Hello ASH's
I've been a long time user of the site and lurker on the boards but have only just registered to post today!
I really would love your input on this.
My partner and I have been offered a small holding to rent (just over 40 acres). It's very run down but has a great big farmhouse and plenty of sheds.
This has literally come up as an option this weekend. Up until now we are working his families sheep farm and intended to apply for a council farm at the end of the year. There is a 60 acre one coming up which we believe we have a good chance of securing. It also comes with a house and one shed. Rent wise it's just over 6k a year less than the private holding.
So far it seems like a no brainer but for me it's not. The smaller property seems to offer more potential and is attractive in that the owner (a family friend) is happy to take us on with no guarantor or large deposit and will pretty much leave us to it. It has its own water supply, woodland, hills (and all those sheds!) whereas the council farm is a bit more of a known quantity. It's 60 acres of field and one 6 bay shed.
OH comes from a conventional farming background and is crunching numbers on the amount of stock we could keep and believes the smaller farm wouldn't be viable but I'm drawn to it and perhaps a way of doing things differently. rather than quantity I'm thinking quality, we are currently organic and I at least would like to remain that way, but I have no idea of how to do things on a smaller scale. Have any of you any advice or suggestions?
I guess I'm asking what you would do?