I'm Really Not Sure About This
It seems that I can now officially call myself a farmer, even if I only own a tiny, minuscule share in a farm. I want to buy my own farm, with enough land to support us and to have some space left over for my Wicca centre - it will come, but not this month! My beloved, ever resourceful and on the look out for thoughtful presents and nice surprises for me (honest, this man is pretty amazing), Kim found something as a treat and interim pressie for me.
On Friday night when he got home from work, he handed me a share certificate for the Fordhall Community Land Initiative and told me I could now start sucking on a hayseed and saving up for my big red Massey Ferguson without guilt. What a thoughtful man - I am lucky. So, what am I not sure about..?
Well, first, let me define the entity and the present. The present was a really thoughtful and kind gift. The entity - owning a share in a land initiative and the idea of group ownership of a farm - that's what I'm not sure of. I have read all the blurb - I can see how it works and I think the organic principles and so on are laudable. What I can't get my head around is that the land isn't really, as far as I can see from a map, somewhere that would have been prime development land and there's not much said about other interested parties. The other thing I am struggling with a bit is the idea that this is all a rather smart wheeze to get a secured tenancy (for 100 years I believe) for the youngest children of the original tenant farmer. Now, that probably sounds terribly churlish and it may be so.
What exactly does one get for being a 'shareholder' in this scheme? The tenant farmers will let us know when we may come and look at the farm (probably not more than 8 days in each year) and that's sort of it. It's probably just me being a little dim, but I can't see the benefit of that. Let's face it - if the land had been sold it is likely it would have been to another farmer - change of land use isn't all that easy to obtain, especially for large tracts of productive agricultural land, ask any farmer. So, if it had gone to another farmer, would that have been so bad?
I'm not sure I can really articulate why I feel so uncomfortable about this gift and about the way the whole thing is organised and sold. It just feels wrong and that's all there is to it. Poor Kim, he's so patient and instead of getting all hacked off when I tried to explain why I wasn't beaming smiles and reaching for the Massey catalogues, he did his best to understand what I was saying and then left me to think about it some more. I still can't quite find the words to express why it makes me feel so squirmy, but it does.
posted by The Shepton Witch @ 23:54
5 Comments
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5 Comments:
Dear Shepton Witch,
I was interested to read your blog today about Fordhall Farm. Perhaps I should begin by introducing myself. My name is Charlotte Hollins and I am one of the two new tenant farmers at Fordhall Farm, and in fact one of YOUR tenants.
I was sorry to read that you were so disappointed with your share purchased by your partner, but perhaps I could explain some of the points you brought up to help with your dilemma.
Fordhall Farm has been organic for over 65 years and always a tenanted farm. In the early 90's Muller Dairy (from Muller Yoghurt) moved next door and set their sights on our land. For the following 10-15 years our landlord tried his best to evict the family. We fought through planning enquiries and council meetings to hold onto the land through which the farm began to deteriate. After it being one of the countries oldest organic farms we had to try our best to save it. But being on the outskirts of a growing market town the council had other ideas and the land was designated for development in the local plans. We fought hard for two years to get this land deleted from the plans and to negotiate the option to buy the land outright.
As young tenant farmers there was no way we could afford to buy the land ourselves and looked for alternatives. This came in the way of a community ownership scheme, therefore placing the land into community ownership for perpetuity for the benefit of the community. This society would allow the farm to be used for social events, educational visits, and volunteering opportunities for the benefit of the community. It would also keep the land farmed by offering a tenancy to new and young entrants to the industry. Initially this has gone to my brother, Ben, and I. A 100yr lease was granted because farmers need security on the land they work. Without it there is no incentive to invest in the land and the infrastructure. You can not build a farm business and a productive fertile soil to support it within a convential 5-10yr lease. This is why so many farms are lost to development or amalgamated into larger ones. There is nothing to build up to pass on to your children, so you ultimately don't see a future in your farm, and for the landowner, why not sell the farm for a healthy profit for his retirement. The incentives for land now are great. It is no longer seen as a family asset but more as a commodity that can be bought and sold as easily as eggs.
Local people are then outpriced by inner city communters or the large farmers who can afford the mortgages. Local people and young/new entrants to the industry are immediately outpriced.
The beauty about this structure is that it will grant a new tenancy after Ben and I, to other new or young people trying to enter the industry but facing barriers each way they turn. And top of it all, it removes the immense isolation that farmers now have from the community, local or wider, and makes farming enjoyable. In addition, it provides immense benefits for the community. The land is in their hands. They have access to it 4 days a week through our nature trail, their children can learn from it and they can socialise there as well as having local produce on their doorstep. Each shareholder also receives a newsletter 4 times a year to keep them updated with events at the farm. You are right in that you will receive no financial dividend from your share, you are in a sense, investing in the future of our countryside.
In essence, Ben and I may have a 100yr lease, but if we dont pay the rent or if let the farm deteriorate, then as our landlords, you have every right to evict us.
I hope this clarifies some things for you and enthuses you a little more about your share in Fordhall Farm. If not, please do come and visit us sometime in North Shropshire or email any more questions you have.
Warmest wishes,
Charlotte Hollins
Fordhall Farm
Dear Charlotte
Thank you for your reply. I did know much of what you wrote as I have avidly read the leaflets and bumph that came with my share certificate. There wasn't anything about Muller Dairy and perhaps it might be useful to add that so that people like me can see the sort of threat that hung over Fordhall Farm.
Don't misunderstand my discomfort with this idea. I am certainly not in favour of large multi-nationals turning more and more of our countryside into tarmac'd production facilities, which I presume was Muller's intention; we have enough brown field sites that could and should be revived and re-energised.
You mention the isolation of farming from the community and it saddens me to think that children don't all know that milk comes from cows, however, that is more a symptom of our education system and a lack of integrated education in favour of a results driven structure. Most children of my generation had never set foot on a farm and did understand the involvement of cows in milk production and the commitment of pigs in bacon production.
I applaud your resourcefulness in finding a way to secure a farming tenancy for yourself and your brother - it is certainly a very clever notion. I'm not at all fussed by the lack of any dividend - I am a regular investor in Kiva and that's not a way to make money either! Philanthropy is in short supply these days, and Kiva is my small answer to that.
You mention that the farm has been organic for 65 years, but I understand it doesn't have the Soil Association approval just yet, so that is something we have to take on trust. As a self-declared pioneer of organic farming, it does seem odd that certification isn't already available.
As an exercise in marketing, fundraising and rousing large numbers to action, I can only stand in awe of the scheme you have created. As an aged cynic, I'd probably have opted for a city farm as a wonderful educational tool if I had been making the selection. Still, It's going to be interesting to see how things develop.
Wishing you success, Sarah.
Interesting idea.
I admire the creative and lateral thinking displayed by the Fordhall team - farming is a desperate business now, you need all the ingenuity you can muster just to survive.
The Forhall team have worked hard against pretty ananymous and unpleasant odds to get the land rated as farming once again - I know how hard it can be to alter a council's mind, especially once you factor in vested interests.
Sure, they are getting a 100 year tenancy out of it. Essentially, they have a home and a job for life, as long as they keep their end of the bargain up. So, I suppose it's something for something - they no longer wholly own their land, and technically have put their neck on someone elses chopping block.
Well, they never did own the land, though I don't begrudge them their tenancy for one moment - they have certainly worked hard enough to get it! No, it's not that which causes me to feel discomfort - I'm still struggling to work out what it is...
I read through your original post and the comments again - I'm really interested by this - when you work out what it is, let me know? This has certainly made me consider some issues.
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