Where do I start?

SMB31

Hi,
Looking for any advice or help please. My father has 15acres of land which he has always leased to somebody and never farmed himself, I've just taken over the land renting it from him. I want to start converting the land to organic and have recieved an application pack to start this process. I have zero experience in anything to do with farming my question is where do I start? I'm currently working full time but due to covid it's looking fairly certain the company I work for will be closing either the end of the year or early next year. My goal is that I need to make a living from this land I understand 15 acres for 'traditional' farming is too small to do this but have spoken to a few people and have been told for organic farming it is possible, I dont need to become a millionaire I live a very simple life I need to eat and pay bills. Where do I go to see if I'm entitled to any Grant's or for advice. What would you do with this land?

Thanks for taking the time to read this and any positive advice or experience is welcome!

Birdnuts

There is an organic thread in the main forum which may of some assistance

memorystick

Best of luck with the new venture. Poultry and vegetables seem to be the best option for you. Maybe goats? Certainly not cattle.

_Brian

memorystick wrote: »

Best of luck with the new venture. Poultry and vegetables seem to be the best option for you. Maybe goats? Certainly not cattle.

When you say goats, do you mean organic goat milk ?

Wouldn’t that require living close to a processor??

memorystick

Maybe milk or cheese. You need to focus on a high end product. I’m working and farming but want to have an enterprise in a niche market. I’ve a child with a disability and am focusing on something that he can be involved in at a low level.

Mr Boots

Chickens & ducks are good to start with, if you get a simple house and feed/water set up they are low maintenance and provide eggs for breakfast or sale and meat for dinner .We used a Ibc tank as a house for the ducks its cheap waterproof and easy to clean out. We also use a electric mesh fences to keep predators out with a 40l drinker keeps 10 duck and 3 chicken for a few days depending on weather ducks do need a trough to dunk their heads under to clean their eyes as they dont have eyelids and need to keep them wet and wash dust/dirt away
Ours are feed in morning they spend most time foraging we don't leave out food all day as crows enjoy it too much
With 15 acres you can get a couple of cows if you wanted and 3-5 acres for grazing and 3-5 for meadow you can get 10-12 round bales per acre of meadow for winter feed and a large bale would feed 2 cows a week depending on quality of feed type of cattle ( breeds like Dexter being smaller eat less) and weather as the colder it is the more they eat but things like rolled oates help them keep warmer
The bigger issue starting with cattle is housing & crush need for herd number can be costly and machinery need to move bales and do other jobs are not cheap
I would recommend a couple of pigs (bacon to go with ur eggs in morning) they are easy to work with and low maintenance you can breed them a couple times a year with 4-8 piglets a time who are ready for butcher or breeding in 6 months so easy to increase if needed
A moveable hut and a simple 3 row electric fence will keep them in and can be moved around to give them fresh ground but make sure it always on they are very smart animals and will know when it off wait till you did last feed and break out when they know you not be back for evening I found that out the hard way and they are not an animal u will move quickly if they decide they are not moving
They do require to buy in food for to start as grass roots dont provided all the nutrient to stay healthy.
You can manage land growing stuff to feed them but it takes time and planning but in the mean time they are very good cultivator to help you with land prep for veg growing
As with veg growing you can grow a lot in a small area outside (mostly root veg) I would recommend a poly tunnel to grow peppers tomatos chillies and others stuff that our unique weather makes challenging to grow outside
You could also set up a fruit area with black currents gooseberries & blueberries (depending an soil type) rhubarb and Apple/Pear trees
Pre covid there was loads of weekend and full time courses to learn from I did the year long horticultural course in the organic center in north leitrim well worth it
It you want some good reading tips John Seymour complete book of self sufficiency is a good guide to start with ISBN-1-4053-4510-1
Hope some of this helps.

Organic outdoor reared pork, but it would cost money to set up and is a lot of work.

Mr Boots

mariaalice wrote: »

Organic outdoor reared pork, but it would cost money to set up and is a lot of work.

I would say nothing in farming is cheap to start it more a long term investment as with the work personal i enjoy working with animals and being outdoors and don't see it as a lot but as with all farming it is a commitment and the more you want out of it the more time you'll have to invest

Piglets about €50 -€70 a head depending on breed, time of year and who u buy off you could start with one but I would say 2 (dont like any animal on their own) get females and use AI so u can control when you breed and what you breed

Housing for them can cost €200 - €300 but should house both and be moveable depending on land type as clay makes it harder to lift I have see set up where the house is in a center hard standing with the fence area for grazing off one side and move to different side to give fresh ground while not having to move housing

Fence again it has a lot of factors
With the electric power unit you can go battery mains or solar depending on how remote the land is and if u have access to mains power.

Mains unit around €200 it's plug and play continues power but relies on main so if power out no protection.

Batterys powered unit can cost €150+ to start and you need to keep an eye on them to see if battery is nearly drained you can use a fence battery they are non rechargeable and cost about €20-€30 they last up to 20 weeks again it depend on animals and environment we use old car batterys they may have to be swapped more often but with a mains charger they cost us less in long term than fence batterys and are a more renewable source

Solar power is the most expensive starting around €400+ a unit it basically it a battery fence with a build in solar charger to trickle charge the battery they normally use leisure battery as they are better designed to be charged and drained better than a car battery (but they cost more)
I plan on converting my battery to solar as it more renewable and cost effect in the long run

Fence wire I use is the flat tape about €15 for 200m the moveable posts about €1.50 - €2 each so full cost depend on how big you want to go

The ducks and chickens cost around €15 a head from market you can get day old's cheaper but u need heat plate and and indoor housing to raise them till they can handle being outside
The mesh fence we use for them cost about €130 - €150 for 50m x 1.2m high it comes with poles but I would recommend some 6f x 2ins pencil post (€2 each) for the corners to add strength as the pole it come with are to flexable in strong winds

These are just a rough price guide
You can buy 2nd hand stuff to save money
The main fence unit I use my dad bought nearly 20 years ago at a farm auction for about €70 and has never stopped working one of our batterys units my grandad bought 30 + years ago (no idea of price) and still works so they are good investment you just have to look after them
The wire and posts can last years but will wear and tear
For the feeders and drinkers you can start with plastic barrels cut into troughs at about €15 - €20 a barrel
Like most thing in farming start small work ur way up there will always be a bigger investment in beginning (fence units and housing) but expanding will be more cost effective

lanod2407

I think cattle may not work. Costs for a crush for starters will set you back. Big animals mean a bigger set up, winter feed, storage for feed, probably a tractor and other equipment. The payback would be long lllllloooooonnnngggg.

I'd stick with smaller animals and get good at farming them.
You should check the organic horticulture business also. Probably looking at glasshouses , tunnels, but can be done intensively on small acres

Dinzee Conlee

mariaalice wrote: »

Organic outdoor reared pork, but it would cost money to set up and is a lot of work.

Is there a good market for this? I assume you would be direct selling to consumer. Restaurant trade I imagine has dried up considerably of late...

Stationmaster

If you have the market, poultry and pigs would be my advice. Some of the posters above have given the details on both. If your land is suitable look into the possibiblity of pasture fed hens housed in a mobile unit which can be moved around the land. I'm looking into same as i think it's a goer!

I've pigs as well. There's potential in them but it's dependant on the market being readily available close to you for selling weaners and/or the meat which isn't always the case.

Best of luck.

lanod2407

Check your markets carefully. Don't assume people will buy great quality meat just because you produce it.
I've killed out fantastic meat knowing that I'm going to eat nearly all of it myself because people don't change their shopping habits easily, want specific cuts or want to pay Aldi prices for premium produce.
Do your market homework.

Markcheese

Where do you plan selling ? It's all about customers, if you've a customer base then great .. if your miles from anywhere with limited time , then think carefully ...
Don't get too hung up organic certification ... If you're open with your customers and selling direct , its not a big deal ,( telling ,and showing your customers what you believe in,your ethos is a big deal though )

Organic pigs are not profitable ,you'll need the right type of ground .... You'll get a premium for free range ,you won't get an extra premium for feeding them organic feed ( and it's way more expensive ) , chickens are similar but possible ..

Veg and salads ,could be a good start .. again soil type ,aspect and drainage ( and plenty of manure ) ,
Don't plan on trying to do everything by hand ,there's equipment and machinery out there that can take the drudgery out it ...
Good luck