Chick
Wurzel
Another member who just wants to live onsite with farming secondary. love it
Well you can't go F2F route as you need 12.5 acres, thats the good news as it doesn't work. If your happy to apply for planning permission follow Greenbeast or KCally funny enough they both farm pigs.
Keep away from the expensive pets, alpacas. Planners got wise to them years a go.IMHO
i would recommend pigs with the amount of land you have, but research all animals.
where is your land?
Farmer Giles
the chap opposite me has horses and can't get planning for anything residential, not even a mobile home.
OK, some other people may be able to pick the holes in this:
I would suggest registering a smallholding for the 7 acres, not the equestrian. Keep the equestrian out of the equation completely, don't ever discuss it, it's like it isn't yours.
You then have 7 acres agricultural and that gives you a better chance.
You need to make a viable farm out of that 7 acres - that means it has to make you profit. What are your strong points in farming? Are you a brilliant cook who can add value to the food you produce?
You can get planning without animals, but animals seems the most common route. You can get planning without 12.5 acres. Or you could rent the other 5.5.
But it seems to me, you need to be 100% committed to the agricultural business for a long time to make it work. If you don't want an agricultural business, you just want a house, that may be a big ask.
Hope that helps
Wurzel
As someone with a background on a pig farm and a vet for a partner (both of us with the connections and support of lots of people in agriculture) i would say do not take on any farming of animals lightly. It is hard and stressful. It needs to be your life to make it work. and it needs to work to get planning.
Good luck
Farmer Giles
Spot on Greenbeast. You are lucky aswell in the fact your partner is a vet. The vets in our area actually ask us whats wrong with the pigs ie they dont have much experience of dealing with pigs.
TeamTaylor, animals can be extremely tying as you know from having horses, but very rewarding and you must be sure thats what you want. Farming and making money from it is not easy.
KChally
Wurzel
i think farming just to get a house wont work, not because you wont fit any criteria needed, but simply the mental and financial resolve needed to make a success of any farming venture will break you if you are not 100% committed.
Ignore tottenham, not sure what has his goat, Any animal if genuinely farmed will satisfy the tests the agri consultants apply using standard man days from the john nix farming book.
example....
Cows 4 standard man days per year per cow
pigs i believe are less than 2....its a lot of each to qualify
Alpacas have a bad name because many dont farm them, guess thats why tottenham is making his silly comments, the prices now are far more relastic and make them an animal that can be farmed, it wont be easy but its doable, ironically it seems from the agri reports and appeal notices i have that alpacas still attract standard man days of between 8 and 10....theres arguments for and against and i am happy for you to come and meet us (not to buy as we arent selling any of our herd as we seek to grow) but just some of the knowledge/opinion we have, we also keep pigs and chooks.
Ultimately, i believe research is your key to sucess along with committment, and i would rent a few more acres within 5 miles of your land to push your total over 12.5 as this will gain you permitted development rights on your land and you can follow f2f to stay on your land for a period while you grow your business
Wurzel
Ignore everyone just do the research for yourself,
Put a Alpaca against a sheep
grazing 4-5 per acre, sheering once a year,Alpacas fleece expensive but very little no real value,sheep fleece a lot but no real value gestation period Alpaca 11 months, very rare to have twins, sheep 5 months can easily have twins, sell lamb anywhere marketing all ready done. Alpaca meat is only sold wholesale. Harrods sell lamb but not alpaca why is that!. Look at the numbers one Alpaca a year then you have to wait for the alpaca to recover before covering again. How can you supply a constant amount of meat.
Look on breeders websites as they want to sell advertise these expensive pets as very easy to look after as they come from a harsh environment so living here is easy for them, you should look as the planners will.
What separates a Alpaca from a Sheep with regard to welfare?
Yes the price has come down dramatically, why ask yourself because the planning bubble burst. As i said before i really looked in to these a few years ago and i wasn't going to get mugged.
Sorry
Farmer Giles
I think the message is clear.
Tottenham - you are against Alpaca's.
Lord of the Manor
We have noticed a bigger market for goat produce, milk, cheese, meat and soap, i also agree with many of the above statements …the farm should come 1st..we haven't even thought about a house...
not in the respect of it being the main chain of thought….
the market will and always will go up and down, you need to think a little different on how the business will succeed and how your produce will get noticed, or how will you make that extra pound,
every tom dick and sally is selling eggs around here, so how could we make ours a little different, well, H is starting a chicken club for the children, this will mean they will interact with the poultry,,maybe a feed bag to give the chooks a treat…it may sound silly, but once the children enjoy coming, you have captured the parents….i forgot to add..the children each get a toy…this worked out cheaper than an advert in the local rag….as i say, this may sound silly, but you need to think outside the box..if it works, we have gained a few customers ..who is to say an advert gets noticed….
Wurzel
Well done J & H
Spot on think outside the box,
that my friend is the way to go. don't follow like sheep, look to see what isn't being done in your area that you think might have legs and if its not to much of an investment go with it. hey if it doesn't work move on little lost.
i never lose if i don't win i learn
Farmer Giles
I like it John!
You are right about the house - we don't even have a space allocated for one. If that time ever happens, we will have some decisions to make!
Member
We have noticed a bigger market for goat produce, milk, cheese, meat and soap, i also agree with many of the above statements …the farm should come 1st..we haven't even thought about a house...
not in the respect of it being the main chain of thought….
the market will and always will go up and down, you need to think a little different on how the business will succeed and how your produce will get noticed, or how will you make that extra pound,
every tom dick and sally is selling eggs around here, so how could we make ours a little different, well, H is starting a chicken club for the children, this will mean they will interact with the poultry,,maybe a feed bag to give the chooks a treat…it may sound silly, but once the children enjoy coming, you have captured the parents….i forgot to add..the children each get a toy…this worked out cheaper than an advert in the local rag….as i say, this may sound silly, but you need to think outside the box..if it works, we have gained a few customers ..who is to say an advert gets noticed….
Goats soap !
Goats cheese is bad enough why you would want to smell like one
Lord of the Manor
lol…you have been trying the wrong produce 
goats milk soap is for those who have skin problems…i agree with the cheese…well..until i tried a blue ..that was lovely..
Wurzel
Ignore everyone just do the research for yourself,
Put a Alpaca against a sheep
grazing 4-5 per acre, sheering once a year,Alpacas fleece expensive but very little no real value,sheep fleece a lot but no real value gestation period Alpaca 11 months, very rare to have twins, sheep 5 months can easily have twins, sell lamb anywhere marketing all ready done. Alpaca meat is only sold wholesale. Harrods sell lamb but not alpaca why is that!. Look at the numbers one Alpaca a year then you have to wait for the alpaca to recover before covering again. How can you supply a constant amount of meat.
Look on breeders websites as they want to sell advertise these expensive pets as very easy to look after as they come from a harsh environment so living here is easy for them, you should look as the planners will.
What separates a Alpaca from a Sheep with regard to welfare?
Yes the price has come down dramatically, why ask yourself because the planning bubble burst. As i said before i really looked in to these a few years ago and i wasn't going to get mugged.
Sorry
definitely ignore....
Wurzel
ok
Lord of the Manor
Come on guys..lets not get in house fighting, we meant to be backing each other up….nothing worse than a forum that squabbles ….
Wurzel
Wurzel
Tony dockers are you related to the former cl member lumpnuggin ?
NO, what would give you that impression?
I am tony of the family name Dougherty
I didn't bother unpicking Tottenham's appraisal above as couldn't be arsed with the row, but to be honest far more farmers farm sheep than people who own alpacas farm alpacas....many own alpacas in the way tottenham and others quite rightly judge them, as pets in a pyramid scheme or as planning dodges, and that system is a changing field....acknowledged. however as one door closes another opens and if you are creative and hard working you can make anything work, even Alpacas.
A local farmer to me raises 10,000 sheep, he is based in Ropley near Alton, he has seen 48% wiped off the value of his lambs over the last few weeks as we have had such a healthy herd birthed this year, so even mainstream animals have issues and lets face it with standard man days still being accepted far higher for alpacas I can hold less....
I am breeding alpacas all year round to ensure I have an all year round supply of meat, my diary which has been kept seems to support far higher man days than a sheep is accredited by Mr Nix, but i am happy to bow to Tottenhams knowledge or any planning officers opinion, i can only speak of what i actually do.
I am busy working on setting up my meat production, i currently have a head count of 56 alpacas aside from any other animals and ive invested less than some have invested in 1, would i ever pay 1000s for 1, not a chance.
my pigs if sold as store to auction cant repay the feed costs, which is why so many pig farmers are leaving, doesnt mean ill lose money on my pigs....im prepared to put more effort in to produce products to take to market to add value, will it be an easier sell than alpaca products, who knows, time will see.
whatever you farm i wish you luck, success and a whole heep of happiness.
Lord of the Manor
What i'm finding interesting, is the price of sheep and how they are sold, one of my neighbours here is a massive sheep farmer, he will take a load to market and get the daily price, he told me just the other week, he was getting 56 pounds per head, two weeks later 76 pounds per head….yet at the same time, i'm seeing the same breeds going for 90-110 on Facebook..ok..i realise a big farmer will not have the time to sell small amounts on the likes of face book, neither will he have the time to deal in such small numbers, yet the smaller farmer seems to be doing a bit better, he not only sells the sheep , but will also sell butchered joints or half a sheep at a high price, this also goes for pigs, i firmly believe, if you market your produce in a way others aren't, you may just get that niche market
Wurzel
Field to Farm
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