25 acres... management?

[katastrophykat]

Am I being too simplistic thinking I can run 6 acres or so for Summer track system grazing and take one to two hay/haylage crops off 19 acres and offer winter grazing from sept-March on that?
I’m looking at that amount of land and thinking of a plan to get us over the first couple of years until we’re settled in and decide what we really want to do!
Thank you

 

[Pinkvboots]

For how many horses

 

[katastrophykat]

For the 6 acres of which 2 is boggy and I’d only open in the driest of times- my three which would increase to approx 6 in the first couple of years, a couple of Dexter cattle and a few sheep. and the 19 acres over winter, I thought 10-15 over sept-March only- potentially offering young stock livery to winter out. We have plenty of experience with babies and there’s a gap in the market up around here for similar.

 

[JanetGeorge]

For the 6 acres of which 2 is boggy and I’d only open in the driest of times- my three which would increase to approx 6 in the first couple of years, a couple of Dexter cattle and a few sheep. and the 19 acres over winter, I thought 10-15 over sept-March only- potentially offering young stock livery to winter out. We have plenty of experience with babies and there’s a gap in the market up around here for similar.

That sounds a sensible plan - but based on my experience, I would advise to tread carefully. Have a back-up possible sub-plan for at least a year or two while you get to KNOW your land intimately. It might tke at least that long to KNOW how the natural drainage goes, how good it is and how bad it can get with hooves stomping in the wet. And where the underground springs are, and a dozen other possible discoveries. And start wih a full soil testing. I only found mine was severely cobalt deficient when I lost two lambs in a row. If I'd known at the start I would have spent a tenner on adding cobalt to the water troughs. Instead, it cost me several hundreds on diagnosis and two poor lambs paid their own price.

 

[Polos Mum]

I think it totally depends on the land. Our previous home was a barley crop when we bought it (12 acres) it had been rented to farmer so he'd not looked after it at all. With 5 years of careful management (over seeding, borrowing sheep etc. etc. ) it could just about sustain 4 horses.
Current place (10 acres) was cattle farming land and used for professional hay production for c.100 years (as far as we can identify) I had the same 4 on one 0.5 acre tiny strip for about 4 months and they were all a bit too well!

It also depends a lot on the weather - last winter was very mild and dry so fields looked perfect in spring, last summer was so dry everything was dead. Winter before with the beast everything was under snow for 6 weeks !

You have to be flexible and speak to local farmers and neighbours and be prepared to change your plan if the land isn't what you thought or the weather throws a curve ball at you!

 

[katastrophykat]

Thank you all! It was a temporary plan until we decided for sure what to do.
Keep your fingers firmly crossed for me with the agents please!