The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Skylark on January 10, 2013, 09:57:38 am

Title: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 10, 2013, 09:57:38 am
Hello from Deeside in Aberdeenshire. We just moved to our new home with 12 acres a few months ago and are TOTALLY new to all this. We have no great plans to work the land we just always wanted to have our own space in a beautiful setting and now we have it! We have one dog and 3 cats and hope to get some hens in the spring.

Plan was to let a farmer cut our grass and take it for silage, which is what previous owners did, but he says our grass is quite old and if we let him have it for few years he will plant barley and then grass. We are very unsure because we keep getting warned to be very careful about letting anyone do anything with our land. So looking for advice about best way to go about it, know there all kind of legal implications, or even best place to get good advice.

I have been reading all the great info on here and am impressed at how willing everyone is to share advice
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Victorian Farmer on January 10, 2013, 10:16:20 am
speak to Ronald greenlaw you re nabourer he will sell you good hens advice etc very good man                   http://oldmacronaldsfarm.co.uk/resources/rg (http://oldmacronaldsfarm.co.uk/resources/rg)$5B1$5D.pdf
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: mojocafa on January 10, 2013, 10:16:57 am
Hi from Arbroath, I was in exactly the same situation but we have put our goats in field and they're doing just fine
Mojo
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Rosemary on January 10, 2013, 11:15:38 am
Hello and welcome from Carnoustie  :wave:

Depending on what the grass is, ploughing and reseeding shouldn't be the first option. If it was sown for silage, then it's probably a ryegrass / clover mix but if it's been down a while I'm sure it will have wildlife value. Cutting and removing grass for hay or silage depletes the soil's resources, and if it hasn't been grazed or fertilised then nutrient levels may be getting low. A soil test will verify this.

The best sustainable managers of grassland are livestock, especially sheep but sheep and cattle do well together as they graze differently.

Can I urge you to use the land for some kind of food production? If it's been used for silage production, I guess it's reasonably good quality land. Given that they're not making land any more, I believe it's incumbent on those of us who have the privilege to have responsibility for land to steward it well and, in a world of food scares, food insecurity and food shortages, to produce food from it.

Sorry, don't want to go off on one and scare you off  ;) You'll find lots of help and hopefully inspiration on the website and the forums. If you can make it along to the Scottish Smallholder and Grower Festival at Lanark in September - there will be more help and inspiration and the opportunity to meet lots of TASers, I hope.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 10, 2013, 04:00:02 pm
Hi and welcome from Shropshire.  There are many of us on here who would kill for 12 acres (almost).  I suspect though that, once you've got used to having so much land, you will want to use it.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 10, 2013, 05:04:53 pm
Thanks for the tip about Ronald Greenlaw, he is pretty close to us so I will get in touch with him once we are ready. 

Mad goat woman I think you may be right but at the moment it all seems a bit daunting! We will just have to take little steps
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on January 10, 2013, 05:26:37 pm
Skylark if you are close to Ronnie and Marion Greenlaw you are also close to me!!
If you want to pop up for a coffee PM me. We have 40 acres (yes it is too much we must be mad!) and have sheep and geese and chickens and horses.
Can def recommend Ronnie for supplying chickens, esp specific breeds, they look after their animals well and are lovely people, PM me if you want their number (it is published on the web so isnt confidential).
You are right to be wary about the farmer thing. Once its ploughed and sown, it takes away all your options. Also, unlike a grass let which is a short term thing eg for sheep wintering where the animals are removed and no tenancy is created, with something more long term  like that then unless you are careful could unwittingly create a tenancy (very likely if you 'just let him have it for a few years)- and until the tenancy right to buy legal cases are settled not many landowners are creating those at the moment (which is a shame). Definitely (in capitals) dont sign anything lasting  over  without legal advice first - it has big implications and you could lose the land!!!!Will you be happy with the enormous machinery too?
Also is it fenced/? if it is well enough for sheep then the best option to improve the land is to get some sheep on it and graze it down hard before the grass really starts growing, that way you will get a lovely sward as the grass can get through and up and the sheep poo will gently fertilise it. If not then you could just have it mown for hay this year, Im sure there will be someone locally who will do that if you remove any ragwort.
The other thing is...it depends on the farmer as to whether it will be a good idea. There are some who I might consider it with, and others it would be over my dead body!
Hope this helps and do PM if you want a coffee and natter
 
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: clydesdaleclopper on January 10, 2013, 05:59:56 pm
Hi from up near Huntly way  :wave:


I would echo what Rosemary said about growing food. It sounds like an ideal place to implement some permaculture techniques. There are quite a few of us in Aberdeenshire doing permaculture so plenty of people to ask  ;D
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Ina on January 10, 2013, 06:04:59 pm

I would echo what Rosemary said about growing food. It sounds like an ideal place to implement some permaculture techniques. There are quite a few of us in Aberdeenshire doing permaculture so plenty of people to ask  ;D

I don't want to start a controversial discussion - but what the farmer suggests would constitute "growing food" as we all know it... Both barley and grass for silage goes into food - ok, unless you feed your silage exclusively to horses, I suppose!

Almost forgot - hiya and welcome!  :)
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 12, 2013, 08:37:29 am
Thanks for all your welcomes. I agree that in its way silage does contribute to growing food too!

Had a look at permaculture on the web, looks interesting and would hope to treat my plot in similar ways.  I have always had the idea of making it a real haven for wildlife so will hopefully work towards this.  Listening to everything on here I am beginning to think that having sheep graze the grass would be a really good option
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Ina on January 12, 2013, 06:51:01 pm
Yep - definitely more wild life friendly than barley and silage! You can always divide the plot up in future and use some for other livestock/orchard/veg etc... And once fruit trees are mature, sheep can graze under them, too.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Birdie Wife on January 12, 2013, 08:18:48 pm
Thanks for all your welcomes. I agree that in its way silage does contribute to growing food too!

Had a look at permaculture on the web, looks interesting and would hope to treat my plot in similar ways.  I have always had the idea of making it a real haven for wildlife so will hopefully work towards this.  Listening to everything on here I am beginning to think that having sheep graze the grass would be a really good option

If you're interested in wildlife friendly options, the RSPB have an Agricultural Adviser based at Aberdeen who may be able to help. Their advice is free and they might be able to help get you into a grant scheme once it's back up and running.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: goosepimple on January 12, 2013, 09:46:14 pm
 :wave: ....and hello from the Scottish Borders - 12 acres is a great size, good luck to you  :excited:
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 12, 2013, 10:43:39 pm
Thanks again, I will definitely look into the RSPB option
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: MischieMoo on January 13, 2013, 03:56:41 pm
Hello

We are also new to this and are also looking at getting hens in spring and sheep later on.  We let our fields to a local farmer for grazing last year who paid us for the privilege.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 13, 2013, 08:43:14 pm
Hi MischieMoo, did the farmer grazing work out ok and did you get any kind of contract signed first, what time of year and for how long? Sorry with all the questions!! I am reading up my xmas pressie book on keeping chickens just now, trying to learn the basics.

Nice to meet you by the way!
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: sabrina on January 14, 2013, 10:28:42 am
Hi and welcome. Grazing for a season is April to October. You could get in touch with Thainstone Marts at Inverurie who could tell you the going rates and how to go about it.  :wave:
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Lesley Silvester on January 14, 2013, 11:09:18 am

Mad goat woman I think you may be right but at the moment it all seems a bit daunting! We will just have to take little steps

That's a very wise way of going about things.  It's too easy to throw yourself into having everything then find you are out of your depth. 

I would recommend goats (obviously) if you have time to milk them.  Superb milk and you can make cheese and yoghurt for yourselves.  And if you look at Plumseverywhere's posts and those of one or two others, you will see you can also make soap.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on January 14, 2013, 12:12:49 pm
Hi and welcome. Grazing for a season is April to October. You could get in touch with Thainstone Marts at Inverurie who could tell you the going rates and how to go about it.  :wave:
thats a good idea, you can also do winter grazing let instead - which means you can still take a hay crop in the summer. Whichever way you would need to agree with the grazier who is looking after the sheep when they are with you as it can work either way.
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: darkbrowneggs on January 14, 2013, 04:11:59 pm
Hi and welcome from wet wet wet Worcestershire. 
 
Established meadow grass may not yieldas much silage, but there should be a good range of plants in it which is good for all livestock and makes lovely hay.
 
If you look through the very old records meadows were always worth more than arable.  Maybe follow the old saying. 
 
Live as if you will die tomorrow, farm as if you will live forever!
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: lachlanandmarcus on January 14, 2013, 04:51:46 pm
Our sheep almost turn up their noses at good clean but dull bought in hay - but they go mad for the stuff we make ourselves which is greenish and herby and lots of clover and timothy and trefoil and meadowsweet and all sorts of stuff!
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Skylark on January 14, 2013, 05:27:07 pm
I think I need to start studying all about grass and the difference between hay and silage!!

Thanks from a snowy Aberdeenshire
Title: Re: Hello from Aberdeenshire
Post by: Mammyshaz on January 19, 2013, 08:22:17 am
 :wave: hello and welcome from Durham.no land here just a couple of allotments with a few hens, fruit and veg