I think you might find that if you want to sell your crops you might need to think about joining the evil Red Tractor protection racket, though you might get away with selling to neighbours. However I think there's no way round getting a spraying certificate. And for gods sake don't use a quad buy a 6-800lt 12m mounted so you can sit in a cab away from the spray.
What tractor for ploughing 15 acres?
- Thread starter tommydog
- Start date
Typical, now ELMS has come along everyone wants to be a fruit and nut case!
That's really not a bad idea and may be a good way to get started. When you mention £4000, I am pleasantly surprised. My main motivation is just to do this as a hobby, so if I brake even that would be a result. But it seems like I may even be able to return a small profit? Storage certainly is not a problem. The house I purchased is actually the old farmhouse and comes with some very large barns, which I think were used to store combines in etc. I got 15 acres and the rest of the land was split and sold off.
Well, why not? The country seems to be run by them now!
The buildings will be very handy to store your tractor and machinery in - it lasts so much longer if stored under cover and works so much better if not rusted up .
The hay job can be quite lucrative BUT you do need the right weather at the right time - every now and then it can be a struggle to get the quality right if the weather doesn`t play ball.
With regards to the hay is it better to focus on the private horse market? I guess they will pay more for it? Also with 15 acres is it worth registering for the subsidies, or is it more trouble than it's worth for such a small area of land?
Wellytrack
Member
ShooTa is right; nearly everything mechanical you do to soil damages it, whether driving over it with heavy tractors when damp or wet and cultivating it.
However, you still need to work the land to get anything off it to sell, but something to bear in mind. Sometimes less is more.
Pennine ploughing gave you some great advice and realistic prices for buying kit which is achievable.
The only things I would add are that you do need some basic mechanical understanding when using the equipment, or access to a retired farmer who would show you the ropes.
And be careful, these machines can kill with ease.
Farming is tremendous fun if you have a bit of spare time and don’t have to make a living out of it.
There are all sorts of things you could do, even to the extent of buying a combine for £1500 and selling rolled barley to local farmers like I do. Just do it properly.
However, you still need to work the land to get anything off it to sell, but something to bear in mind. Sometimes less is more.
Pennine ploughing gave you some great advice and realistic prices for buying kit which is achievable.
The only things I would add are that you do need some basic mechanical understanding when using the equipment, or access to a retired farmer who would show you the ropes.
And be careful, these machines can kill with ease.
Farming is tremendous fun if you have a bit of spare time and don’t have to make a living out of it.
There are all sorts of things you could do, even to the extent of buying a combine for £1500 and selling rolled barley to local farmers like I do. Just do it properly.
- Location
- SW Scotland
Get one with a loader on. You will likely need to unload fertiliser, and maybe seed (if you're doing cereals) and stacking bales if you're doing hay. And a load of other jobs you haven't thought of yet, like fixing the road or firewood (if you have trees).
- Location
- Cheltenham
Best bit of advice. Independence can sometimes be very expensive. ( I’m not referring to Brexit by the way) just in general. Best tractor is a CONtracto!
- Location
- 200 miles N,NW of New York
Well if you have plenty of storage, then put it in the barn, and sell through the winter,
Horse market for hay can be better money at times, however, it can be hard work too,
They seem to want good quality dust free hay, at basic price, lot of them will only take a few bales at a time, will turn up at all hours of the day or night for it, and some will give excuses that they were passing at have no cash on them , and pay next time, oh and then there is them that want 2 bales a week delivered to them, all in all there is extra work involved for the bit extra you get.
For self collection it has to be 50 bales minimum, nothing less
If it was me, I would set up a delivery service only no collection available for under 50 bales
Delivery on payment online, before Thursday night, for delivery on Saturday, yes it would tie up every Saturday, yet getting say 40 bales out on a Saturday to a dozen different stables is better the a dozen calls at you house, and they have a real good art of timing it right for when you just sitting down to eat, it would stop the coming and going of people all times of day n night, also it keeps them off your premises and picking through bales, saying they want them over there not these here,
Another tip is most of the horsey lot don't like big heavy bales to lift.
Make good firm bales 10% shorter, so you end up selling 10% more bales in the end, as its sold by the bale to them type,
If selling by the tonne, it don't matter as 110 of the shorter bales will weigh the same as 100 standard bales,
davidroberts30
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
Oh yes ,nag always runs out of hay 8pm
Can you deliver 1 tonight
Er no
Can you deliver 1 tonight
Er no
Nearly
Member
- Location
- North of York
If you've got 15 acres open a stables and buy hay in.
Get a topperand a knapsack sprayer. Sorted.
Get a topperand a knapsack sprayer. Sorted.
The OP may not want liveries around what is his private home?
oldoaktree
Member
- Location
- County Durham
Don’t do this if you value your sanity and privacy . Some (a lot) of horsey types can be quite annoying. They think it’s there farm and do want they want on it have family days to the stables god knows what they do they can be onsite for hrs and not even ride out !
- Location
- Cumbria
Sod growing anything, to much work and hassle, before, during and after. Get yourself a small fert spreader, decent mower, tedder, rowing machine baler and trailer. All kitted up for less than £10,000
Two crops of hay a year, a couple of thousand bales @£3.50 each. (£3.25 if they collect and load themselves direct from the field)
Two crops of hay a year, a couple of thousand bales @£3.50 each. (£3.25 if they collect and load themselves direct from the field)
Agri Historian
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
I started off on 15 acres. A Ford 4000 did most of the work. I treated myself to a 7610 4wd which was probably more than I needed, but offered (reasonable) comfort and reassurance in wet and hilly sections. I wasn't farming crops though.
Still have both. Working 75 acres now.
Having the bigger tractor has helped me work with neighbours and build relationships. The 7610 is a regular at drawing silage in our area!
Still have both. Working 75 acres now.
Having the bigger tractor has helped me work with neighbours and build relationships. The 7610 is a regular at drawing silage in our area!