were supposed to be working towards a share farming deal. Unfortunately he became obsessed with the farmers daughter next door and it all turned to sh!t.
Now, thanks to fog horn Farage, it’s not really possible unless they have a large pot of money behind them already… similar to the difficulty it would be for my wife to now live in the uk

Irish is an option still, and I was having conversations with a very promising Irish chap through 2022. Unfortunately, he came to visit early in September… do you know, in Eire they still have green fields in September . He wasn’t impressed with our dust

 

[Nearly]

i keep telling myself that is hat I am currently doing, but nonetheless, here I am bedding cartoon a Sunday

It's your retirement.

 

[czechmate]

View attachment 1167805
It's your retirement.

phone trying to tell me something…it was supposed to be cattle

 

[neilo]

To be honest last Year I wanted to end more than the farm but that’s another topic.
I really want to farm if I am honest, but it needs to pay not just break even. I suppose the weather and constant drip drip from govt , ie sfi etc gets me down , but again that’s another topic
I got myself in a mess mentally ( you sure learn who your friends are) but am ok now
To sell everything after working so hard to build it up feels like giving in.
They say age is just a number… I think we will crack on for a few more seasons, change a few things , and try to pinch a day or so each week for ourselves

Yes I remember, but didn’t mention it.
The constant drip-drip isn’t going to change in the near future, nor the extra paperwork at every turn.
I don’t think you should see selling everything you’ve built up as giving in, but as a reward for your hard work. You will also be cashing in on the capital growth on your investment, while you can still enjoy it.

I’m younger than you, at 55, and not enjoying the constant treadmill as much these days. I am looking to downsize while we’re both fit enough to do it. It won’t be long before it’s been left too late.

 

[Wood field]

One thing I will add .
I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve and am quite critical of myself.
There are a few folk on here who have been very supportive and helpful both in a personal sense and with my madcap ideas about the farm
No names but Thank you
There’s a thread for those feeling down , if your going through the mill, don’t do like me and put a brave face on it
Talk to someone
Thanks everyone

 

[neilo]

One of my grandfathers retired from a very well paid stressful job at 55, he died just before retirement age. He spent that last 10 years of his life spending his fortune on women and drink.

Did he die happy though?

I can think of nothing worse than getting proper old.

 

[Estate fencing.]

Did he die happy though?

I can think of nothing worse than getting proper old.

Don’t know, he seemed a miserable sod to me when I was a kid ( died when I was still at primary school).

 

[neilo]

Don’t know, he seemed a miserable sod to me when I was a kid ( died when I was still at primary school).

Some of us are only happy being miserable…