Leasing Land - Asking Farmer for some restrictions ( meadow management )

80sDiesel

Will be leasing 20 odd acres in the new year to a local sheep farmer. Not sure of his plans and that is his business anyhow.

I have my own smallholding which i am going into meadow managment next year ( trees, late july august hay cut, no fert etc ) and i was wondering how would he take to asking for some restrictions in return for reduced rent.

I am no farmer so please excuse any ignorance or lack of knowledge i may have. ( inherited generational land)

• Asking for no fert but only manure spreading
• Asking for a late cut of the hay
• And lastly to restrict some fields to grazing from March. 

Would any of these be a no no and any yeah maybe for reduced rent.

My only goal is to increase some biodiversity of a lovely rural piece of land. Happy otherwise to let him do as he please and then i could take it over in 5 years and manage it myself ( selling hay, renting short term grazing )

Actually would that last part, only selling hay, and only renting short term grazing , be another option ?

Markcheese

Your land... Your rules... (unless the lease is already signed)

lakill Farm

80sDiesel wrote: »

Will be leasing 20 odd acres in the new year to a local sheep farmer. Not sure of his plans and that is his business anyhow.

I have my own smallholding which i am going into meadow managment next year ( trees, late july august hay cut, no fert etc ) and i was wondering how would he take to asking for some restrictions in return for reduced rent.

I am no farmer so please excuse any ignorance or lack of knowledge i may have. ( inherited generational land)

• Asking for no fert but only manure spreading
• Asking for a late cut of the hay
• And lastly to restrict some fields to grazing from March.

Would any of these be a no no and any yeah maybe for reduced rent.

My only goal is to increase some biodiversity of a lovely rural piece of land. Happy otherwise to let him do as he please and then i could take it over in 5 years and manage it myself ( selling hay, renting short term grazing )

Actually would that last part, only selling hay, and only renting short term grazing , be another option ?

better off making the hay yourself and later in year taking a cut of silage and letting the silage lad pay per bale and do the rest of the work or maybe someone with a zero grazer

80sDiesel

Yeah maybe but i would really like the local farmer ( close to retirement ) to enjoy the land ( adjoining to his ) for a few years.

Would there be anything in the restrictions that he may have an issue with ?

ganmo

if i was your tenant i wouldn't have an issue with only grazing after march. Sheep farmers in general like to lamb their flock on their own ground because they know the sheltered spots etc.
Grazing only also no problem for me
the manure would be an issue though, its too valuable to be spread on rented ground imo. I'd probably agree to a low rate of fert usage though (bag/acre)

Grueller

80sDiesel wrote: »

Yeah maybe but i would really like the local farmer ( close to retirement ) to enjoy the land ( adjoining to his ) for a few years.

Would there be anything in the restrictions that he may have an issue with ?

I like the idea of what you want to do with the ground 80s Diesel, but its hard to answer without knowing the farmers system.
Those restrictions on fert would just not suit me.
Grazing only after March would be ok in my system.
I would not speead my farm yard manure on anyone elses ground. It is too valuable as ganmo said to allow it onto land that you may or may not have long term.
Best of luck with it all op.

80sDiesel

Thanks guys, lots of useful info.

If land was left from March to mid July for Hay, and then sheep for the rest of the period, would that mean that it would not need any manure. (or every x years ) ?

Edit: Think this manure/fert thing confuses me. Is fert only used for grass growth for hay/sileage and manure then for general upkeep of the land? 

Edit2: If a farmer really uses the land for sheep(and subsequent lambing) , and that is spring, would it mean that to stop grazing in march would be of no use to him?

Dinzee Conlee

Cutting hay or silage off ground, will take off P and K

“Silage crops remove more P and K from fields than grazing. Each 1 tonne of grass silage will remove 4kg P and 25kg K per tonne of grass dry matter, respectively.”

https://www.teagasc.ie/crops/soil--soil-fertility/grassland/grass-silage-and-hay/

You could say that the fields are only to be used as grazing ground... but you would still need to replace the P and K, as well as maybe some lime...
Dung should do in this scenario, if you could get it...

Who2

I’d run a mile with those restrictions. It may suit someone but I’d find it hard to lease ground where I’m told what fertilizer I can use . I’d also be wondering what other conditions outside of the norm that may arise going forward.