Where to buy a farm abroad with opportunities to actually farm

[Lowland1]

South Africa is a really good farming country too. We've been several times and it's beautiful and still relatively modern. For Africa I should say.

 

[kiwi pom]

Always liked the look of NZ. Large sheep and beef south island somewhere. YouTube really gives you a proper insight into the reality day to day anywhere.
Over there looks hard going tbh. Farm gate prices much lower maybe even 50% than us and no subs. You’d have to run at least 2 or 3 times the stocking numbers, have no subs and way less opportunity’s for easy diversification because of the lack of people.
Then the lack of people is the main thing that attracts me to it in the 1st place.
Also having a young family it’s surprising how often you rely on someone to help you out, that would be tricky abroad

Outside of some lifestyle blocks, everyone farms to make money from farming here.
Sounds an obvious thing to say but I think that makes it a little different than the UK. Diversifying usually means getting more involved in the rest of the chain, opening up new markets, getting involved in processing etc.
Whereas in the UK it's more about other things the land and property can be used/rented out for.
Just look at the variety of people on TFF and how they run the business.
That's before the tax side is mentioned.

If you're going to farm here, you have to farm and know what you're doing, then still have a lot of luck, while negotiating ever changing rules. Perfectly doable for good businesspeople, it's just a slightly different mindset.

Lack of people is both good and bad.

 

[kiwi pom]

Snakes in Australlia & guns in US mid West

Flies in Australia would get me (are they everywhere?)
Guns in America, I'm not sending my kids to a school that needs armed police stationed there, or requires them to go through a metal detector to get in.

 

[Flatlander]

At 31 I moved out to Manitoba. I came in married and found it quiet quiet for a few months. Being busy helped a lot and was lucky to have another Brit move into a farm with bordered mine. Took a while to fit in with the locals but after a year became almost fustrating have visitors dropping in. The first few years were tough money wise but a few good years and opportunity to expand after that made it home here. I’ve not been back to the uk in 24 years. The farm is six times the size of when I started. If I had to make the move again i think id look further south in to the states. Shorter winter being the main advantage. Canada with a health system and a decent quality of living is a bonus and the fact that farming is still respected here goes a long way to make up for some crazy weather.

 

[Flatlander]

Flies in Australia would get me (are they everywhere?)
Guns in America, I'm not sending my kids to a school that needs armed police stationed there, or requires them to go through a metal detector to get in.

Crime violence and disrespect for other in general is a worldwide problem. You’ve only got to look at the world news and see what humanity is becoming. The sleepy town I farm by has its secondary school under lockdown last autumn after a three kids brought knives to school to settle a dispute with other kids in the school. No one hurt but goes to show the thoughts in people’s minds today.

 

[Kernowkid]

How easy are any of these country’s to start up in though? Age, Visas, minimum investment amounts that sort of thing. I imagine nz, oz Canada must have fairly strict immigration rules?

 

[glasshouse]

Ukraine.

we can joke but they have great soils, cheap land , way less regulation, no assurance, cheap labour, cheap capital and tiny fixed costs over that scale and can use many products banned in the uk ………….
And not impossible to amase 120,000 hectares.

And missiles hitting your combine
And vlad coming to take over.
I got a sharp lesson in dealing with russians 30 yr ago with the nuffield trust.
Best left alone

 

[Flatlander]

How easy are any of these country’s to start up in though? Age, Visas, minimum investment amounts that sort of thing. I imagine nz, oz Canada must have fairly strict immigration rules?

Canada used to be fairly strict as to who could live here. Now seems every man and his dog gets welcomed. The number of East Indian truck drivers here over the past couple of years is astounding. It’s good they are working but a danger on the roads after being able to swap their hgv license fir one here but driving is far different here in winter. Emigrating here would be pretty easy now if your willing to work and if good health and character. I’d say go work on a farm fir a summer and a winter before coming here to live. The wife coukd be the deciding factor for staying. It’s not for everyone but was a good choice for me. Not many leave once settled.

 

[Lowland1]

Canada used to be fairly strict as to who could live here. Now seems every man and his dog gets welcomed. The number of East Indian truck drivers here over the past couple of years is astounding. It’s good they are working but a danger on the roads after being able to swap their hgv license fir one here but driving is far different here in winter. Emigrating here would be pretty easy now if your willing to work and if good health and character. I’d say go work on a farm fir a summer and a winter before coming here to live. The wife coukd be the deciding factor for staying. It’s not for everyone but was a good choice for me. Not many leave once settled.

When I first met my wife she'd just got a visa to live in Canada. She wasn't keen but lots of Indians were leaving Kenya so she thought she'd best get on that wagon. I watch YouTube in the mornings before breakfast and a lot of Canadian farms are on whenever they're fighting through snow and frost I call her to watch and show her what I saved her from.

 

[Roger Perry]

30 plus yrs ago I got landed immigrant status into Canada for myself and family, thought it was where I wanted to be.
Back in UK I attended one of those promotional events staged by farm realtors from Manitoba held at a pub in Ashbourne, afterwards in the bar a (UK)farmer guy I slightly knew said " I hear you might be buying a farm in Canada," I replied that I was thinking seriously about it, his reply I still remember " you better make bloody sure you like it because you will never be able to sell it"
Now I realize that is not correct today, but back then I had looked at many farms that had been for sale for years, I think the wheat board was still calling the shots at that time too..? the more I thought about it the more I realized that Canada was not for me.

I had met several farmers who had successfully made the move to the U.S. and in due time was able to do so myself, a move that I have never regretted for one moment.
So I would say to anyone contemplating a move, don't get hung up on all the scary stuff you read about the U.S.
Small town / rural America is a great place to be and is still the land of opportunity.

 

[Farmer Roy]

Snakes in Australlia & guns in US mid West

the most dangerous animal in Australia, that causes more injuries & deaths than ANY other, is . . . the horse.
I believe you have quite a few horses in the UK as well ?

I have spent 54 years here ( + 3 in the UK in my early twenties ) living, working & playing in rural & remote areas of Australia.
I only know of one person I personally know who has been bitten by a snake. ( he didn’t realise until he saw the puncture marks in his leg when having a shower that night ).
I think I’ve seen maybe 2 snakes this whole summer ?
Kids who grow up in towns / cities / urban areas quickly learn to be “traffic aware” & how to deal with busy streets without getting run over & killed , it’s no different to rural people & snakes

having spent 8 hours on Sunday evening / night, manning a road block at a roundabout on a major highway here ( in my Council job. I have the “after hours, on call” phone this week ), because of a RTA fatality, all I can say is I much prefer snakes to traffic . . .

 

[sheepdogtrail]

Actually, it was the other way around, I wasn’t looking to leave the UK as such, just had a long love of France, most likely starting with a highly enthusiastic French teacher when I was 11

Teachers have their ways.

 

[nxy]

How easy are any of these country’s to start up in though? Age, Visas, minimum investment amounts that sort of thing. I imagine nz, oz Canada must have fairly strict immigration rules?

Post Brexit the flow of Brits over here slowed for a bit but seems to have picked up again even though permanent residency is no longer a right.
Apparently anyone with a sensible deposit on say a small farm, intending to work and can show they can financially support themselves can still get in.

 

[czechmate]

the most dangerous animal in Australia, that causes more injuries & deaths than ANY other, is . . . the horse.
I believe you have quite a few horses in the UK as well ?

I have spent 54 years here ( 3 in the UK in my early twenties ) living, working & playing in rural & remote areas of Australia.
I only personally know of one person who has been bitten by a snake.
I think I’ve seen maybe 2 snakes this whole summer ?
Kids who grow up in towns / cities / urban areas quickly learn to be “traffic aware”, it’s no different to rural people & snakes

having spent 8 hours on Sunday evening / night, manning a road block at a roundabout on a major highway here ( in my Council job. I have the “after hours, on call” phone this week ), because of a RTA fatality, all I can say is I much prefer snakes to traffic . . .

spiders?

 

[Farmer Roy]

spiders?

just now, while changing tyres on my 80 tonne mother bin

Golden Orb spider, they spin the most amazing, large & strong webs

absolutely beautiful creatures

 

[Farmer Roy]

spiders?

1 or 2 might die a year from Funnel Webs ( very poisonous spider - pretty much limited to the east coast, which is a long way from here but also where about 90% of the population live ), compared to 2 people who died on Sunday arvo not far from here in a RTA, just a small % of the hundreds who die in car accidents every year ?
The risk / danger from spiders or snakes or whatever just doesn’t compare or is not even relevant, compared to the human created risks in our modern lives . . .

 

[TelesnaAg]

I keep looking and currently am drawn toward South America Chile, Argentina and Brazil. but where else should I be looking?
And who has actually done it and how is it going.
My sister married a Kiwi and has farmed out there for the last 20 years but they no longer have the cheap land and are getting green washed like us

Oz my friend.

Ant...

 

[glasshouse]

1 or 2 might die a year from Funnel Webs ( very poisonous spider - pretty much limited to the east coast, which is a long way from here but also where about 90% of the population live ), compared to 2 people who died on Sunday arvo not far from here in a RTA, just a small % of the hundreds who die in car accidents every year ?
The risk / danger from spiders or snakes or whatever just doesn’t compare or is not even relevant, compared to the human created risks in our modern lives . . .

I was carting anhydrous ammonia out to a cotton rig in 87
The previous day we had bern talking about dangerous redback spiders.
Just when i was at full throttle in the 50k chamberlain, a red spider dropped From the canopy right in my face.
I hit the brakes and just jumped off about 30k
The tractor came to a stop and i dusted myself down
Turned out it wasnt a redback after all, it was too big, but i wasnt hanging about to check

 

[Farmer Roy]

I was carting anhydrous ammonia out to a cotton rig in 87
The previous day we had bern talking about dangerous redback spiders.
Just when i was at full throttle in the 50k chamberlain, a red spider dropped From the canopy right in my face.
I hit the brakes and just jumped off about 30k
The tractor came to a stop and i dusted myself down
Turned out it wasnt a redback after all, it was too big, but i wasnt hanging about to check

Haha, I’d say you are at greater risk driving old Chamberlains at full throttle towing anhydrous tanks, than you are from a random spider bite

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Flies in Australia would get me (are they everywhere?)
Guns in America, I'm not sending my kids to a school that needs armed police stationed there, or requires them to go through a metal detector to get in.

I was working in Australia, driving a tractor, I decided to eat my bait outside the tractor. I stopped, got out, sat in the shade of the wheel to eat, and every sandwich I had to swipe the fly off it before putting it in my mouth, but as soon as I swiped one off, another landed and I didn't manage to get the sandwich into my mouth. In the end I got back in the tractor cab and spent 5 minutes getting the flies out, then I ate my bait!