Using the Land

Before actually buying an area of land you will need to consider how you will use it.

A great deal of planning needs to be done to make sure that the land is well suited to what you want to do. Most important, probably, is what is 'physically feasible'. Quite obviously, much of the earlier discussion will help to determine this.

Having settled upon a certain enterprise, or combination of enterprises, it is still important to know how the land is to be managed; when crops are to be sown, how they and livestock are to be cared for, etc.

There are a number of books available from such authors as John Seymour on various aspects of husbandry in self-sufficiency. For good technical background information on a whole host of enterprises the MAFF* produce a series of booklets dealing with such matters. It is useful to acquire the list of publications from HMSO. Write to HMSO at P.O. Box 569, London SEl 9NH (or 13a Castle Street, Edinburgh EH2 3AR; 41 The Haynes, Cardiff CFl 1JW; 80 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4JY; Brazenose Street, Manchester M60 8AS; 258 Broad. Street, Birmingham B1 2HE; Southey House, Wine Street, Bristol BS1 2BQ), and ask for Sectional List No. 1 of Government Publications entitled 'Agriculture and Food'.

If you want to do more 'financial planning' of your enterprises - and it may be wise to know how much it is going to cost, even if you are not going to sell your produce - you can refer to John Nix's 'Farm Management Pocketbook', produced every year by the School of Rural Economics and Related Studies, Wye College, Ashford, Kent. This publication contains general farm planning information applicable to England and Wales. More specific data for individual regions may be obtained from various university agricultural economic departments. The address of your nearest one can be obtained from the local office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.