# 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass?



## StaroftheSea (15 Apr 2008)

Hi,

We have a 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. 

My parents use the income they receive from EU payments and REPS schemes to supplement their pension. 

The problem is that we have 80 acres of grassland that is surplus to requirements. Nobody will rent this or buy the grass as there simply aren't enough customers out there for it....there are fewer and fewer people farming and people generally are looking to leave the industry....  in the last few years we have managed to sell the grass for a non profit price (sold it in bales having paid for baling) but now it's becoming impossible even to give it away for free... any ideas?? 

(selling is not an option at the moment)


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## extopia (15 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Assuming there are no customers and you have no use yourself for the bales, why not just enjoy your 90 acres of ""lawn"? Just top it every now and then to keep it under control.


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## Staples (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*



mikeljoe77 said:


> Nobody will rent this or buy the grass as there simply aren't enough customers out there for it


 
Everything's for sale at a price cutomers are willing to pay.  If you really want to get rid of it, it will go.  Otherwise, treat it as a big back garden.

Not sure I understand correctly, but if it's generating an EU income for your folks, is this not return enough?


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## aidan119 (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Have you talked to Coillte about planting trees and letting them manage it ?


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## PatriciaFox (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Good thinking Aiden.

Also, maybe consider planting mahogany variety or oak trees... slow investment, but it may pay off in 40+ years


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## mathepac (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

What about oil-seed rape for bio-fuel? There are grants available to get started.

As of yesterday, all automotive fuels in Great Britain will contain 2.5% bio-fuel.


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## rmelly (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Would forestry (or oil-seed rape) affect the EU payments? Are they not basically being payed to leave the land idle?


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## Guest122 (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Where is the land in question? Seems very strange that you cannot rent out the land as it is expensive to do so around where I am.  I know somone who might be interested if the location is correct...

BB


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## csirl (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

How about doing nothing. You dont have to cut the grass. Just let nature take over and you'll have a nice area of natural habitat within a couple of years.


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## Flax (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Grow Christmas trees?


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## FredBloggs (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

Damm - I thought this thread was about something else


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## Ravima (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

How can 90 acres be non viable? Reps should be bringing in around €7/8K. There is also a single payment from EU of another €XX. Could you sow grain, even on a sharing arrangement with a neighbour? Could you put animals on the land, sheep, horses or cattle and pay a neighbour, or a neighbour's son/daughter to keep an eye on them? I would not be inclined to plant the land as once you put trees on it, you are stuck with them. In what part of the country are you situated? Could you arrange some deal with some young enterprising person to commence an organic enterprise on the land, either animals or veg? Is the land rough, mountainy, hilly and with scrub? Could you arrange shooting parties on it?

Alternatively, could you sell it and invest the proceeds in some high yielding shares or bank account?


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## Lorraine B (16 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*

I'd love to know where there is 80 acres of good grassland that nobody wants to rent for even a nominal fee!  I doubt very much that its anywhere near to where I live!!


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## paddyodoors (17 Apr 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*



Lorraine B said:


> I'd love to know where there is 80 acres of good grassland that nobody wants to rent for even a nominal fee! I doubt very much that its anywhere near to where I live!!


 
maybe the grass is greener on the other side....


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## Brianne (17 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Best to get professional advise from An Teagasc or IFA on this one . I'm sure if you advertise on The Farmer's Journal there's someone out there prepared to cut and bale this. I think that there  is a lot of City Slickers on this site!!!


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## ubiquitous (18 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*



mikeljoe77 said:


> Hi,
> in the last few years we have managed to sell the grass for a non profit price (sold it in bales having paid for baling) but now it's becoming impossible even to give it away for free... any ideas??


I find this hard to believe. Farmers in the locality will always be interested in grass and variations thereof (hay or silage) especially if it is going cheap or for free. Put a free ad into Buy & Sell or similar and you will have a queue of takers



aidan119 said:


> Have you talked to Coillte about planting trees and letting them manage it ?



Coillte are to the forestry sector what eircom are to the telecoms sector, ie an uncompetitive and poor value choice.


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## runner (18 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Pat Kenny might be interested in it as a wild life sanctuary?


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## mik_da_man (18 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Where abouts in the country are you?
There are a few things you could do with that land if it's in an accessible place and not boggy.
Would take a bit of work though. I have some interesting plans for some of my Dad's land @ the mo 

I find it a bit strange that no-one wants spare feed in the area - wouldn't happen around me.
planting trees is an option - not one that I would take unless a last resort as you are stuck with them.
But if no-one around has an interest in Farming the land then I suppose it's a runner.


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## StaroftheSea (19 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

hey milk de man! Its in Mayo about 3 miles from big (ish) town.  its very accessible and not boggy, good agricultural land.  tell me more about  your ideas..  I have fantasied about making it an 'open farm' where people could come to enjoy a nice walk and see animals etc but i think the botom line is that I'm not close enough to an urban population.. i have investigated alternative use of the land with regard to energy crops like miscanthus etc but for the time invested and unsure return its again not viable...  forestry is not great for us as while my dad would receive payments in the short term and it would take care of the extra grass problem, long term I would not receive anything like this payment if/when dad passes away(terrible thought but i'm being realistic) as one has to derive most of their income from the farm in order to qualify, I have a full time job off farm... also the fact that currently one must retain the planted land in forestry for ever is very off putting.... i have looked into erecting wind turbines and even mobile phone masts for the more out of the way parts of the land but no company has expressed any interest in this.... there are plenty of golf courses nearby and karting centres etc etc 
while i have a full time job, I am in a position where I could take time off to build an enterprise of some description, its the idea that eludes me......


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## aircobra19 (19 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

While I don't think you could run a vistor attraction all the year round. If you consider the holiday season and lots of families take a holiday home for a week in the west then you might get some trade that way. Especially if theres a cafe on site. hard to know without knowing more about the location if it would be viable. You could make some other attractions either. Off road gokarts or painball etc.


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## Jack The Lad (19 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

As Brianne mentioned before you should talk to a Teagasc adviser. They can give excellent advice on the technical aspects of dealing with Department Regulations, most of which are complex and illogical, and most of which you will need to understand with respect to your parent's retirement scheme *before you do anything*. 

From the financial side of things, it would do no harm to look up your local paper and pinpoint an auctioneer who deals in land sales and rental. Drop into the office and see if he can clarify land values for you.

Then you have the groundwork done, the basic info is there, and you can start to make some decisions.

If you are three miles from a town and close to a golf course, getting planning permission and selling a few sites would be one of the first things to consider. Although, be prepared to practice a lot of patience and endurance if the planning office is anything like the one in my part of the world!


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## mercman (19 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

mikejoe, recently the forestry commission issued new directives concerning land in Reps. The premium has been increased especially for farmers and as far as i know the rules after felling have changed. You could plant it. your father couold get his reps and premia, and leave a few sites around the land to be sold at a later stage. You could grow Hemp if you got a licence or Elephant Grass for use as renewable energy. You really need to talk to somebody from Teageasc who are particularly good about these kind of things. If you are in South Mayo, take a run into the IFA or Teageasc in Athenry.


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## cork (20 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Go to a good estate agents and rent it out.

It could be used for silage, hay or rearing stock.

Does it have barns, sheds, slatted units?


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## Elphaba (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*



mikeljoe77 said:


> .. i have investigated alternative use of the land with regard to energy crops like miscanthus etc but for the time invested and unsure return its again not viable...



Why is it not viable? Miscanthus is a very fast growing plant. A company in Baltinglass supplied Miscanthus biomass to the National Grid for the first time. It can be burned in already an existing faclility.Power stations want to switch to 30% renewable sources by 2015.

This might seem mad, but you could plant it so that it becomes a maze during the summer months and charge an entrance fee, and harvest it in the autumn for sale to a power station...then plant it again..Im sure you;d get great support from your local community, schools etc. You might get a grant also from local enterprise board as well as other EU grants etc...


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## oilpainting (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

what about running.....

a music festival
camp site
sheep shearing contest
open air movie theatre
build a really big hedge maze! 
rent it for weddings 

ive let my imagination run wild.... down west!


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## declanja (21 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Dont think the the landowner can rent it out, sow trees etc or he will lose his single farm payment and REPS.I'm in Galway and know of landowners that sell the silage to local farmers by the bale before cutting it. The buying farmer cuts and bales it and pays the landowner maybe 5-8 euro per bale. This way the landowner can have an income, minimise this costs and maintain his premiums.


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## CreditCrunch (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Why not stage a regular Airsoft event there?

http://irishairsoft.ie/

A captive audience looking for realistic terrain to play war games on...............Big Bucks 

Go to [broken link removed] to see just how much they spend on replics rifles

It's similar to paintball only much more realistic.

You could earn good money if you did a deal with these guys.


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## Purple (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*



FredBloggs said:


> Damm - I thought this thread was about something else


 1st prize



runner said:


> Pat Kenny might be interested in it as a wild life sanctuary?


 2nd prize



paddyodoors said:


> maybe the grass is greener on the other side....


 3rd prize

Very close...
Call my 1550 number for details of what you won. Calls should last no longer than 45 minutes...


But to actually address the OP’s question; Many of the suggestions here require significant investment and some risk to that investment.
Trees or bio-fuel seem to be the best options.


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## StaroftheSea (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*



oilpainting said:


> ive let my imagination run wild.... down west!


 
hey oilpainting! does this mean you've got some sort of project going down west??! Tell me more!


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## StaroftheSea (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Hey lads and lassies! Thanks for the suggestions, good bad ugly and hilarious....they all count.  declan j your idea is a good one as a short term solution assuming I can secure an interested buyer....


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## oilpainting (22 Apr 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

no im an artist in dublin but couldnt resist throwing a few crazy ideas out there!!!

i was thinking of something like the father ted theme park! my family has a holiday home down west,ive had great times at annual regattas,pig flying contests,entering into rose of tralee etc.....just thought some kind of attraction could generate a bit of craic and money!!!xxx


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## jackswift (1 May 2008)

*Re: What to do with all the grass??*



Ravima said:


> How can 90 acres be non viable? Reps should be bringing in around €7/8K. There is also a single payment from EU of another €XX. Could you sow grain, even on a sharing arrangement with a neighbour? Could you put animals on the land, sheep, horses or cattle and pay a neighbour, or a neighbour's son/daughter to keep an eye on them? I would not be inclined to plant the land as once you put trees on it, you are stuck with them. In what part of the country are you situated? Could you arrange some deal with some young enterprising person to commence an organic enterprise on the land, either animals or veg? Is the land rough, mountainy, hilly and with scrub? Could you arrange shooting parties on it?
> 
> Alternatively, could you sell it and invest the proceeds in some high yielding shares or bank account?


 I am in REPS the payment you get is for the upkeep of the land. Over the last two years all I have out of the payments is €2500 a year. You have to draw up a plan telling you what to do for the 5 year plan this cost €1300 then paint sheds, cut hedges, take soil samples, spread lime etc. The second year I changed my plan slightly this cost another €1000. You can't plough up land in REPS if it wasn't in grain when area aid came out first. You can only rent out land in REPS short term 3 months, you must also know what 3 months when drawing up the plan.


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## jackswift (1 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*



ubiquitous said:


> I find this hard to believe. Farmers in the locality will always be interested in grass and variations thereof (hay or silage) especially if it is going cheap or for free. Put a free ad into Buy & Sell or similar and you will have a queue of takers
> 
> 
> 
> .


 I advertised hay all winter in the local paper and buy and sell all I got was two calls noone came to see it.


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## BurritoQueen (1 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

There is SO much you can do with this land with minimal capital investment..especially in the West of Ireland.... I see from your thread that time managment is a big issue....I come from Eastern Oregon where lots of folks from my area are land rich but cash poor. They've created some pretty interesting capital generating projects funded from pocket-lint monies..... We rual Americans don't have any nice EU money to tide us over the rough times so we gotta be REAL creative. Gimmie a direct contact if you're so inclined and we'll 'chew the fat' over your problem, if you want? Good luck anyhow.


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## viztopia (1 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

free grass!! depending on what part of Mayo you are around i know someonethat may be interested in renting the land from you for feeding cattle in the short term. pm me if you are interested


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## Culchie (7 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Why not have a farmers market? ... on the farm for a change.

Rent out 'pitches' to traders. Throw a few quid at advertising.


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## Fishy (13 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Vistor Centre etc. would in my opinion be a complete non-runner (was a Bank Manager in my previous life and I saw lots and lots of Business plans that sounded good on paper but were pipedreams really and would never make money).
I don't know much about Crops (Vegetables etc.) however one only has to look at the current world trend with food prices etc. to know that there will be good money in food soon.  The worlds population is growing rapidly and the race for so called 'Green Fuels' is & will continue to cause a silent famine amongst the worlds poor.
This same 'famine' has caused Grain/Rice etc. prices to rise worldwide (on the shelves in Tesco etc) as there is simply not enough people planting and 'Demand' greatly exceeds 'Supply'.  
Organic vegetables is in my opinion worth investigating further even if you do work a full-time job.  Is is easy enough to get cheap contract labour in, if and when you need it so you could keep your day job (guaranteeing a regular income) and develop the Organic Veg. business at the same time.  I would suggest that you give it some though and avoid Forestry and Grass. 
Best of luck in any event.


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## StaroftheSea (16 May 2008)

*Re: 90 acre farm that is non viable commercially. What to do with all the grass??*

Thanks to everyone who has contributed....I am reading all your thoughts and am appreciative of them. keep them comin please!


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## Geraldine2 (21 May 2008)

A donkey or two?  Species in extinction.


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## z103 (21 May 2008)

> A donkey or two?  Species in extinction.


Yes, a donkey would be great. There's a new baby donkey near us and we take the long way around so we can see it. Lovely looking creatures.
I didn't realise they were in extinction. Wait until the oil runs out.


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## BCPK (22 May 2008)

For starters I'm surprised it can't be sold, especially if its in one block or a couple of sizeable blocks. Don't plant trees, shocking thing to do to good grassland! 
What about composting? Is there somewhere on it you could build a decent sized facility? Waste is such an issue and eventually you could hit the jackpot and be bought out by NTR/Greenstar!


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## Fauve (24 May 2008)

Donkey sanctuary would get my vote, there is one in Liscarrol.  I think. I don't know how they fund the place other than donations etc but has a big place in my heart.
Composting facility also great idea but how to run?
Eco nappies/wormery etc, vermicompost could be sold eventually.
Best of luck with it.


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