Chain Harrowing - Looking After Rented Grazing

[MrsMozart]

Just seen a post on moss problem (sorry, forgotten who posted it, brain is not what it was!).

We took out a twelve month contract on six acres of land and stabling for six. It's nice and quiet and not too far away and near lovely hacking. It I'd known it was for sale I'd have put a bid in! However, we rent it so, whilst we have to look after it in terms of dangerous plants and fixing fencing and po picking, we don't have any obligations regarding the land itself. It is desperately wet land (we now have a lake in the 'summer' field and a heron is a regular visitor); the graass is scrubby and there's a lot of moss. We poo pick and spread (working on the extremes of temperature method of worm control - having seen it work elsewhere); the 'winter' field would have produced reasonable quality hay if we hadn't been too late to cut it.

The question is: how do we find out how we take care of this land without spending a fortune that neither our horses or we will reap the benefit of? We have 4x4 vehicles so could pull a chain harrow, but we don't have one. Given that we've spent £300 on a generator and we're about to spend at least that on batteries and lights (no electrics) and new tanks (no mains water).

 

[AmyMay]

Taking care of land costs. It's as simple as that. And I would imagine that even if you were renting it - they were costs that you would have built in to your annual calculation of whether you wanted/could afford to rent it.

Have you asked a local farmer for harrowing and fertilising help? They are usually delighted to help for a fee.

 

[stencilface]

We have someone in to harrow ours in the spring, and I can't remember how much he is, but he does 12 acres - it saves us a lot of hassle doing it ourselves.

But, it depends on how long you are going to be there for, will you extend the contract after 12 months? TBH if you're not staying I wouldn't harrow or anything - just to the basics as you are doing.

Are you going to leave the generator down at the field? You really need to make them secure as people always steal them (they have taken three/four of ours - I can't remember!!!) The second to last time they cut through our metal shipping container door hinges to get to it. The last one that got stolen they cut a hole through the (double locked) metal door with an acetylene torch

It is expensive to replace generators and fix doors - really something you also need to consider I'm afraid!

 

[MrsMozart]

[ QUOTE ]
Taking care of land costs. It's as simple as that. And I would imagine that even if you were renting it - they were costs that you would have built in to your annual calculation of whether you wanted/could afford to rent it.

Have you asked a local farmer for harrowing and fertilising help? They are usually delighted to help for a fee.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope. Allowed for fixing fencing and making sure perimeter was sound, took out insurance in case anything heppened and we had to fix it, but the one thing we didn't think we'd be responsible for was the long term care of the land as it is not ours. If I owned it and rented it out to someone, I would expect them to fix the fencing etc, but would consider the actual long term management of the land to me mine (the owners) responsibility. Not having looked afer land before, I was hoping there might be a book ro website that someone knew of that would give me the basics - we could then talk to the owners of the land and determine who does which.

Will ask local yard if they know of any farmers who would like to run round it with a harrow. Thank you.

 

[MrsMozart]

Thank you for your wise words Stencilface

So sorry to hear you 'lost' so many generators! Ours is in the barn - we bought it to run a kettle and clippers, but I think we got a bit carried away (could run a small town off this baby. Ah well). It lives in the barn as the hay is in the container and didn't want the hay stinking of petrol - someone covered up the generator with one of m'rugs - yuck. We were thinking of building a little house outside and chaining it to the ground and the building! It isn't used very often so no-one really knows it is there. Fingers crossed it stays there too!

As to the land. I don't know if we'll stay there. We want to buy our own, but as this is horse country, as soon as anything comes up it is snapped up without going on the open market! The only time it does come up for sale to the public as it were, it is attached to a house and goes for double our not inconsicerable budget: I for one am looking forward to house/land prices dropping <looks for wry smile icon and fails miserably to find one>. I think we'll have to talk to the current owners and find out what their plans are seeings as they bought the land as an investment.

 

[Patches]

We're farmers who own land and also rent land in for grazing/silage crop.

In all of the contracts we have for rental, we are solely responsible for maintaining the fencing and all pasture management. It's pretty standard to do so I think. Whether it be bag muck spreading, harrowing, topping or mowing it's all down to us to do it. We're keeping the land fit for our use, our requirements, in doing so.

Rental of land is really quite cheap, given the amount the land would be worth if sold, so I guess we've always been grateful to continue our rolling rental agreements as we probably couldn't afford to bid high enough to buy the acreage we rent should the land owner decide to sell.

 

[MrsMozart]

Ah, is interesting. It's definately not in our agreement, other than plants and fencing and poo picking. Will speak to owners and we'll sort something out between us: though I will go google land management so's I have an idea of what I should be talking about.

 

[pottamus]

I rent a field off a farmer and I am responsible for getting the hedges trimmed, harrowing, rolling etc. Whilst the farmer is not too worried what I do, I tend to do it each year if only because whilst I rent the field I want it to be at its best for my horse so I have no problem paying someone to do this. I have spent a small fortune on spraying for docks each year as it was covered in probably about 40% docks when I took it on, but now they are manageable and the field is so much better for having more grass in it. Everyone in the local area comment on how much improved it is. Next year I am going to ask permission to have some proper ditches put in to ease the flooding and wet in winter, it will cost about £100 but will be worth doing to save the hasstle of mud and floods.