Fellstoflats

For the sake of your sanity, wallet and personal life, get an ag contractor in to put up a proper stock fence. Depending on the breed, you could be trying to fence in smoke.. Once you've got it fenced, crack on with whatever hedging floats your boat, but I'd recommend leaving a gap between whatever you decide and the fence itself, for the sake of maintaining either.

+1 for binning the alcohol. There's plenty of decent alcohol free options now, which are worth a go

Sorry to hear that mate- been there, and it's rough. Firstly, if the pills aren't helping after a month, definitely get the dose tweaked. I started at 50mg, that did **************** all, then went up to 100mg, which was a game changer. Be prepared that the first few weeks can be tough on the new dose. I also found therapy useful, did it via the betterhelp app. Once I'd settled with a therapist, I took the sessions privately, and binned off the app. Some people find CBT helpful. I didn't. If it weren't for the therapy and tablets, I doubt I'd be here, let alone having started a new career in this industry, and be absolutely loving it. Take your time, get the help you need, and drop me a message if you ever need to. All the best

Sorry, only just seen this! On the ground so far, working through my tickets, dragging, cutting and rigging, and running the log grabs etc. Crane job was a particular highlight so far!

Picked one up in Aldi today actually.. wouldn't have seen that 20 years ago 😂

So far so good thanks- full time contract with a good local company, who were happy to take me as is, then train me up. Very pleased!

@Old Mill Tree Caredid you find any?

Thanks to everyone for all your input- very much appreciated, and thank you to those that messaged privately, either to offer leads or contacts. Cheers!

Thanks both- the ag sector is pretty tight money wise, less than £25k isn't abnormal, and that's what I'm on now. I've no ambition to be making silly money, but as others have said, I'm looking for that sweet spot between satisfying work and a decent wage.

We'd be reasonably secure either way. What sort of income would you expect I'd be earning? This is all good input, I appreciate it.

Regretfully not- she runs her own cake business.

Thanks, that's good knowledge. I guess one of the main questions is the money front- what do you call really decent money? 25k, 30k? More? Less?

What tickets would you suggest then? I've experience of SRT in a caving/climbing context, so some of that will be familiar, which I'd think would be helpful. What aspects do you think I won't be as fast at?

That's pretty much the nub of it- I appreciate that I'll be earning less until I've got more qualifications/experience. How much would I expect to earn as a second fiddle?

Hi all, I've decided that it's time to call time on my farming career. I've done 10 years, mainly in livestock, predominantly sheep, across different systems, culminating on the (wife's) family farm. But, for various reasons (money vs. hours, family politics etc) I've decided that enough is enough. The question is, what do I do next? Qualifications wise, I've a degree in Agriculture, Conservation and Environmental Management and a rough terrain forklift ticket. At the minute, I'm leaning towards arboriculture- I'm 33 now, so still got a bit of time to get qualifications and experience up. I'm not worried by the weather or hard work and would much rather be active than not. With basic qualifications (CS30&31) what are my realistic chances of employment/earnings? I'd be looking to add CS38,39&40 down the line. Are there other tickets that would increase my chance of employment? I'm South Oxfordshire based. Any advice welcome!

Hi, Did you find anyone? I'm looking for a load in South Oxon. Cheers

Farmyard, with telehandler to aid unloading- no size restrictions. Please call before tipping.

Hi Simon Out of interest, would you take anyone on part-time, or on an as-and-when basis? I'm based just outside Thame in Oxon- I work full-time on the family farm, but things/work gets quiet through roughly October to March, so I'm considering the options for bringing in a bit more income. No tickets as yet, but I plan on doing the basics for my own interest. More putting the feelers out than anything else, but if it might be something that would work for you (or anyone else), I'd be happy to discuss it. Sorry to hijack the thread! J