[spandit]

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?

[Blinkers]

Hmphhh.....I'd expect to pay/get twice that amount for 5 acres for 6 months 

[zarzar]

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

[moony]

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.

[mowhaugh]

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. 

[lachlanandmarcus]

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.....

[Bramblecot]

Just moved in...friendly local  ...could be a very good investment.  Goodwill is priceless when you live in a rural area 

[Tim W]

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

[shygirl]

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.

[MarvinH]

Seems a fair price to me - Id be more concerned of 35 on 5 acres for 6 months.

[Backinwellies]

Agree with JS 7 sheep/acre for 6 months is rather a high stocking rate......... 

[Fleecewife]

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.

[SteveHants]

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? 

[Tim W]

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? 

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

[SallyintNorth]

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