Reclaiming Land

[CornishTone]

Easy for you to say in your big country.
British land seldom repays its investment cost.

Ahh, that old chestnut![emoji6]

Doesn’t that just prove my point though? Why spend more money than is absolutely necessary? Secure the fences, ensure water, then get something in there that’s actually going to pay; sheep, horses, goats, anything but a tractor, mulcher and driver @ £x/hr.

Would be useful to see a few pics of the offending field mind?

 

[Dry Rot]

Maybe not an immediate return, but "Live as if you'll die tomorrow. Farm as if you'll live forever".

Friend of mine asked, "What do you think dad's been doing? Only high pruning trees!" His dad is well into his eighties and for those who don't know, high pruning is cutting the higher side branches off a tree so in 50 years time someone will have some knot free timber!

But I agree about not spending money.

 

[Exfarmer]

Maybe not an immediate return, but "Live as if you'll die tomorrow. Farm as if you'll live forever".

Friend of mine asked, "What do you think dad's been doing? Only high pruning trees!" His dad is well into his eighties and for those who don't know, high pruning is cutting the higher side branches off a tree so in 50 years time someone will have some knot free timber!

But I agree about not spending money.

He is obviously thinking of his grandson

totally off topic, but as many of you will know that worms pull leaves down into the ground, which produces food for worms. But most worms live off the food pulled down by a previous generation.

 

[glasshouse]

Ahh, that old chestnut![emoji6]

Doesn’t that just prove my point though? Why spend more money than is absolutely necessary? Secure the fences, ensure water, then get something in there that’s actually going to pay; sheep, horses, goats, anything but a tractor, mulcher and driver @ £x/hr.

Would be useful to see a few pics of the offending field mind?

To be a successful farmer you have to be positive.
If you think "whats the point in improving that piece of land or whats the point in doing x y or z you are in the wrong job and wont last long. Accountancy might be better suited.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

My experience of pigs levelling fields, suggest you must have started with a fair mountian range if the pigs levveled it .
After outdoor pigs , the first job was, to get a digger in to level the site , am I missing something? @Suffolk Serf

They weren't in long . They usually only start creating 'mountains' when they get bored. All I had to do after taking them out was run over with the powerharrow lightly and broadcast the grass seeds.....only real hiccup has been when the cattle broke out last Thurs eve.......it's not looking quite so good now !

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

To be a successful farmer you have to be positive.
If you think "whats the point in improving that piece of land or whats the point in doing x y or z you are in the wrong job and wont last long. Accountancy might be better suited.

He was being positive, positive that there is a cheaper more profitable solution that could provide a return on investment. It was you that was being negative saying that British land rarely provides a return on investment which is patently untrue otherwise no-one would ever buy any.

 

[glasshouse]

He was being positive, positive that there is a cheaper more profitable solution that could provide a return on investment. It was you that was being negative saying that British land rarely provides a return on investment which is patently untrue otherwise no-one would ever buy any.

You are rather out of touch.
British land is rarely valued at its productive capacity, so by definition can never return its initial investment from farming.
There have been short windows when the land price falls to sustainable levels, like in the thirties, and in the late 80,s or yr 2000.
Since 2007 , land has become a taxation hiding place/ safe haven for cash , selling for many times its actual worth for farming.
Dyson is the most extreme example of this.
Extreme low interest rates have exacerbated this further.
The extreme low rates dont help the would be farmer buyer as the 50% deposit still has to be found from somewhere.

Reclaiming land increases its value and is to be recomended.
Most farmers eorthy of the name improve and reclaim land.

 

[glasshouse]

Ahh, that old chestnut![emoji6]

Doesn’t that just prove my point though? Why spend more money than is absolutely necessary? Secure the fences, ensure water, then get something in there that’s actually going to pay; sheep, horses, goats, anything but a tractor, mulcher and driver @ £x/hr.

Would be useful to see a few pics of the offending field mind?

He said he cant get in to fence it.
If you are going to mulch the boundary on 3.5 acres, you may as well mulch the lot

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

You are rather out of touch.
British land is rarely valued at its productive capacity, so by definition can never return its initial investment from farming.
There have been short windows when the land price falls to sustainable levels, like in the thirties, and in the late 80,s or yr 2000.
Since 2007 , land has become a taxation hiding place/ safe haven for cash , selling for many times its actual worth for farming.
Dyson is the most extreme example of this.
Extreme low interest rates have exacerbated this further.
The extreme low rates dont help the would be farmer buyer as the 50% deposit still has to be found from somewhere.

Reclaiming land increases its value and is to be recomended.
Most farmers eorthy of the name improve and reclaim land.[/QUOTE

OK, you are absolutely right, you keep on telling yourself that.


Can anyone tell me how to find the emoji for "this bloke is f**king mental"?

You are rather out of touch.
British land is rarely valued at its productive capacity, so by definition can never return its initial investment from farming.
There have been short windows when the land price falls to sustainable levels, like in the thirties, and in the late 80,s or yr 2000.
Since 2007 , land has become a taxation hiding place/ safe haven for cash , selling for many times its actual worth for farming.
Dyson is the most extreme example of this.
Extreme low interest rates have exacerbated this further.
The extreme low rates dont help the would be farmer buyer as the 50% deposit still has to be found from somewhere.

Reclaiming land increases its value and is to be recomended.
Most farmers eorthy of the name improve and reclaim land.

 

[davieh3350]

OK, you are absolutely right, you keep on telling yourself that.


Can anyone tell me how to find the emoji for "this bloke is fudgeing mental"?

wouldn't go that far!

 

[glasshouse]

OK, you are absolutely right, you keep on telling yourself that.


Can anyone tell me how to find the emoji for "this bloke is fudgeing mental"?

Its a pity you cant remain polite when you are wrong.

 

[egbert]

Managed to get it on YouTube instead. Very first go of it on Friday. Hopefully get some better videos in the next few weeks

hows her like granite?

 

[BobTheSmallholder]

Its a pity you cant remain polite when you are wrong.

I 100% agree with your last two sentences, I just can't get over your negativity and pessimism. I'm going to go back to lurking as posting clearly hasn't been good for my blood pressure.

 

[egbert]

Maybe not an immediate return, but "Live as if you'll die tomorrow. Farm as if you'll live forever".

Friend of mine asked, "What do you think dad's been doing? Only high pruning trees!" His dad is well into his eighties and for those who don't know, high pruning is cutting the higher side branches off a tree so in 50 years time someone will have some knot free timber!

But I agree about not spending money.

the 'rent chair' at our kitchen table is an old windsor, with an elm seat.
Half way across the board is a (quite clearly) cut off knot, just as you describe.
The limb was pruned something AT LEAST 70 years before the tree was felled,
and the chair has been sat in the kitchen for most of a century I believe (wasn't new when i was a rugrat anyway).
When did that fella tidy up that elm youngster?
1870's, probably earlier

 

[Wilber32]

Interesting thread also in a similar position just bought 50 acres that hasn't been farmed for 20 years not much brush but plenty of rush and old brown dead grass. Any suggestions? Was going to mow and bale and burn then spray off. But I think there would be about 10 bales to the acre [emoji85]. Or other option was to throw the tack sheep in there free of charge for a few weeks. Plan is to to put FYM and lime and plough and two year ley after most bulk of old grass and rush is gone. Sorry for hijacking the thread. Suggestions will be great cheers

 

[davieh3350]

the 'rent chair' at our kitchen table is an old windsor, with an elm seat.
Half way across the board is a (quite clearly) cut off knot, just as you describe.
The limb was pruned something AT LEAST 70 years before the tree was felled,
and the chair has been sat in the kitchen for most of a century I believe (wasn't new when i was a rugrat anyway).
When did that fella tidy up that elm youngster?
1870's, probably earlier

big larch trees were felled beside the farm years ago... One of them...

was rotten in the centre so got cut up for firewood, was really struggling with one bit which looked as though it should have just fallen apart... Changed the.direction I was chopping in...

I couldn't bring myself to burn it

 

[davieh3350]

Interesting thread also in a similar position just bought 50 acres that hasn't been farmed for 20 years not much brush but plenty of rush and old brown dead grass. Any suggestions? Was going to mow and bale and burn then spray off. But I think there would be about 10 bales to the acre [emoji85]. Or other option was to throw the tack sheep in there free of charge for a few weeks. Plan is to to put FYM and lime and plough and two year ley after most bulk of old grass and rush is gone. Sorry for hijacking the thread. Suggestions will be great cheers

wait till spring and graze as normal. All the dead grass will disappear and get used as plant food. Go out on a really cold frozen morning an mark where the unfrozen wet patches are, fix the drains there, then cut and bale the rashes for bedding till they're gone.

 

[Wilber32]

wait till spring and graze as normal. All the dead grass will disappear and get used as plant food go out on a really cold frozen morning an mark where the unfrozen wet patches are, fix the drains there, then cut and bale the rashes for bedding till they're gone.

Cheers but not a big fan of using rushes as bedding but other people might cut a bale it FOC for the bales what you think? Or cut and let it rot and spray it off hard?

 

[davieh3350]

Cheers but not a big fan of using rushes as bedding but other people might cut a bale it FOC for the bales what you think? Or cut and let it rot and spray it off hard?

what's wrong with it?
Using some as bedding for pigs and it's just like straw.

 

[CornishTone]

To be a successful farmer you have to be positive.
If you think "whats the point in improving that piece of land or whats the point in doing x y or z you are in the wrong job and wont last long. Accountancy might be better suited.

Who’s being negative here?!?!?!

I wasn’t questioning the point of improving it, I was questioning the method, which I believe is the underlying point of this thread.

If you are unwilling to consider every option then then I would suggest you are in the wrong job, working in a factory on a production line may be better suited.