The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Browntea on October 23, 2011, 07:56:49 pm

Title: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: Browntea on October 23, 2011, 07:56:49 pm

Hi, my mate owns the land where I have a couple of pigs,it's about 10 acre with a pond that's about 200mtrx100mtr, no buildings can be put up due to it been in national park area that said there was a lambing shed which still has 2 standing old stone walls.The land is not farmed,a local farmer puts his sheep in free of charge to keep the grass down.

My question is are there any grants or other sources of funding we could get to help fence it and repair existing stone walls? We are thinking toward conservation so don't really want hundreds of campers about,

Advice/questions very welcome

Thanks

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: Plantoid on October 30, 2011, 09:38:23 pm

i'd go to the Park's trust people ,they may well put you on to some of their other tennants who have done what your after.. it costs nothing to ask .

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: windymiller on October 31, 2011, 07:50:25 pm

if your registered as a farmer you can claim single farm payment, which on ten acres would be around 800 plus if you get on the stewardship scheme you can get grants for walls, hegrows, permenant pasture etc, but its all in flux as its chainging in 2014

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: robert waddell on October 31, 2011, 09:48:38 pm

windymiller you are incorect with your statement :farmer:

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: windymiller on November 01, 2011, 05:29:46 pm

well it works for us we have a single business identification number (sbi), a CPH (county parish holding number) and entitlements on the land, which enable us to claim single farm payment, which just checking gives us 986£ pa on one 14 acre lump we own, plus the lower level stewardship payments which comes to about another 400£ pa.
now i should have expanded on the entitlements bit, and the sbi and cph stuff, but thats about it, other than filling in forms, if you don't have entitlements you can buy them.
now whats wrong with my statment?

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: doganjo on November 01, 2011, 06:07:05 pm

WM, I wonder if the rules are the same for England and Scotland? Robert is in Scotland (you might have already guessed that  ;) ), but he should have explained why he thought your statement was in error rather than just saying it was incorrect. IMHO

Title: Re: How to make the most from 10 acres? Advice needed
Post by: robert waddell on November 01, 2011, 07:33:34 pm

the single farm payment is as it says one payment
this is made up of all the old subsidies hill cow sub calve sub sheep sub lfa payment extensification payment cereal payment etc etc
you had to be claiming any of these payments to be entitled to single farm payment   yes you can buy this and yes you can have it with land you buy    if the previous owner does not keep it
you did not give much away in your post
the grants well you have to contribute towards the cost  so it is not a freebie and you have to qualify first
forty years ago there were 100%grants to rip out hedges straighten out rivers and ditches and drain bog land now it is role reversal there is a farm i know of that was drained had new sheds and milking parlour constructed also a new house all with grant money  it is now going to be developed for houses and small industrial units   o and he still gets single farm payment for producing milk that he last milked a cow 10 years ago :farmer: