The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: spandit on September 01, 2013, 07:53:18 pm
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He had been looking at land nearby but heard that we'd just bought our farm. He's looking for 6 month's pasture for about 35 sheep. Says he'll pay us £300 - doesn't seem like much for 5 acres to me but it was more than I was going to let a friend have it for... Don't want to be taken advantage of being a blimmin' townee 'n'all but he said he'd improve the fences, which do need attention. Thoughts?
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Hmphhh.....I'd expect to pay/get twice that amount for 5 acres for 6 months :thumbsup:
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id would be inclinded to ask how he would improve fencing, if he going to put new up could be worth it but if only patching it defanitly not
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Id expect to pay no more than £80-100 per acre for 6months grazing. If he is doing the fences I don't think he's a million miles off.
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When we send sheep away to graze, we pay 40p/head/week, going rate round here, which would be £364, so you're not far from the mark especially if he is going to sort your fences.
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Get him to walk round the fences with you and tell you what he'll do, if it's substantial then any rental will be a good deal for you.....
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Just moved in...friendly local :farmer: ...could be a very good investment. Goodwill is priceless when you live in a rural area ;)
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Get a written and signed grazing agreement ---make sure it states who gets SFP, who is responsible for welfare and put a clause in that ensures he is responsible for abiding by all DEFRA, RPA rules and that he will pay for any fines levied on you for breaches of these rules
Include a date for the animals to be removed from the land and include a maximum stocking level
I am a grazier and make sure that all the above are include in my landlords agreements
If you are new to the area it's also good to do a bit of homework too----who is who and what kind of reputation they have----take a look over his fence and see what his sheep look like. If his farm is a mess do you really want him on your land?
Money wise I pay about £30/acre/year but in your neck of the woods I would expect this to be higher
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If you are new to the area it's also good to do a bit of homework too----who is who and what kind of reputation they have----take a look over his fence and see what his sheep look like. If his farm is a mess do you really want him on your land?
agree with this. our neighbour is a tenant and although his sheep are well looked after, he collects and hoards things on the land which ends up spilling onto my land. theres a fair bit there, empty feed buckets/bags, wood, fleeces, trailers, landrovers, rubbish, the list goes on...
why not just try and bargain a wee bit, raise him £50 quid? a friendly farmer is a great help when you need the roads cleared of snow / hay delivered or theres a lambing emergency. try and get a fencing lesson off of him while he's there unless you know how to do it already.
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Seems a fair price to me - Id be more concerned of 35 on 5 acres for 6 months.
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Agree with JS 7 sheep/acre for 6 months is rather a high stocking rate.........
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As well as the written agreement TimW speaks of, remember to specify that the animals are to be wormed before coming onto the land, or you get the aftermath of wormy land. Same with foot rot and so on, so having a look at his stock and sussing out who he is is good practice.
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Money wise I pay about £30/acre/year but in your neck of the woods I would expect this to be higher
But would you pay £30 on 5 ac, Tim? :P
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Money wise I pay about £30/acre/year but in your neck of the woods I would expect this to be higher
But would you pay £30 on 5 ac, Tim? :P
I wouldn't pay anything for 5 acres but in this neck of the woods grazing land is cheaper than most areas and in less demand
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We pay £500 for 6 months for 5 acres belonging to a neighbour. We have to top the thistles too. Minor fence repairs we would just do ourselves, being neighbourly, but if a major job were required we might have to discuss how that would be funded with our landlady.
We generally graze around 30 ewes on this ground, with their young lambs in spring. We move them off and give the ground a rest if it needs it.
Personally, providing you are happy that his sheep look well cared-for and his land isn't a rubbish tip, I would be very glad to have the opportunity to cement neighbourly relations with my local farmer ;)
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our neighbours pay £700 a yr for a 7 acre park. he must have 25 ewes.
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it does seem like a high stocking rate to me. we have rented grazing a few times and the cost and quality can be hugely varied. Last summer we rented a 5 acre field of good quality for £500 (6 months) and this year had 6 acres for £400- it was rubbish and we had to take the sheep out when the rough grazing and predominantly weed grasses left the ewes going downhill and with Orf. The risk of letting anyone else on your land is also something we learnt the hard way, importing a particularly virulent dose of coccidiosis via a friends flock that ran with ours a couple of summers ago. You just can't control anyone else's animal husbandry in the way you can your own. as Tim says try to make it water tight. In future we will think very carefully before letting others on our land or having our livestock on others
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He's coming round in a bit to walk the land. Turns out he wants all 10 acres, which brings the stocking density down. I don't want sheep trampling my new trees, though.
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Just moved in...friendly local :farmer: ...could be a very good investment. Goodwill is priceless when you live in a rural area ;)
Couldn't agree more.
I think a proper agreement would be a good move. Isn't there something aswell about having to remove the livestock for one month in the year?
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He only wants 6 months, in the summer (but year on year). Wants to knock the cost of the fencing off the bill but as mentioned, goodwill is everything and I was going to let someone else have it for free. He was intrigued by the spring but still wants a water supply - how much do sheep drink? They're lleyn sheep, by the way...
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how much do sheep drink?
Some times very little - if there's dew on the ground, a lot of moisture in the leaf, and they're not lactating. Other times a gallon or even two per day - if they're lactating and on hay.
We have a couple of fields with no water supply, so we have to cart water to those if we have stock penned in them. I can usually keep about 15 ewes happy with 30L a day - sometimes they don't need all that but sometimes they do, and occasionally they may need more.
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If you are paying for grazing, it is kind of reasonable to ask for fencing and water, unless this is somehow taken into account with the rent.
I know on my arable grazing, a bowser is kindly provided.
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You are new to the area and someone gives you the opportunity to get to know them jump at the chance. The price seems good to me, and it is only for six months. The stocking rate does seem a bit high for over-wintering but that does depend on the breed involved. If you do not let it you will be £300 down and will not got to know one of the local farmers.
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You are new to the area and someone gives you the opportunity to get to know them jump at the chance. The price seems good to me, and it is only for six months. The stocking rate does seem a bit high for over-wintering but that does depend on the breed involved. If you do not let it you will be £300 down and will not got to know one of the local farmers.
He's not actually that local but I'm sure we'll get to some sort of arrangement. He was a bit skeptical of my planting trees, which might stymie the whole project but don't want to delay securing my future fuel supply for £300... He might feel differently in the summer once we've had a winter here (we do have another chap interested too & I'd like to meet him)