News Ground
British leased land only for young farmers
The English arable farmer Peter Layzell has a special legacy for the agricultural sector. His 335 hectare company is part of a foundation. The land is leased in small quantities to give young entrepreneurs a chance to gain experience. For that, they enjoy several benefits.
The Layzell Bures Charity has been operating for nearly 10 years, and is the legacy of farmer Peter Layzell. Only young aspiring farmers are welcome to lease a plot of land from the charity, so writes the British Farmers Weekly. The lease price is about €146 per hectare, which is about 33% of the average price in the east of England. There are 7 lease companies, divided over 6 arable locations and 1 for livestock farming. The largest plot is 33 hectares, the smallest only a few hectares.
5 years lease
Young farmers are selected based on their business plan and entrepreneurial spirit. This Farm Business Tenancy (FBT) offered is valid for a period of 5 years. The main goal of the FBT is to give these young entrepreneurs experience in managing a business, growing different crops and dealing with the setbacks that come with farming.
Farmers Weekly interviewed several young people with an FBT, including 23-year-old Tom Hadley, who is in the last year of his lease on 17 hectares of arable land with 200 tons of grain storage. During those 5 years, Hadley alternated between growing wheat, dry peas, potatoes and barley to gain experience. That is, in his own words, the reason why he applied for an FBT. "You make your own decisions. It's not about making a lot of money, but about gaining experience," he explains. "You learn more in this way than during a training course, or by sitting on the tractor with a farmer every day."
As a tenant of the Layzell Bures Charity you enjoy various benefits. In addition to the low lease price, money is requested spread over the season and not completely before the new growing season. The starting entrepreneurs often do not have the financial reserves to cough up the full amount immediately. You also have the advantage of having your own product storage, so that you can gain experience with selling.
Good for resume
Hadley intends to start renting land entirely on its own feet in the regular market after next year. Colleague Ben Martin took a different approach. In 2010 he started as the first tenant, on 32 hectares of arable land. The 36-year-old Martin is now a manager on an arable farm of 1.300 hectares. As the son of an agricultural worker, he never had the (financial) means to start his own business. The experience he gained in planning, purchasing, growing and selling has brought him to where he is now. An FBT also looks good on your CV, Martin agrees.
Niels van der Boom
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