Stereo

I suppose it depends on how you want to deliver to your customer as well? I don't sell wood but for my own use I go for the billet idea and we stack them in a huge row at the top of a field so it's getting sun on it and the wind straight through the lengths. Then just cover the top with either ply pallets, old ply boards or cheap tarps, whatever we have to stop the rain running down through the stack. A summer of this and most stuff is bone dry and ready to burn. To bring back home we have a chainsaw horse and 2 of us can fill the hilux in 15 mins or less. We have a steep fall off so built a shoot from weld mesh where the chopped logs fall into and slide down into the truck. We usually log up in late august / sept when the evenings are long, bring it back and fill the store. What this means is that getting the wood stacked is easy and quick and we log to demand later when there is less going on. I have thought of bags but it gives us more work to do at the wrong time. But if you want to deliver in bags, then I can see that having your product bagged and ready is a big bonus. Also, with a setup like in Theocus' pic above, handling is minimal and handling is the key really in a commercial operation so I guess if I was doing this as a business, I would look to something like that. I suppose the other thing is that if you have it bagged, you know exactly how much product you have at the point of processing rather than guessing from a line of billets.

We had loads of girls names lined up but ended up with 3 boys and we struggled with all of them. Ended up with JJ (Jay Jenson), Eddy and Kai. I would say have a short list and then get to know your new baby for a week or 2. None of ours were named immediately. You can get fixed on a name before he's born and then come to realise that it just doesn't suit him. So, my advice would be to hold off on the actual name for a bit.

Best wishes Bob. Report back ASAP.

The ones felled at Marley Head were still stacked on the bank last time I passed (some time ago I admit). I live about 3 miles from Marley and have watched all this going on with some interest. There is plenty of new growth going on though which they have been careful to leave. Looks like most of it is Syc from a casual drive by.

Anyone know what single farm payments are worth on 64 acres and how much the entitlement is likely to cost?

Not family, it's family that has caused the problem! No hard feelings, life happens and we are all still getting on. Friends. Hmmm. Might think on that. Most of my mates are skint but some aren't. That's not a bad thought. Thanks.

I'd just bought a billion quids worth 5 minutes before this happened. Luckilly it was a glitch or I would have lost 0.5% of my fortune.

Here's my favourite tree.

My sentiments exaclty. Afford is the problem. I just couldn't afford to service a debt of that size unless I could genenerate an income to match at least most of the interest, probably around 8k a year alone. How can I make £8k from 25 acres of steep grazing land, working part time on it? I wish I knew the answer and I know you are right about them not making it any more. We sold off 250 acres in the 90's and it hurts to this day. We'll probably never get that back. One thing I have learned is that the truly wealthy people are the ones who keep assets, not sell them. I just can't see a way to keep this one. Dammit.

Sounds like one to remember. Whatever people say about poplars, they can be stunning trees. My grandad tilled one when he came here in the 30's and it was taken apart a couple years ago. Absolute monster of a tree.

Thats the lower end estimate where we are. Small packets go for 15k an acre around here.

I do plan on keeping my business in the medium term. We run it from a converted barn across the yard so it's on site. I was really looking for a way to justify buying grazing land at £8000 p/a. I can't see anything that would produce enough income from 25 extra acres to support a £150k loan.

I suppose going down the route of rare breeds etc. is the only realistic way to make a bit of money. There is already a solar and wind farm proposed nearby and this is contentious enough so I'm not sure how that would go down! At the end of the day I doubt 60 acres over 35 will make a huge difference to this sort of operation. Plus I have to find in the region of £150k to buy it which is a lot of cash.

Thanks all, I'm aware of the money side of it, we were skint when I grew up and everyone kept telling me we were rich farmers because we had 300 odd acres. What I'm really trying to do is find a business model which justifies buying the 25 acres which is not going to be cheap at the moment. I should probably just let it go but it seems the land I grew up on has just been frittered away to pay for divorces etc. and it's all a bit depressing.

Cripes, I was starting to wonder if I should have gone Rayburn instead of Esse. Hmmm. I think what you are going through is pretty disgusting to be honest. When we bought our Esse it got delivered and installed but it was a while to get the flue and plumbing installed. During this time I got a call from Esse who told me that a junior member of staff may have drilled through some boiler casings while tapping out the threads for the hob covers. They admitted that they didnt know which stoves were affected. Anyway, ours was all fitted up and we started to fill it up. Immediately we had a growing puddle on the kitchen floor (slate luckily). Damn. A call to Esse and many apologies from them later, we had a new stove within 48 hours and they fitted it and got it up and running. They even brought some logs! Now, our Esse is not perfect. It could be better. But I will always remember that service they gave me.

I have about 35 acres of mostly grazing and woodland in south Devon. I've never really done much about it aside from messing in the woods and renting the grass to a local sheep farmer. I'm a lucky boy, I know this. Anyway, I grew up on this farm. It used to be 320 acres but through various divorces, it got p'd away. It was mixed arable, beef and milk and I have done the lot from bringing in corn and sileage to milking and calving, sowing and harvesting teddies. So I have form but I moved away from the farm and left it to my bruv. I went to the City and am now in Internet retail. I'm not going to go into details but there is the remaining 25 acres of land which I grew up on, going up for sale. Deep breath. I think at the age of 40, I want to become a farmer. I have 3 young boys who are farm crazy through no design of mine, it must be in the blood. Too bloody late really but there you go. Effectively I have to buy this land at a pretty high price. So, I can start to farm my 35 acres. Or I can go out on a limb and in some way do some deal to secure the extra 25 acres so I have 60. As I said it's at best grazing with some woodland which is really where my heart lies. I have to put together a business plan to commit myself to buying out this extra 25 acres which I can't bear to see go out of the family. I'm looking for advice from farmers. I've done it all but really know nothing about the business. I do have some very good friends who are active farmers. Can I make a go of 35 acres? Can I make a go of 60 acres? What would you do, starting from scratch on the land I describe? Chickens? Beef? Sheep (we never did sheep)? Forestry? How can I generate an income from steep grassland (grows a lot of grass)?

I think I should be compensated for the amount I have to drink to make up for the fact that I don't smoke. It's disgusting. Somebody rich should pay me money in some way.

Would it be possible to prop it up while you await the LEA?

I'm not of the opinion that we should look to the state to take care of us because, as you say, they are corrupt and terrible at it. What we need, as I'm sure you will agree, is a much smaller state.

I think it's quite right that the government should raise duty on fags and booze. I don't smoke but I like a glass of wine or 12 of an evening. These things cost the NHS zillions of quid a year so it's only fair that those of us who indulge in them help to foot the bill. It has been pretty much proved that the 50p tax rate actually costs the UK money. It should have been scrapped altogether instead of a compromise to 45p. I find it staggering that anyone would like to see a high tax rate in place which nobody pays just on principle, even if it doesn't work. At the end of the day, the personal allowance has risen significantly and will rise by even more in 12 months time. This has to be good news for most people, especially Labour's 'ordinary hard working families' which is a phrase they can't seem to help repeating 500 times in every interview. I think it was a good budget all in. Positive and focussed. Far better than the popularity politics, economic recklessness and dishonesty of our previous government.

Is this a new Rayburn? If so, that's not acceptable. I guess you need to find out how it's failed but I would guess on a join rather than corrosion. Your first port of call is the company you purchased it from if it was new.

Surely, sooner or later, that thing is going to snap off about 2ft off the ground?

Air Strike.

I suspect much of it is done in the broad daylight. Probably a transit tipper with some creative signing boards, hard hats and some high viz waistcoats. Who's going to stop their car and challenge this in broad daylight unless it's the owner of the wood. How many times do we drive past crews of blokes like this 'doing things' and not give it a second thought?

They have to tell you this stuff. Bloody civil servants. They work for us, not the other way round. There is a recent thread somewhere I started about tree work and the law which has a lot about conservation areas etc. from the wise people on this board. Our conservation areas are on our local council site. As I understand it, outside of that or any other restriction (scientific interest etc) if there is no TPO and no planning restriction, they have no say in the matter.