Couple of thoughts, first was you sound shockingly like me tho I never had the 70 acres, I've only 10 here but rented and suddenly lost lease on 20 just after taking voluntary redundancy because of 3 family bereavements in 6 months in 2009 that left me sure I wasn't earning my salary, doing my job properly (management so had to be fully engaged and wasn't) or ever likely to think of my day job as remotely important again having put it and other things above spending time with mum, time I could never get back after she died.
I downsized from 20 ponies to a dozen mostly through disasters rather than good sales, and am frequently desperate to give up what is now less of a passion and more of a chore to get through, but as you say folk now want ponies at rock bottom prices and I'm scared of some of the attitudes of buyers so would prefer to have them pts than sell to such homes
Other days I get enthused by a new foal's antics and wonder what the h*ll else would get me out of the house and what I'd do if I sold, pts and otherwise outlived the rest and had nothing dependent on my being there to feed and check. Every problem, health issue or death I blame myself for not noticing, not knowing enough, not caring enough any more, someone I used to be friends with (in among telling me to pull myself together
) said I no longer deserved to own animals and part of me believes her
But the old favourites, where else would they go, could I really have my beloved homebred stallion pts healthy at 12, or my OAP first ever homebreds go early in their late teens because they're of limited use to anyone else
I also have some health issues, which haven't helped and I know the one day activity 3 on the sofa and hobbling about necessary chores in between
500mg paracetamol x2 up to 4 times a day helps, before I start on anything more serious, but I do have prescription meds for worse days and that only recent enough to have a major backlog on all kinds of field and garden work I can no longer tackle or pay for so the place looks rundown.
OK, so there we start the same other than scale
Suggestions - first organise the stock you don't want to keep and have no doubts over, to be sold or slaughtered whatever you would do without undue hesitation.
Then group the rest as closely as you can, leaving some of the land, possibly buildings, vacant. Offer them for lease to other farmers on a basis that involves them maintaining the land, fences, water supplies etc and get the farm in order that way. See how that feels, with a few visitors, less responsibility, less land to manage.. Do the lets via an agent or the mart rather than yourself so there is a legal contract, someone managing the income and ensuring terms are met. You don't need someone messing you about over money or failing to vacate. You could get sheep on to overwinter, leaving you nice well kept grass in spring if you do decide to move, with decent stockfencing maintained meantime, rather than what you don't want to show visitors. You could also advertise on HelpX for a couple to come and help renovate, fix, decorate and tidy up ready for sales pictures if you have accommodation or a caravan they could use.
THEN once you have a couple things less to worry over, consider options on the rest over the coming months while you finish your course and think about what you DO want, rather than what you don't, imagining the rest is sorted as you want it, where would you move to, what stock would you choose to take (not feel obliged to) etc. If you find you want to sell up and buy houses and 15 acres is more than enough for your future plans, fine, but I can say for sure that I find 10 acres harder to manage than I did 30 (fencing and travel aside) as resting and fixing things is more complex when you don't have spare capacity
and you can't run on ponies til a decent price is achievable for instance.
If I had free rein and 70 acres, that's what I'd do. And I'd rather have 70 and let it out than 10 and be stuck, with only a 2 bed bungalow any visitor is too close to my space so HelpX isn't feasible for me but that would be my plan.
My other worry is if I put my place on the market and got a buyer, what would I do with the stock til I found the right place to move to rather than just somewhere the right size and timing under pressure
The neighbouring bad area where you are would be a concern, but I'd be doubly careful about moving too quickly in desperation and not researching the new area enough to avoid the same issues, either a rough area or just one close bad neighbour can ruin an otherwise great plan. Also, even in areas you think of as a bit rough, there can be changes or dual communities - Newburgh near me always looked dull and very unwelcoming, there is a "5 families" situation apparently and everyone else is incomers, among these are feuds and a few druggies etc, I'd never have considered it a nice place. BUT just 3 miles away for about 12 years now, I have found a thriving and growing art and craft and smallholding community, particularly the orchard group and in that time there has been a large change due to the incomer ratio being artists and crafts workshop type folk. I wouldn't go in the pubs there on a Friday night on my own, but I go there on a Thursday night in the dark to an art group, know decent cafes starting to spring up.. and from wanting to move to remote parts of the Trossachs until last year I now actually like it here, but in my ideal world I'd have 30 acres back and within walking distance of a shop..
Also look at your location for other business ideas, diversification - christmas trees, forestry, caravans, tents, farm shop, craftspeople renting studios, things that might make your space more sociable and less direct physical work..
So think carefully when not in the depths of desperation and depression, that's my advice, such decisions aren't necessarily the best made
Change what you can, prepare and live a similar life to what you've thought of, less stock, less land etc where you are first, and then go looking for what you really do want once you know pitfalls, requirements etc. You don't need another bad experience right now..
Topic: Downsizing. (Read 8808 times)
