Forget electric ferncing on remote land.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 30 Oct 2008, 13:40

It's nothing to do with doing things "on the cheap". There are thousands of small plots that are miles from the nearest houses, unless we decide not to use them productively we have to find some way to protect the produce.

It's not just high value items either, there have been reports of potatoes being stolen.

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 30 Oct 2008, 16:17

Hopefully we'll see job vacancies for shepherds soon.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 30 Oct 2008, 18:53

emordnilap wrote:Hopefully we'll see job vacancies for shepherds soon.

But the shepherds won't be allowed to live on the land they're protecting. They'll be expected to live in the nearest village, so the land will be unguarded outside their work hours. Except that the low wages the landowner will be able to pay means they won't be able to afford to live in the village. So they'll need to live in the nearest town, but won't be able to afford to travel to the sheep, so won't be able to take the job.

eatyourveg · Post by **eatyourveg** » 30 Oct 2008, 19:20

Dear All,

You seem to have forgotten that the countryside is officially designated as a theme park. Please stop all this nonsense about it being useful for anything other than looking at. As I understand it the Foot and Mouth experiment under my Government firmly established this principle.

T. Blair.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 30 Oct 2008, 19:34

JohnB wrote:
emordnilap wrote:Hopefully we'll see job vacancies for shepherds soon.
But the shepherds won't be allowed to live on the land they're protecting. They'll be expected to live in the nearest village, so the land will be unguarded outside their work hours. Except that the low wages the landowner will be able to pay means they won't be able to afford to live in the village. So they'll need to live in the nearest town, but won't be able to afford to travel to the sheep, so won't be able to take the job.

How sadly true

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 30 Oct 2008, 20:02

JohnB wrote:But the shepherds won't be allowed to live on the land they're protecting.

Shepherds don't protect land.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 30 Oct 2008, 21:03

contadino wrote:
JohnB wrote:But the shepherds won't be allowed to live on the land they're protecting.
Shepherds don't protect land.

Look. I've got a bloody slow internet connection, and it takes ages to work my way through this forum, so I try to keep things short. I'll rephrase it:

"But the shepherds won't be allowed to live on the land on which the sheep they're protecting are situated."

And in some parts of the world shepherds have some pretty handy dogs. German Shepherds are pretty popular with the police and military. I wouldn't have liked to have been on the receiving end of the one I used to have if she was in protect mode. She would have chased the sheep as well, but that's another story

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 30 Oct 2008, 22:11

Contadino, what is your point ?

Many people in UK are trying to grow something useful, their efforts are disrupted by thieving scum ( often "travellers" ).

We try to protect our land, it isn't always easy.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 30 Oct 2008, 23:11

Catweazle wrote:Contadino, what is your point ?

Many people in UK are trying to grow something useful, their efforts are disrupted by thieving scum ( often "travellers" ).

We try to protect our land, it isn't always easy.

Huh. I'm a traveller, but I don't nick things

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 31 Oct 2008, 05:43

Catweazle wrote:Contadino, what is your point ?

I've made my point over and over. Remote land is only useful for growing stuff you don't need to protect.

If you leave valuable stuff in unattended locations, it'll get nicked. Don't blame the police, don't get the arse with someone who may or may not have stolen it, blame yourself for being stupid enough to leave it unprotected.

I have the use of a plot of land 300m away. It's full of wheat.

Catweazle · Post by **Catweazle** » 31 Oct 2008, 07:01

When firewood reaches £200 a ton and people are heading into the woods with chainsaws what do you suggest I do ? Look the other way ?

When Vortex has a field full of broccoli and some scumbags harvest it one dark night whose fault is it ? His fault for growing it or our society for not dealing with thieves ?

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 31 Oct 2008, 12:38

contadino wrote:I've made my point over and over. Remote land is only useful for growing stuff you don't need to protect.

That's probably true, but please explain how people who want land in Britain for uses that need protection, can acquire land they can live on, given the current planning system and the price of land and houses.

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 31 Oct 2008, 12:51

JohnB wrote:
contadino wrote:I've made my point over and over. Remote land is only useful for growing stuff you don't need to protect.
That's probably true, but please explain how people who want land in Britain for uses that need protection, can acquire land they can live on, given the current planning system and the price of land and houses.

Save up and buy land that is fit for purpose. Woodland, I agree, will become an issue (in the UK I don't believe it is at the moment), but a tonne of firewood has a big advantage over an electric fencer - you can't just pick it up and walk off with it.

JohnB · Post by **JohnB** » 31 Oct 2008, 13:00

I've saved up, and have enough money to buy more acres than I want, and can also afford a building plot suitable for the sort of house I want. How do I get a suitable site where the plot and the land adjoin each other, so I can live on site and protect my land?

I did look at one site, but the land was on an east facing slope, and the south side of the building plot was shaded by massive trees on the neighbouring land.

contadino · Post by **contadino** » 31 Oct 2008, 13:21

Well that sort of situation is in huge demand, so prices are naturally higher. From what I read, their prices are still increasing, bucking the trend of the rest of the housing market. It's quite simple - if you can't find what you need within your budget, you're short of either money or patience (usually money in my experience.)

I'm trying not to be patronising - it took me over 11 years in a very well paid job, and some very lucky property deals, to save up to do what I wanted.

Plots of land in the middle of nowhere are usually sold off because they have their drawbacks - be it poor access, bad drainage, no possibility of living on-site, etc... That's why they're sold off cheap. There's no point in buying them and then blaming anyone else for your mistake.

Edit: ...or there's always Second Life.