Is a remote farm feasible?

westcoast66

Thinking of putting in an offer for a non-residential farm that is exactly half a mile from our front gate. The price has come down recently and now maybe within our budget. It's 80 acres with about 60 of good tillage.

Nevermind the pros and cons of farming at the moment but does anyone think that running a farm that is remote from your house a really bad idea? I've heard that it can actually be an advantage as you are not looking out the window every 5 minutes! Anyone doing this at the moment? Thanks!

dar31

half a mile is no distance,should be no problem, type of farming would come into play though.
if its only an out farm then there should be no worries
i live on the farm, but my house is 2km from the yard by road (very narrow back roads) and 1km across the field. it has its pros ann cons.
during calving, even using cameras, it is a sever hindrance, running back and forth checking animals, if im minding kids i cant have a quick check on a calving/sick animal.
aside from calving its grand, when you go home, work is as good as finished for the day, you become better organised with time.
reps etc know there wont be anyone in the yard after 6 so no one interrupting family time in the evenings
however living so far from the yard is part of a greater plan, and im hoping on moving over to the yard in the next year

johngalway

I bet a lot of fellas, myself included, were expecting some distance of 60, 80 miles or even further to be in the OP

Justjens

Any remote piece of land can be a pain sometimes but half a mile is negligible, my main farm is just over a mile from home, I have a suckler to beef system. Cows calf at home and have to then be transported to the farm, reverse when weaning (but at least they cannot hear each other, and neither can I;))

You invariably find when you've got to the far end of the farm to do a job you forgot some tool/saw/staples!!

Also when you get a break it takes a while to walk home......:rolleyes: but you get used to it. If you are nursing livestock or drawing bales it can add an extra burden/time, but no worse than having to access a field on part of the home farm via the road.

But as said by previous posters you're not looking out at it all the time, half a mile is nothing, so go for it.

westcoast66

johngalway wrote: »

I bet a lot of fellas, myself included, were expecting some distance of 60, 80 miles or even further to be in the OP

Ha, probably another half mile to the farm buildings...

johngalway

My farm is 2.5 miles away, commonage is six/seven miles another way. The old mans land is six miles one way, three miles another. Three farmers I can think of off the top of my head from this area have land in East Galway.

Half a mile?! Ya don't know how good ya have it

foxylock

Jaysus lad I've a twenty eight mile round trip to make each day....... Did I lock that gate? sh**e off we go again :D.

Bizzum

A few mile aint remote. Go for it.

Donegal09

The farmer i work for has a 45acre farm around 15miles from his house. He uses it for grazing. We tried cows and calves last year and it was a grand job... Needless to say the keys to the gates have been lost and forgotten plenty times :P

Juniorhurler

My two patches are 7 miles door to door. Bit of a pain in the hole crossing town every day to look at stock alright but you get used to it. I leave all the tolls such as footcare equip. a bottle of pen and strep, marbocyl syringes etc in a toolbox and carry it every day with me as you will use something from it once a week at least.

epfff

Juniorhurler wrote: »

My two patches are 7 miles door to door. Bit of a pain in the hole crossing town every day to look at stock alright but you get used to it. I leave all the tolls such as footcare equip. a bottle of pen and strep, marbocyl syringes etc in a toolbox and carry it every day with me as you will use something from it once a week at least.

I have 4 pieces 25 mile round trip and just for the craic I rented a piece 20 miles in oppisate direction last summer
Back of jeep has everything in it from plumbing to paper work
I know no differant.
As for forgetting keys dont need them as I dont use them
I am on the opinion if someone wants to go in or let out stock a bad little lock wont stop them

stanflt

we run 120 replacement heifers 13.7km from home (28km round trip) all ai-no problems

heifers are in 8groups strip grazed daily and grass measured-

distance is no problem if you have the passion

whelan1

have 70 acres a mile away, for a few years i milked cows on both farms (ie 2 herds, didnt make them walk the mile- although when we where young we had to move cattle over and back the road).... have the sucklers and youngstock on the outfarm now and milkers and silage ground on the home farm... somedays theres a track worn going over and back but its not far... bring the keenan feeder over there twice a week to feed up