[Atomicrobokid]

Hello hello!

I have just bought our families first small holding (circa 10 acres) in Shropshire.

Excited to get started.

Initially we'll bring our horses and planning on getting some chickens and bees. And a couple of polytunnels for veg. Trying to be as self sufficient as possible.

Probably a slightly naive question as it was something I'd never considered till it was mentioned by a friend in passing comment, are there any grants available to small holders or is it just traditional farmers?

Anything that could help installation of auto water troughs (need to mole mdpe pipe into the fields), keeping hedgerows etc. Also need to get myself a small tractor with flail mower at some point.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions over the next few years!

Thanks

R

[SallyintNorth]

Congratulations!

Not much in the way of grants if you have only 10 acres, I am afraid.  Most require you to be registered for the basic payment scheme, for which the minimum in England is 5ha (a little over 12 acres.)  (And you need the entitlements to go with the acreage.)   Mind, my knowledge is becoming out of date now, I haven't been registered for the last 5 years, and Brexit has happened...

My own experience was that the grants never meant you could do stuff for free or part-funded.  The better mindset was that if you wanted to do something anyway, you may be able to get funding to do it better for the same outlay from your own coffers.

But you mention hedgerows... you may be able to get grants of or for hedging plants from the Woodland Trust.  Have a look on their website.

And I expect there will be a Smallholders' Association in that area; they are usually worth joining and attending, not least for the local knowledge and contacts  

Where are you moving from, out of interest? 

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from  Carnoustie! Good luck with the new smallholding!

[Penninehillbilly]

Welcome Atomicrobokid, good luck in your exciting new adventure.

[Atomicrobokid]

Congratulations!

Not much in the way of grants if you have only 10 acres, I am afraid.  Most require you to be registered for the basic payment scheme, for which the minimum in England is 5ha (a little over 12 acres.)  (And you need the entitlements to go with the acreage.)   Mind, my knowledge is becoming out of date now, I haven't been registered for the last 5 years, and Brexit has happened...

My own experience was that the grants never meant you could do stuff for free or part-funded.  The better mindset was that if you wanted to do something anyway, you may be able to get funding to do it better for the same outlay from your own coffers.

But you mention hedgerows... you may be able to get grants of or for hedging plants from the Woodland Trust.  Have a look on their website.

And I expect there will be a Smallholders' Association in that area; they are usually worth joining and attending, not least for the local knowledge and contacts  

Where are you moving from, out of interest?

Thanks! I assumed this would be the case in terms of grants but thought I'd ask rather than work out the government website 

I'm moving from Cheshire, so not too far