[Kevmat7171]

Hi all...need to pick your brains if I can please....a local farmer wants to rent my 4.5 acre field for his sheep for a year, he has agreed to stock fence, trim hedges and generally maintain and improve the land...my question is what should I realistically expect in payment from him? Should I charge per acre for the year or charge per head of sheep? Many thanks to you all. Kevmat7171 Shropshire

[sheeponthebrain]

Well how much would it cost you to trim the hedges and put up the stock fence? (bear in mind this is per metre)+ its likely that the cost of fencing etc is far greater than you could ever realistically charge for the grazing for one year.  ask the farmer to make you an offer and grab it  with both hands I'd say

[Black Sheep]

Not sure how much - depends what the local competition is for small acreage grazing and what the land is like (good grass or rough, usable all year round or wet and boggy, etc).

Make sure you have a written grazing agreement (there are templates online or others on here probably have examples) and that you are very clear that the period is less than 12 months and that animals must be off at the end. Otherwise you can end up in a sticky situation with it creating a tenancy.

[Herdygirl]

Give him a 364 day tenancy.  Renewable if you are both happy.  He will be spending a fair amount working on your land so I would ask for a lamb for the freezer in payment.

[henchard]

Give him a 364 day tenancy.  Renewable if you are both happy.  He will be spending a fair amount working on your land so I would ask for a lamb for the freezer in payment.

This!

[DavidandCollette]

I agree with herdygirl. I use grazing land and have just given the farmer a lamb for his freezer

[pharnorth]

Yes given the field size and the fact he is maintaining it a lamb for the freezer is about right.

[Marches Farmer]

I agree with Herdygirl.  We have an informal arrangement with neighbours who are also friends and pay them with a butchered pig or lamb three or four times a year.  They also let us have wheelbarrows full of waste vegetables and windfalls for the pigs, we look after their chickens when they're away, and so on.  This could be the start of something big. 

[Backinwellies]

Agree with above .... but get contract for hedging etc ..... don't rely on verbal agreement

[Kevmat7171]

Thankyou all so much for your responses.....I shall be back in touch.

[big soft moose]

One addendum to the above - it would be wise to clarify who is getting the BPS , I'd imagine it would stay with you  in which case pepper corn rent is fine if he does the work to a high standard

If the BPS  was transferring to him i'd want to get most of it back in rent in addition to the works etc.

Tenancy wise you can draw up a grazing agreement yourself , but if you go the FBT route i would definitely get a professional to look at it before you use it

(disclaimer I am not currently a smallholder, though i'm contemplating making the leap - However  I am currently a team leader for the national trust and do a lot with farm tenants /tenancies as part of the job)