Market research help please- field maintenance.

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smiles24

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Hi

I am looking at potentially offering field maintenance services such as rolling, harrowing and spraying paddocks, Fertiliser spreading, muck removal, hedge cutting, fencing, creating hardstanding and baling hay and straw.

The reason I am thinking of doing this is I have a small yard with 11.5 acres of grazing and have over the last few years have found it increasingly difficult to find contractor or farmers with the time/reliability to help me. The main reason seems to be the jobs are too small or they charge huge prices.

I would be looking at doing this in a 20mile radius of wix equestrian centre to start and seeing how it went.

So my questions are

Do you think this would be something small yards would be interested in?
Have I included the main things people need?
Have people payed for these services and would they mind sharing cost information?

Thank you in advance for all your replies, it's really appreciated.
 
Quite honestly I don't really know any small yards that either pay for someone to do thid or that don't have their own equipment to do so. I have seen a lot more yards rest half their fields now a days then harrow, fertilize etc.
(this is only in my opinion and could well be different depending on area etc)

But I do know yards or land owners that probably would pay money for you to cut and bale their hay as most YO or LO don't have time or knowledge.

Hope that helps :D
 
1. Yes. I'll be needing my field rolled and harrowed soon. I have a friendly farmer though ;)
2. Probably. Unless you have access to a poo vacuum and want something less seasonal to do?
3. Not to sound like the most infuriating answer from a Magic 8 ball, but "Ask again later". This is my first year on my own place, so I could tell you in a month or so :p
 
If I owned the yard and was in your area, yes I would be interested.

Our yard has approx 20 horses and a lot of land. I would be interested in the rolling/harrowing/spraying as our current YO doesn't seem too interested in the state the fields get into! :rolleyes:

A local farmer takes away our muck.
We have to hedges to cut.
The fencing we do ourselves (posts and electric tape).
Dont need any hardstanding or hay/straw.

I wouldn't know about costs as I have never paid for it :)
 
I was reading on another thread (crystal maze one) and several people mentioned have muck heaps they don't know what to do with so fingers crossed people will have the same problem near me :)

JFTD it would be great if you could let me know and if you could just post me that lovely horse of yours too please ;)
 
A local farmer takes away my muck heap 2 or 3 times a year, costing £40 - £50 per time & it fills his huge trailer completely & takes him about 20 mins to fill it, leaving yard spotless. Also takes him 10 mins each way to my yard, so I think its about right.

Hedging: usually a family member is broke at some point in the year, so they get the honourous duty of being paid something for doing it once a year.
Have on the odd occasion got a local firm in to do it, but as its hornbeam it doesn't need too much haircutting often.

I dig/clear the ditches, or bribe a teenager to clear them in the xmas holidays

Fencing: Do it myself unless a one-off huge task & then local farmer does it for me for ££'s.

Hay: again, local farmer supplies in bulk when off the field in the summer, but I get at very cheap rate then & delivered into my barn as I help out with him. Would cost me £2 more per bale if I didn't.

Good luck - I know if local farmer ever sold up, then I'd be needing the heap taken at the very least :)
 
You may have to repost this in a month or two as I have the memory of a goldfish. Or pm me if you remember :o I shall try to remember though :D

Or, I'll be at Wix playing horseball on the 31st of March, so if you recognise the pony you can come and ask :p :D
 
Did you have a lad called Chris playing horse ball with you a while back on a dark bay TB? I which case I might have seen you already' small world :)
 
Yes people will be interested if you market it right - be very friendly, approachable and available and I'm sure you will do well!!

The problem with small yards is that friendly farmers will often be very busy with their own jobs and so yard jobs might be on an "as and when" basis which can be quite frustrating. I'm very lucky in that my FF is excellent and we are quite densely populated with little yards so he can do everyone together making it much more time and cost effective, if you can build up a base like this it should work quite well. I love having someone knowledgeable to ask advice from too.

Some prices: Harrowing 3 acres - £30, spreading a huge muckheap on my field was £60 - FF works it on 2 machines for an hour is £60, one is £40 I think. Hedge cutting 3 acres £40.
 
smiles24 said:
Did you have a lad called Chris playing horse ball with you a while back on a dark bay TB? I which case I might have seen you already' small world :)
Click to expand...

Don't think so - I've only been playing since October and I've never been to Wix before :o
 
I think you would get some good responses if you posted flyers round your local tack/feed/farm shops stating everything you do. I think you may be hard pushed to make this your sole business but it will defo bring you extra money and clients if you advertise well. :D
 
Hedge cutting - six pack of beer for lad who does it
Harrowing £50 for 2 acres (I think this is too high, especially as the farmer passes my field on his tractor twice a day!)
Rolling - free if I talk nicely to one farmer and bring him tea and cake, £50 if the previous farmer does it
Muck heap removal - none of the local farmers will do it for us so I'd definitely pay for that...

Shame I'm nowhere near you! Good luck!
 
If our field needs it and we can get the timing right before the grass gets too long we get a local guy with his quad to come and harrow our 4 acres and does a few others for other people. Do you have a mower too? there are certainly a few older people in our village that half half acre attached the garden that is too small for a proper tractor to get round but too big for them to manage on their own.

Muck heap has previously been taken once a year by a local friendly farmer however this year we have some new village allotments so a pair of them came and got it with a digger and trailer :), and also built us a soil bank to contain the poo pile in future :).
 
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