[Odin]

 
Introducing myself.  I've always grown a few vegetables over the years and have always wanted a tractor, so this last year I managed to put the two together and have grown in an acre;  potatoes, sprouts, peas and beetroot, all in a friends field up on the Pennines. It has been an interesting experience, a good learning curve and now planning for next year I came across this web site. I do not completely fit the mold of 'small holder' but what I am trying to achieve whilst keeping down my day job is a small arable farm / market garden using old British agricultural equipment. I am selling my produce, trading it, and consuming it. I have sank some cash into this project to get going, but that cash was worthless with our illustrious  bankers (price of everything and value of nothing to quote a previous contributer). Last year in 2010 there was a 1974 David Brown tractor and a David Brown 3 furrow plough and a couch grass pasture. By Autumn 2011 there are now 2 David Browns, 3 ploughs, a Howard rotorvator, a 1950s Ferguson potatoe planter, a 1960 Massey Harris traditional manure spreader and my favorite acquisition, a Ransomes Simms and Jefferies horse drawn potatoe digger that works like a trojan and I estimate at being a hundread year old  All this equipment cost less than its scrap value and I have made it work.
Mistakes have been made but over the next few seasons and years I intend to make this lot work and supply local shops with my produce.

[Rosemary]

Well done you from a technophobe, even old technology 

Welcome to TAS, from wet Carnoustie 

[The Mobile Butcher]

Good luck with your venture
Regards
Paul- the mobile butcher . in north Yorkshire

[Cinderhills]

Hi and welcome from North Yorkshire too. 

[SallyintNorth]

Welcome from north Cumbria, looking forward to hearing more about the old equipment and how you can use it today.

You have some horse-drawn equipment - do you have, or plan to have, working horses or ponies?

[Odin]

Regarding use of horses, despite the fact that my girl friend is a trained equestrian of 30 years vintage (competition only) and now horse less, I have no plans to use ponies/horses as yet, but watch the fuel prices. However, a neighbour who uses trotters has been informed and invited to give it a go, or any other volunteers out there ?
Time limitations are a major factor and I would require another life to start with a horse, however, once all this land is tilled and cultivated by old tractors and machines, I would only be winding the clock back 15/20 years from a 1960s' designed tractor.
The seed potatoes that I used came of a friends farm in Cumbria, on the Furness Peninsular next to the coast near Ulverston. I speak with them regulary with updates and for advice on the potatoe progress.
My day job is mechanic / MOT tester and believe me, an old British tractor is therapy and common sense in comparison to modern vehicles (too plastic, too fast, jammed up and going no where fast). I am a member of the David Brown tractor club and if anyone needs advice with machinery, I will help to the best of my knowledge.

[Lesley Silvester]

    Welcome from almost sunny Shropshire.  Good luck with your venture.  Sounds fascinating. Keep us updated. 

[Penninehillbilly]

Welcome from W.Yorks 
- is there room to grow much with that lot parked up there?
being nosey - which direction from Huddersfield? eg Halifax, Rochdale, Holmfirth (just trying to picture the land,  there can be some fairly steep hills round there

[Odin]

Direction from Huddersfield :- Picture the M62 motorway going west in the Manchester direction, just passed junction 23. On the left is Huddersfield and Scapegoat Hill, where I live, reputedly one of the highest villages in England. To your right is Halifax and the land falls away going down hill to Holywell Green and West Vale. The land that I am using is near Holywell Green but it is difficult to find, kind of secluded. It is on a south facing slope and gets the sun all day. It has its own water spring, dry stone walls and a few trees. According to the land owner the field was part of a Saxon three field system.  There are some very old stone farm buildings in the vicinity some with dates carved in for the early 1600s' AD but many of the fields around here are basically redundant. There are a few cattle but making hay to feed horses seems to be the main use of fields today ?

[Penninehillbilly]

sounds Idyllic 
south facing - I'm envious, mine's north facing and I hardly see the sun in Dec/Jan .
Been looking at some 1830's maps of over that way today, I'll look again and see how far East of Halifax they go

[Odin]

  Wee're abahts is thee ?   

[Herdygirl]

Hi Odin

we are nearly neighbours...i am in Triangle!  sounds really good what you are doing.  my old mum used to work for David Brown 

H

[Hazelwood Flock]

Hi from Darzet! 

[Penninehillbilly]

Wee're abahts is thee ?   

'ebden Bridge

[Fowgill Farm]

Hi from the North Riding, Northallerton area.
Isn't funny how we all use the Ridings tag still and people know where you mean?
My next door neighbour has several old trators which he takes to the tractor ploughing match at Tankcred nr Scorton Richmond every September, there are some rare auld beasts of machines go to that.
betest mandy