What would you do??

GrumpyJocks

Hi All,

I am new to your forum but hoping to get some advice from you......

My wife recently inherited part of her family farm (circa 90 acres) in Kilkenny which is currently leased. It was used for dairy a good while ago but is currently used for tillage. We are living in Dublin but thinking of moving down.

We both have good jobs in Dublin but non-farm related at all. In fact I wouldn't have the slightest clue of how or what to farm!!! That said I would like to give it a go.

Few questions I have are....

• What type of farming would you recommend for a novice like me?
• What type of farming would give us the best return?
• Are we best just keeping it leased, stop day dreaming & keep our day jobs!!

Fact is, we'd love a change & sick of the rat race in Dublin.....realise farming route will not be a bed of roses either though but up for the challenge. Maybe might be best going at it part time to start??

What are your thoughts & thanks in advance

blue5000

If you are getting something like 15k a year in rent you would find it hard to make that yourselves on 90 acres of drystock/tillage.

gally74

Sad but true, keep yer jobs, maybe retire as a hobby farmer

keep going

hate to say it but they are right,this farming crack is great but i know at some point probaly when your still working at 1130pm just to get back to where you started the day you will say what was i thinking of

GrumpyJocks

Thanks Gally74 & Blue5000 for your replies.

As you said that is sad to hear....love to of given it a go but just doesn't seem to stack up.

Maybe as you say could do it as a hobby in years to come......

GrumpyJocks

keep going wrote: »

hate to say it but they are right,this farming crack is great but i know at some point probaly when your still working at 1130pm just to get back to where you started the day you will say what was i thinking of

Thanks for your reply...not what I was hoping to hear but better to hear the truth than find out the hard way. Cheers

johngalway

Don't know what the country has come to if a person can't make a living on 90 acres in bleeding Kilkenny.

There's a diversification .pdf file on the Teagasc website, if ya can find it (cos I never can) take a look. Might give you some ideas.

There must be some farming enterprise out there that would suit, and pay.

I'll cry if there isn't.

Find a niche, exploit it. Don't just do what every other mug is at.

lilbelter

Why not sell the 90 acres and buy a smaller holding closer to Dublin where you could still keep the day jobs and commute? It'd be easier to start farming for someone with no experience on a smaller scale anyways. Plus selling the farm will probably free up some equity to pay any inheritance tax that might be due.

Word of advice, if you do decide to sell, definitely go the public auction route, otherwise it could be on the market for years, just my opinion;)

ihatetractors

What a load of hypochrites

Op, i assume you are interested of part time farming, as in something to spend a a bit of time at?
What facilities have you in existence, ie sheds/crush/machinery?
Do you know any farmer in the area well, ie partners brother/uncle maybe to give a look over the land?
Can you ask a local farmer can you spend a few months working with him a day or so a week, if it suits?
Is moving down a viable option in all honesty?ie. work etc as the farm will never return a fulltime income.
Start small, don't rush into anything. 90 acres is always gona be there, doesn't mean you need it all right away!

blue5000

ihatetractors wrote: »

What a load of hypochrites

!

Why are we hypocrites?

scub

If you got a house on the land you'd have the first major expense covered. 90 acres would be enough to make a resonable go at it, one of you would probably need to stay in some form of fulltime employment.

farming is a way of life and would be a big change from Dublin. If you have your heart set on trying it - i'd say give it a go. You can always sell or lease again later. As Ihatetractors sayes, start small...maybe lease half of it and farm a part to see how you get on. Learn and make mistakes like the rest of us.

keep going

"we both have good jobs in dublin" if some of those circumstances change or if you are financially independant then consider it but lads its a long road to making any farm viable. i am not saying it cant be done but it wont be easy

LostCovey

johngalway wrote: »

Don't know what the country has come to if a person can't make a living on 90 acres in bleeding Kilkenny.

It all depends on what you call a living.

90 x €300/acre (a fairly optimistic margin across a range of livestock enterprises) = €27,000

As you say it's a living, but not a great one if a couple were expecting to maintain their existing lifestyle (assuming they are earning 2 x average industrial wage as is).

If they let it for tillage, they might even get 400-500/acre = €36,000 - €45,000 with no labour.

It all depends on what you call a living. These figures are certainly a living.

LC

dar31

LostCovey wrote: »

It all depends on what you call a living.

90 x €300/acre (a fairly optimistic margin across a range of livestock enterprises) = €27,000

As you say it's a living, but not a great one if a couple were expecting to maintain their existing lifestyle (assuming they are earning 2 x average industrial wage as is).

If they let it for tillage, they might even get 400-500/acre = €36,000 - €45,000 with no labour.

It all depends on what you call a living. These figures are certainly a living.

LC

for €500/ac i'll set you my place

LostCovey

dar31 wrote: »

for €500/ac i'll set you my place

A friend is getting nearly €600/acre for spuds on ley ground near Dublin. I was astonished too.

LC

Min

I would say don't rush into doing anything, weigh up all the pro's and cons.

It is easy to get to Dublin from Kilkenny with the motorway, what sort of farming interests you, the basic thing is will it pay and what lifestyle will leave you happier.
Farming isn't easy so you will indeed have a challenge, you have to like it and do the kind of farming you like.

Do the sums, look for and get information on farming, what sort of facilities are on the farm, how much investment is needed, you could always lease out some of the land and start off small to dip your toe into the water.
You need to decide what kind of farming you would like to do, you have good jobs so don't rush into doing anything, the land isn't going anywhere...and Kilkenny is a lovely place to live and farm

btw when it comes to investing in a farm, you will find you could win the lotto and find ways of spending it on improving the farm.

5live

LostCovey wrote: »

A friend is getting nearly €600/acre for spuds on ley ground near Dublin. I was astonished too.

LC

Yup. Thats not an outrageous figure for spud ground. But what the hell is going to get the land back into any kind of reasonable condition after spuds if groung conditions are poor.

To the OP, rent it out for a while as a poster has suggested. If you have to invest in machinery and/or buildings, there isnt going to be a hell of a lot of spare cash for doing optional things like buying food/paying esb etc. The decision is yours but remember that farming is on an upward trend today. Tomorrow we could all be eating grass. Just look back 2 years ago (farmers journal a good reference on this, OP) to see how far and fast things fell

johngalway

http://www.teagasc.ie/ruraldev/

Google is also your friend for researching, use the advanced filter and select .pdf files for much better than average information.

On a side note, could you get a similar job in the KK area? Or start up your own business from home?

Visit a local Supermarket, see what's selling there and for how much. Could you produce it for sale in a different way than going for lots of units for low price?

I refuse to believe a living can't be made from 90 acres of what is, presumably, good land. Big world out there, someone's always looking for a service or goods of some sort. You just need to find the right one.

hedgecutting eddie

GrumpyJocks wrote: »

Hi All,

I am new to your forum but hoping to get some advice from you......

My wife recently inherited part of her family farm (circa 90 acres) in Kilkenny which is currently leased. It was used for dairy a good while ago but is currently used for tillage. We are living in Dublin but thinking of moving down.

We both have good jobs in Dublin but non-farm related at all. In fact I wouldn't have the slightest clue of how or what to farm!!! That said I would like to give it a go.

Few questions I have are....

• What type of farming would you recommend for a novice like me?
• What type of farming would give us the best return?
• Are we best just keeping it leased, stop day dreaming & keep our day jobs!!

Fact is, we'd love a change & sick of the rat race in Dublin.....realise farming route will not be a bed of roses either though but up for the challenge. Maybe might be best going at it part time to start??

What are your thoughts & thanks in advance

oh farm away and get a local contractor from carlow to do work for you:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

GrumpyJocks

Lads, thanks for all the responses. Some really good advice there.

Regarding buildings, machinery etc...there is a tractor & some out buildings & a pretty run down milking parlour. No house with the land...that went to my wifes sister on another part of the farm. So no matter what, we would be looking at investing in house, machinery etc...

Think the advice of starting small is a good idea & potentially looking at getting into a niche area that is a little different to whats on offer at the moment (feel lots of Google research ahead!!). Tillage farming is what interests me most & the land is suitable.

The ideal situation would be move to kilkenny & commute to Dublin & keep the day job but dip my toe in on a part time basis to start. As one poster said, with the motorway you're there in 80mins now!

No matter what type of farming I started whats for sure is that I would be on a very steep learning curve.....

Many thanks again for all the great advice

Muckit

GrumpyJocks wrote: »

The ideal situation would be move to kilkenny & commute to Dublin & keep the day job but dip my toe in on a part time basis to start. As one poster said, with the motorway you're there in 80mins now!

So let me get this straight, your 'ideal' solution is to move to Kilkenny. You'I probably have to rent. You'I get up at around 6am in the morning. Drive the guts of 1.5 hours to work in Dublin. Work a day's work. Hop back in the car and drive 1.5hrs home. You'I probably be home for half 7. Eat (quickly mind, no time for dilly dallying now:rolleyes:). Then organise and oversee the building of a house. Then farm for the 'rest of the evening'!!!! :eek:

Fair play to you lad, your a better man than I am!!

cjpm

GrumpyJocks wrote: »

Lads, thanks for all the responses. Some really good advice there.

Regarding buildings, machinery etc...there is a tractor & some out buildings & a pretty run down milking parlour. No house with the land...that went to my wifes sister on another part of the farm. So no matter what, we would be looking at investing in house, machinery etc...

Think the advice of starting small is a good idea & potentially looking at getting into a niche area that is a little different to whats on offer at the moment (feel lots of Google research ahead!!). Tillage farming is what interests me most & the land is suitable.

The ideal situation would be move to kilkenny & commute to Dublin & keep the day job but dip my toe in on a part time basis to start. As one poster said, with the motorway you're there in 80mins now!

No matter what type of farming I started whats for sure is that I would be on a very steep learning curve.....

Many thanks again for all the great advice

I'd say hold onto the job!! And stay in dublin. Get a few cattle, put them grazing, move them to the next paddock twice a week, and get a neighbour to keep an eye on them the other 5 days. Any few jobs that you've to do you can do on a saturday.

Pharaoh1

Couple of things

Are there any entitlements with the land? If so are they leased or who is collecting. Farming it yourself (or at least in your own name) might be very worthwhile for the next couple of years with the new Single Payment system to be finalised.

cjpm wrote: »

I'd say hold onto the job!! And stay in dublin. Get a few cattle, put them grazing, move them to the next paddock twice a week, and get a neighbour to keep an eye on them the other 5 days. Any few jobs that you've to do you can do on a saturday.

If only it were so simple. Any of us who do even the most basic of part time cattle farming know what is involved. All sorts of stuff has to be done (or organised) eg. Topping, fertiliser spreading, paperwork and farm inspections, sick animals, herd testing, fences needing repair etc....
Consider carefully

Dupont

Muckit wrote: »

So let me get this straight, your 'ideal' solution is to move to Kilkenny. You'I probably have to rent. You'I get up at around 6am in the morning. Drive the guts of 1.5 hours to work in Dublin. Work a day's work. Hop back in the car and drive 1.5hrs home. You'I probably be home for half 7. Eat (quickly mind, no time for dilly dallying now:rolleyes:). Then organise and oversee the building of a house. Then farm for the 'rest of the evening'!!!! :eek:

Fair play to you lad, your a better man than I am!!

the man i work with does that.on his home farm he has about 80 acres,farm 15 mins away100+ acres another just land 15 acres,and is renting another 25 acres just for silage,grazing.building work is 8.30 - 5.30 and he has all cattle fed and checked before that,then after work does it all again,sucklers and beef farm,i dont know how he does it day in day out

vincenzolorenzo

Dupont wrote: »

the man i work with does that.on his home farm he has about 80 acres,farm 15 mins away100+ acres another just land 15 acres,and is renting another 25 acres just for silage,grazing.building work is 8.30 - 5.30 and he has all cattle fed and checked before that,then after work does it all again,sucklers and beef farm,i dont know how he does it day in day out

How he does it might be a mystery, but what seems an even bigger mystery is why he has to do it when he has 195 acres of his own??