15 acres - what to do

b2cmac

Does anyone have advice on what I can do with some land.

By no means am I a farmer, but I have recently been left 15 Acres of land. I dont want to sell it, but I would like to put it to good use.

It is farm land and has been used to grazing cows previous.

A friend told me I could put 1 cow on there and claim lots of grants?

I dont know how true this is but I would be greatful for any advice!

Thanks all!

The_Conductor

Lol- put one cow on it and claim lots of grants......
If only life were so easy.
Unfortunately your friend really does not know what he/she is talking about.
With the advent of the Single Payment all production aids were fully decoupled and an annual payment made to farmers. Production which does occur must now be solely of profitable, marketable goods (unless for some reason a person is happy to produce something at loss, in which case they bare the loss).

You may possibly be entitled to claim the Single Payment, under the rules governing inheritance and new entrants (if the previous owner of the land was a farmer who was paid direct payments during the reference period).

This leaflet provides some details.

Shane

mike65

Energy crops!

Mike.

The_Conductor

mike65 wrote:

Energy crops!

Mike.

Thats one option.
With the top-up which was announced in the budget, there is now aid of Euro 125 per hectare available for energy crops.

Another possibility- and a very good one for a non-farmer, would be forestry. Good grants available, and you can have Coillte or one of the forestry cooperatives manage your fledgling forest on your behalf.

Your options will differ markedly depending on whether you intend to actively farm your undertaking, or whether you have a more passive approach.

mike65

It seems to me that wood/energy is the way forwards, I am an occasional investor in forestry and there was a fair bit of scepticism about the IFS 10 year plans when launched some years back but as things have turned out trees are the future I think!

Mike.

gibo_ie

in fairness 15 acres is not a whole lot, probably one big field or maybe two or three smaller fields. It is probably best to rent it to a local farmer for crops on a yearly basis. Note however that the price per acre is about 100 euro per acre per year so you are not talking big money!!

europerson

gibo_ie wrote:

Note however that the price per acre is about 100 euro per acre per year so you are not talking big money!!

That depends on where you are in the country.

gibo_ie

europerson wrote:

That depends on where you are in the country.

Not a huge difference from county to county unfortunately! this would be the standard rate around leinster (obviously much more if you are in a city/town location which can be used for other than agri...).
good luck all the same.

Ice_Box

Driving Range?

humphty

mike65 wrote:

It seems to me that wood/energy is the way forwards, I am an occasional investor in forestry and there was a fair bit of scepticism about the IFS 10 year plans when launched some years back but as things have turned out trees are the future I think!

Mike.

I couldn't recommend planting the land.
Too much decent land has been ruined by that sort of carry on :mad:

The_Conductor

humphty wrote:

I couldn't recommend planting the land.
Too much decent land has been ruined by that sort of carry on :mad:

What do you mean?
Is it your opinion that agricultural land should never be considered for afforestation purposes?
Unfortunately there is a mindset that often precludes consideration of forestry as a legitimate landuse- which partly explains why a lot of the afforestation that has occurred in Ireland is on extremely marginal land which has little other viable use- and this has limited the species planted to Lodgepole or Sitka in a lot of cases.

If the 15 acres is of a reasonable quality, the OP does not want to sell it, potential rental income is nominal in nature, the OP does not want to actively farm the land- his options are limited in nature and he should explore his possibilities. Forestry is a legitimate proposal- whether it is viable or not as a proposition would depend on a lot of factors, but it is a legitimate land use that should be explored at very least.

Perhaps you might like to explain your reasons why you consider afforestation the ruination of good land?

is_that_so

Teagasc provide support on Agriculture. Maybe they can provide advice. It seems that there are an awful of schemes around at present.

The_Conductor

is_that_so wrote:

Teagasc provide support on Agriculture. Maybe they can provide advice. It seems that there are an awful of schemes around at present.

Yes, Teagasc have a large number of agricultural and forestry advisors- who are well qualified to offer advice on what are good courses of action for prospective farmers to follow (note: the Teagasc Advisory is not a free service- you have to pay an annual fee).

Of interest to the OP might be their "Opportunities for Farm Families" scheme, where advisors prescribe sustainable courses of action to farm family- covering all enterprise options, along with followup visits to see how things are going.

humphty

smccarrick
I just think its sad to see good land planted.
Sure the land would never be right after it.
I don't begrudge anyone the money they get for planting their land its just i personally would never consider it

The_Conductor

Lots of farm enterprises on the continent have small (or even large) forestry holdings as an integral part of their land use operations. Forestry in Ireland has a bad name because of blanket mono-culture plantations of Sitka Spruce. I would suggest that small scale plantations of native species were they to occur widely around the country, would change people's attitudes towards what can be a valuable contributor both to the environment and also financially to the farmer. Even though we are more than sufficient in low density timbers- we still import a lot of construction timber- in particular red deal (Scots Pine) which is a native species to Ireland, and for which there is a large demand. It is rather strange that we are seemingly incapable of fullfilling the needs of our own domestic market in native wood species......

cue

I think there is a farm in meath somewhere which caters for US tourists and city types who want to experience things like milking cows, playing hurling, and set dancing. So, tourism could be an option.

Victor

humphty wrote:

I just think its sad to see good land planted.

In an era when many crops aren't profitable, whats the alternative?

fluppet

gibo_ie wrote:

Not a huge difference from county to county unfortunately!

Well I'm getting around Eur 6,000 for 45 acres - so about Eur 130 per acre. At this rate the OP could earn almost Eur 2,000 per year with little effort. Even if the rate was only Eur 100 per acre, I think Eur 1,500 per year is a very reasonable return.

Fanny Cradock

humphty wrote:

smccarrick
I just think its sad to see good land planted.
Sure the land would never be right after it.
I don't begrudge anyone the money they get for planting their land its just i personally would never consider it

If anyone cares to look at role forests have played in our history then you can understand why irrational and negative attitudes like above exist. They are not based on any fact, only ignorance. That's not an insult towards you, Humphty. I've just been exposed to this exasperating viewpoint before.

Try and explain to someone that trees are just another crop - grown from seedlings, tended to throughout their life and finally harvested when they are deemed ready for our benefit - and it's in one ear and out the other. The idea that 'good land' is being removed is plain old wrong, especially when you consider the state of farming here. There is also a misconception that the land is somehow damaged through forestry. Untrue. Other then increasing biodiversity, I'd argue that correctly established and maintained forests will cause less damage to the surrounding environment including soil then, for example, crop farming. Everyone is aware of the growing importance forests will have as we try and offset our global carbon emissions.

You should consider the reality of the situation: properly managed, forestry can be an ecologically positive and profitable venture - before ruling it out through false preconceptions.

missloulou

where abouts in the country are you?

bonza

why dont u keep it simple pick up a REPS grant and leave lie for for hay or haylage, use contractors to cut it once possibly twice a year and sell it. this way you are not tied to the land, and can have a long weekend away, or a life without feed bills, vets fees, movement notices etc, forestery can become complicated and time consuming i have 16 acres!!!!!!

The_Conductor

bonza wrote:

why dont u keep it simple pick up a REPS grant and leave lie for for hay or haylage, use contractors to cut it once possibly twice a year and sell it. this way you are not tied to the land, and can have a long weekend away, or a life without feed bills, vets fees, movement notices etc, forestery can become complicated and time consuming i have 16 acres!!!!!!

REPS 4 is a lot more complicated than that. While the money on offer is a lot better than the previous REPS schemes, the obligations in your contract are also a lot more onerous..... It is good money though.

doctor evil

Perhaps rent it out as grazing for someone who has horses.

Capt'n Midnight

humphty wrote:

I just think its sad to see good land planted.
Sure the land would never be right after it.

A few hundred years ago most of this country was forested.

If you aren't going to be on the land most of the alternative uses are gone, no emu/kangeroo farming , no crazy golf, no campsite, no catering for weekends away.

If the land is high, you could look at mobile phone masts or a windmill ?

If the land is wet, carp might be an option - but you'd have to be there.

And since the cold war is over, not much point in a fall out shelter either

Furze

smccarrick wrote:

REPS 4 is a lot more complicated than that. While the money on offer is a lot better than the previous REPS schemes, the obligations in your contract are also a lot more onerous..... It is good money though.

Has REPS 4 been introduced ?

strassenwolf

I wonder what kind of terrain it is. Could it be suitable for putting up a few wind turbines? Or could it be suitable for a few goats? I'd imagine they wouldn't get through as much grass as cows, but I take it that this would turn this land into something on which the OP would need to spend a lot of time, milking and so forth. Maybe that's not part of the plan.

Mrs. MacGyver

How about growing peas? Seriously. Theres about 10 acres behind the homeplace at home at it seems to be doing well and is profitable. The land isn't great and is fairly sloped. It's an idea apart from the haylage option. What sort of soil is it, limey, acidic... boggy?

bradaun

Plant trees, preferably some broadleaf, with the assistance of Coillte and sort out your own or your children's pension