Day of farm sale gets ever nearer

Throughout the years I have been writing this column I have written before about farm sales, and I have always appreciated the emotional impact on a farming family of losing not only their business but their way of life.
Picture copyright Heather Jan BruntPicture copyright Heather Jan Brunt
Picture copyright Heather Jan Brunt

It’s a hard day and we are facing that day very soon.

Earlier this year I wrote about my husband’s decision to retire from farming, which inevitably led to a decision to sell the farm.

This is a long process and is still ongoing. Our farm shop closed in late spring, our cattle were sold in June.

When the farm itself (land and buildings) went on the market in June it received a lot of interest, primarily from neighbouring farmers who have been losing their own land to HS2 and house building and therefore need to replace their acreage.

As is the practice in farming, the new owners will not actually move in until the end of September.

Before then we face the farm sale. This is a day when the auctioneers (in our case, Thame Market) come to the farm to sell all the dead stock - this is machinery, vehicles, tools, equipment and anything else we have around the place.

Invited lots from other farmers who have one or two items to sell are also brought in for sale on the day.

Preparing for this sale is taking a lot of time as we all go through decades worth of storage as well as items still in use, to see what we want to keep and what will be sold. Our son is taking a week off work to help in the days leading up to the sale.

Thame Market has been out to visit the farm to make an initial list of items to put in the catalogue and to visualise the areas available for the display of sale items, car parking and catering.

A farm sale is a big event and there will be a field set aside for visitors’ vehicles (which will include lorries and trailers ready to take items away at the end of the day), as well as a field to lay out the things for sale. These fields have had to be prepared with extra mowing.

The sale, taking place on Thursday September 20, is advertised widely within the farming community, and is open to the public.

If you want to come along to see what goes on, or to buy anything, contact Thame Market for details, on 01844 217437.

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