Getting a farmer to grow crops for you-how easy is it?

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Getting a farmer to grow crops for you-how easy is it?
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OtleyLad

Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 2737
Location: Otley, West Yorkshire

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 10:02 am Post subject: Getting a farmer to grow crops for you-how easy is it?
I was wondering about the feasibility of getting a farmer to grow crops for me. That is, if a group of us got together and raised some upfront cash, could we ask a farmer to grow us, say an acre of spuds. If we promised them a price above what they'd normally get, could it work? Are there regulations, etc to negotiate too?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 10:06 am Post subject:
No regs, a guaranteed income would probably be fine. I'm assuming you mean like a spud farmer, with all the equipment, who'd give you a portion of his crop, rather than you supply the seed and do the prep/harvest work?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 10:07 am Post subject:
It's called Community supported agriculture.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 10:12 am Post subject:
Are you interested in other crops? If you're after nettles, I have great rates.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 1:49 pm Post subject:
I can provide the docks...

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42228
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 1:51 pm Post subject:

Shan wrote:

I can provide the docks...

I don't think he was planning on exporting the crops.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18421

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 3:21 pm Post subject:

chicken feed

Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 2677

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 9:03 pm Post subject:
1 acre would harvest alot of potatoes how many of you are there in the group.

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 9:17 pm Post subject:
What we used to do was allow all the neighbours to plant as many rows of spuds as they wanted in return for help with the hay harvest. They benefited from tractor power (Planting & lifting) & we got many hands to lug the bales. Now most of my neighbours wouldn't touch a spud unless it was washed & came from a plastic bag in Te*co.

Rusticwood

Joined: 01 Dec 2009
Posts: 2154
Location: All over the South West

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 9:32 pm Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

Now most of my neighbours wouldn't touch a spud unless it was washed & came from a plastic bag in Te*co.

They probably think they grow there

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18421

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 11:46 pm Post subject:

I don't know.

I do know a farmer up here who grows an acreage of commercial tatties (between 10-20), and sells some on his own account.
I would think he'd be quite OK about growing an acre for other folk if they paid him enough (a bit more than he'd get if he did it himself, and none of the hassle of making the sales, even though I think he might quite like that aspect).

But his main commercial concern is dairying.

Also know another farmer who grows tatties commercially - a couple of fields each year, but again, his main interest is beef and sheep.

Up here, (technically), it's tatties for chips and crisps.
Doesna mean ye cannae use them for other purposes.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15472
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Fri Dec 02, 11 11:51 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Are you interested in other crops? If you're after nettles, I have great rates.

What'll you charge to grow oil?

Green Man

Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5272
Location: Rural Scotland.

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 11 8:43 am Post subject:
We grow oil. Rape oil.

Green Man

Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5272
Location: Rural Scotland.

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 11 9:24 am Post subject:
Letting others grow on your land may effect CAP calculations. We were asked for a bit of ground to grow nursery stock plants and this certainly would have effected calculations.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Dec 03, 11 9:31 am Post subject:

Green Man wrote:

Letting others grow on your land may effect CAP calculations. We were asked for a bit of ground to grow nursery stock plants and this certainly would have effected calculations.

He's growing crops for them though, so essentially selling some spuds from a defined area - I think that'd be OK for the SFP.

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