If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?

n1st

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

Mooooo

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

Dont fall within that bracket you set but If that income puts food on the table what would replace it to do so.? While its important to look at the environment is it not equally important to look at the livelihoods of those farming who must raise a family, put a roof over there heads etc. ?

The Nutty M

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

1 No

2 Yes

3

4 Small farming is better for wildlife as fields are smaller,ie more hedgerows for birds etc.

5 Yes and frankly I find that a bit of a stupid question. They have coexisted for a long time.

6 Another loaded dumb question in my opinion




**I voted wrong in that poll

alps

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

Almost within that bracket, but don't think many would consider what we do to be a small farm however...

1..No

2.. Yes, but there is absolutely no way anyone could give us the same income to look after nature alone..

3.

4..Our definition of small farmer differs. My definition would have to do with output, income, time input etc, and would have nothing to do with land base.. I

5. Farming and nature co exist here. 14% of our farm is given to roads, fences, small wet area, yard, few trees and 1 internal fence. When you measure what is inside the paddock wires it is astonishing what area is not available to the cows.

6..Where ever you draw the line as to what is a small farm, I think there will always be as many small farms as big farms, and neither will impact or benefit nature any more than the other..

Siamsa Sessions

Aim these questions at supermarkets, Government, consumers, and processors—in that order—as they control what farmers do more so than farmers themselves.

The farmer is a price taker and has the least amount of scope to change their operation in the food supply chain.

The idea that farmers choose to undertake destructive practises to make even more money is about as mature as believing in a fat man in red coming down chimneys in the middle of winter

BENDYBINN

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Aim these questions at supermarkets, Government, consumers, and processors—in that order—as they control what farmers do more so than farmers themselves.

The farmer is a price taker and has the least amount of scope to change their operation in the food supply chain.

The idea that farmers choose to undertake destructive practises to make even more money is about as mature as believing in a fat man in red coming down chimneys in the middle of winter

My 17yr old has just read this......you have ruined his Christmas

kollegeknight

1. No/maybe

2. Yes

3.

4. Intertwined already

5. Yes

6. Not in its current form.

Capercaillie

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

1. Already do.
2.
3.
4. Biodiversity crisis in Irish farming in general ATM. Small farming probably marginally
Better.
5. At present with current policies no room for sensitive farmland wildlife on Irish farmland.
6.Future is bleak, government policy is for rapid intensification and huge increase in production on large farms in South and East. Goverment wants marginal land planted with Sitka spruce while small farmers especially part time farmers sold out to facilitate larger farmers.

Muckit

I'd have no problem in diversifying for better tax incentives. Tax is the crippler for small PT farmers.

alps

Muckit wrote: »

Tax is the crippler for small PT farmers.

Is that not an Oxymoron?

Muckit

What l mean is instead of leasing my farm for 10years and getting rental income tax free, there could be a similar arrangement for 'nature projects' in which payments could still be drawn but tax free.

Birdnuts

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

(1) I already do to a modest degree - but I get alot back personally in return in terms of quality of life, mental well being for myself and family etc.

(2) Yes

(4) Small mixed farms are in general good for wildlife

(5) They can with the right policies - unfortunately powerfull vested interests are pushing the opposite way and have the ear of the main political parties

(6) As above really - the right policies are key as are serious reform of the current CAP which is not delivering for most farmers, rural communities or the farming environment.

Capercaillie

Muckit wrote: »

What l mean is instead of leasing my farm for 10years and getting rental income tax free, there could be a similar arrangement for 'nature projects' in which payments could still be drawn but tax free.

The "nature project" payment should be results based.

freedominacup

I can see the ink blot of the project featured on ettg a couple of weeks ago. It's a couple of hundred metres from our boundary and the increase in wildlife since it was finished is remarkable. A bit of cooperation between landowners in an area like that is something to be looked at imo. Creating a relatively large area is better than isolated small ones. It works very well and creates a base where wildlife can flourish and move out from.

bogman_bass

I think you are looking at it in very binary terms. It doesn’t always have to be Profit *or* production but better to find that sweet spot in the middle

Like most things in life the answe isn’t black or white but some shade of grey

roosterman71

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

1. No
2. Ya need to define "nature"
3. Well do ya let a place go to pot and let "nature" take over, or manage it? Is "nature" not encompassing land management, care for animals, etc?
4. All should co-exist
5. Of course. They already are, and have done for a long time and will for the future
6. Not at the level to maintain a living or a family. Those days are long gone.

Keepgrowing

n1st wrote: »

Farmers, please spend 2 minutes answering some of the questions below:

Small Farming: less than 70 acres.

1. Would you sacrifice income for the benefit of wildlife and nature?
   
2. If you were guaranteed the same income from nature as farming would you switch?
   
3. If not why?
   
4. What is your opinion on small farming and nature, wildlife?
   
5. Do you think farming and nature can both exist together?
   
6. Do you think there is a future in small farming in Ireland?
   

I’m dairy farming with a N derogation. We also have a fair share of commercial forestry, an oxymoron if there ever was one.

We soil sample, feed soils and crops (grass) as per analysis. We do an annual nutrient management plan. All slurry and runoff is controlled.

All nutrients are recycled using low emission trailing shoe. Fym is composted pre spreading and only recycled when conditions allow and within allowed dates.

We have 10 acres rewilded and left to nature. All water used through plate cooler is recycled, all roof water is used to supply cows with drinking water, when available

I feel that we are farming very sympathetically with nature