What to do with the spare paddock... « Alternative Technology Assn Forums

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What to do with the spare paddock...

(25 posts) (11 voices)

Started 8 years ago by Lance
Latest reply from Lance

Tags:

agistment

Lance
Key Master

Hi everyone, we have a spare paddock which is around 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares) which is currently heavily grassed with some sort of stock feed grass (which turns into straw if left long enough). At the moment we have a neighbour cut it and it either gets bailed or goes to rot.

What I'm after is low cost ideas for turning it into something useful that a) won't cost a lot, and b) won't take all of my spare time. A big ask, I know.

The current short-term plan is to rescue a few sheep or similar that would have gone to slaughter and give them a new life as lawnmowers, keeping the paddock under control, but we want to use it to better effect and maybe generate some income from it.

One option is to start installing large ground mounted solar arrays, which, while expensive, will eventually pay for themselves. The local power company is going to soon upgrade our line here so feeding back shouldn't be a problem.

But, just want to know what others have done with similar sized plots, thought there might be some great ideas out there that we haven't considered.

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 3:43:51 am from IP #
Diver
Member

Any Sunday markets in the area?

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 4:49:44 am from IP #
David
Member

Lance said:
The current short-term plan is to rescue a few sheep

That's always a good idea, you can get a farmer if they are close to agist a few, they will cost you nothing and will give you a few bucks back for the privilege, they could be sheep that get shawn.

Lance said:
One option is to start installing large ground mounted solar arrays, which, while expensive.

You could have both and ground mounted arrays are only marginally more expensive, however unless you intend to become a true "Large Generator" and jump through all the hurdles there are to do it, then without spending a very large amount of money you will almost certainly be limited to a max of 15kw's at least in Vic, without having to "contribute" to the infrastructure upgrade to support the solar, if you are in a Jemena/United Energy area then you maybe able to go to 30kw's provided in all cases it's 3 phase power.

The costs could become pretty horrid along with the requirements for a distributor to control/manage export power generation. There are bunch of other possible issues.

My suggestion is start with contacting the distributor for your area see what they say, that will give a clear idea of hurdles you are facing and what might be the costs of connecting a larger system to the grid are going to set you back, at the moment.

NB they are very likely changing in Jan 2014 >quote< it's anticipated the 2014 Victorian Service & Installation Rules will be released in January 2014.>unquote<

Official SIRs site for Victoria and any LV electrical installation to connect to the grid requires to comply to this document http://www.victoriansir.org.au/Download-SIRs.aspx

How much this will affect PV installations going forward is unclear at the moment.

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 4:58:03 am from IP #
Lance
Key Master

Sorry, should have mentioned we are in Tassie, the limit here is 10kW I think but would have to check with Aurora...

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 11:12:13 am from IP #
David
Member

hmm, I see, apart from that the same sort of things will still apply, installation rules for any state might vary somewhat, but as you say checking with Aurora would be a good place to start. I'm assuming there the distributor, and yes I know that Tassie system has not been broken "yet", unlike Victoria's, where it's all about maintaining profit.

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 11:26:40 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

are you close to main road ?
or town ? (Thinking access to markets/ public etc )
whats the aspect like ? and slope , soil type etc
availability of water ?
cropping ?
land use zoning ?
eco-tourism ?
educational facilities ?
aquaculture ?

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 10:02:43 pm from IP #
Lance
Key Master

Ok, more details. We are surrounded by farms, location is http://goo.gl/MDYyCM where you can see the main house and the paddock makes up the rest of the land with the heavy tree boundary.

Solar access is excellent, land is pretty much flat, unlimited water as there is a bore and a well. The land has been a livestock paddock for the last 100 years or so as far as we can tell.

Not sure about the zoning, would have to find the docs from when we bought the place, but the locals do pretty much whatever they want.

Not much eco-tourism around here as is mostly cleared land, and if the mining and logging companies have their way, there won't be any anywhere in Tassie.

There is a TAFE etc just up the road (in country terms )

We are absolutely not into farming animals for profit or food, any critters on the land are rescued from a grisly fate, generally.

Solar was just one idea, not committed to it, was just interested in hearing other peoples' thoughts as there are probably many things we haven't considered.

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 10:54:49 pm from IP #
rockabye
Member

My son, who has just moved to Launceston, has been researching aquaponics.

He suggested this site to me. He said Inland Fisheries can supply info on types of fish.

http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/education/documents/barrel-ponics.pdf

I just spent 2 weeks down there and drove through Ridgley btw. Nice area.

Posted Saturday 28 Dec 2013 @ 11:31:18 pm from IP #
Lance
Key Master

Thanks rockabye, but that falls into the farming animals category, we just don't believe in it, it isn't necessary to eat them to be healthy and no animal farming is humane. Is interesting how people disconnect from the reality of it. The local farmer here brings up cows, sheep and pigs and when he sends them off to slaughter he calls it "moving them on" as if that makes it better. Maybe it does in his mind...

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 12:25:37 am from IP #
Chip
Member

Looks like a great spot Lance and weather is probably pretty kind there. Excluding your own animals, some options include:

Agistment for grass management in which case one horse would probably do and you might find someone who would appreciate a quiet spot where there are nearby riding options. Handy option if you spend time away from the property as horse owner would probably be happy to look after things.

Growing something for income - berries or fruit trees or walnuts might work but can be labour intensive and bird proof netting might be needed. Potatoes and carrots can be good as they are low maintenance and can be harvested over long period for local farmer's market. Farm gate barrow might not work on your road!

Doing something to make property even more valuable and more saleable for the future. Gradually planting groves of natives or low care exotics with informal paths etc can give a good return on time and money if eventual sale is likely.

Good luck!

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 2:16:53 am from IP #
rockabye
Member

I don't think the fish are for eating Lance. My understanding is that they are the nutrient recycler. I'll read up some more.

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 4:53:13 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

mushroom farming .

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 5:00:15 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

or truffles .or cut flowers .

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 5:01:42 am from IP #
Lance
Key Master

What we really want to do with it is to reforest it and have it as a little oasis for the native critters, but that's a problem as it will attract snakes. Unfortunately, Tassie has more tiger snakes than anywhere else I've been, they are all over the place. So much so that the farmers kill them on sight, even though they shouldn't, but considering how aggressive tigers are here (they will actively chase you across a paddock so you need to be able to run) I can understand why they do. So, to provide a haven for the buggers is just not viable unless we can find a way to deter them.

As I write this, one of the neighbours is picking up about 50 bales he just cut and baled this week (he's the caretaker on a neighbouring farm that has every bit of equipment you could ever want, and the owner seems happy if he does odd jobs for neighbours), so we get the paddock cut and they get spare hay for their stock. Not as good as silage but a backup nonetheless.

Chip, the farmer across the road did spuds last year, the workers who were supposed to harvest them were 3 months late and so he missed 3 months of silage growth in that paddock. Seems that is not an uncommon prob here, so not sure relying on external workers is where we want to be. We had thought about fruit or nut trees but the same problem applies, and setting up is expensive.

Anyway, will have to keep thinking on this one, we simply don't have the spare cash to start farming something like flowers or whatever as it means ripping up the entire paddock to remove the "scary grass" and regular roundup spraying (evil stuff too, don't want to use it) to suppress new growth. The grass seed is all over the place, so I think we are stuck with using it for the moment.

So my current thinking is rescuing a critter or three. I was originally thinking sheep, but they do have a habit of walking through fences, including electrics, so a horse or two might be an option, and agistment might be too.

So that is our dilemma, we need something that won't be a time and money sink but that might be better use of the land than just growing grass.

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 8:40:56 am from IP #
Lance
Key Master

Rockabye, by the look of the last few pics in that PDF, those fish had outgrown their habitat and were not looking very alive. We just don't like the attitude of animals being there just for people to use as they see fit, sorry.

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 8:42:34 am from IP #
rockabye
Member

Maybe a 'transition town' type of land sharing with organic farmers approach could have some benefits for you and the local community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Towns_(network)

They grow the food i.e. do the work, you get some of the produce. Just a thought.

I went to the Harvest organic farmers market in Launceston, Sat mornings, while I was there. Lots of like minded people about.

Posted Sunday 29 Dec 2013 @ 10:15:36 am from IP #
MoreBikesPlease
Member

Unlimited water, flat-ish land and good solar access - sounds perfect for growing something!

For land sharing, you could also try a local permaculture group.

Posted Monday 30 Dec 2013 @ 3:25:14 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

fix the fences and use for agistment. sheep/ horses will keep the grass down and may repel snakes who don't want to be stood upon .
growing crops ,as you said , requires labour and access to markets .. neither of which you say are close or reliable.

Posted Tuesday 31 Dec 2013 @ 1:30:06 am from IP #
dave lawrence
Member

reforestation is a good long term goal , but also implies snakes which may be something you get used to .. how many people get bitten ( and seriously injured ) each year in Tasmania ?

Posted Tuesday 31 Dec 2013 @ 1:32:20 am from IP #
Bushwalker
Member

dave lawrence said:
reforestation is a good long term goal , but also implies snakes which may be something you get used to .. how many people get bitten ( and seriously injured ) each year in Tasmania ?

Very few.

Snakes tend to hang out where it is warm and sunny. Forests imply cool and shady - you might be better off with forest than cleared land.

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter,nsf/WebPages/SJON-52F4SG?open

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_Australia

Posted Tuesday 31 Dec 2013 @ 3:41:19 am from IP #
Lance
Key Master

The issue with snakes is that they don't stay in one spot, I don't think the neighbours would be happy with a snake magnet right next door. I don't know how many people get bitten here, but the buggers are pretty common, and they are not shy.

My partner isn't really happy with the idea of lots of people coming down to use the land, inevitably they will need facilities like toilets etc which we would have to provide.

So, we just have to keep thinking on it, was hoping an ATA member had seen a novel use of a small paddock in their travels. For the moment it looks like rescuing a few livestock is going to be the best option.

Posted Tuesday 31 Dec 2013 @ 5:09:26 am from IP #
Adamc73
Member

Tassie has the right conditions to grow saffron . Nice little cash crop!

Posted Tuesday 31 Dec 2013 @ 9:45:28 am from IP #
emmavr72
Member

Do you have a local Landcare group you could join? They can often assist with revegetation/regeneration and probably also provide some advice about managing tiger snakes on the property. For example there may be some sorts of vegetation that they prefer and that you could avoid. But as tiger snakes are part of the ecology of the area, educating the neighbours sounds like it would need to be part of the project too. Maybe something for the longer term.

The only other thing that occurs is a growing some inputs for the Tassie 'gourmet food economy', say something local like Tasmanian mountain pepperberry. Some time would be required for harvesting/processing, but if you could find a local who wanted to use the product maybe they could do the hard yards in exchange for a discount...just a thought.

Posted Wednesday 1 Jan 2014 @ 5:26:11 am from IP #
FarmerJo
Member

I'd suggest you create a listing on DailyGraze.com.au. Who knows there will be someone around the area who would like to agist on your land.

Posted Friday 1 Apr 2016 @ 9:40:36 am from IP #
Lance
Key Master

Thanks, good idea for the site (technically your post is spam, but may be useful to other users, so am going to leave it), in the end we rescued three ewes from getting the chop, they have been munching the grass down ever since. They have become a tad fat with all that fodder (and as a result, pretty strong), the poor shearer who had to do them recently nearly got killed by one of the girls who threw him off into the barn wall, fortunately just a superficial cut resulted, but have to change the setup for next year, sheep are way too smart and remember what's about to happen, even from a year back. Below is Mummy Sheep doing what she does best (after her morning grain/pellets/hobby mix)...

Posted Sunday 3 Apr 2016 @ 6:27:02 am from IP #

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