What does it mean when a farm is said to be "ring fenced"? Seen it a few times in FW and googling the term didn't help much. Thanks.

Pretty much what it says. A farm that is all in one block... with a fence around it.

Although there might not be an acctual fence 

Thanks for the info. Have just read it again in the context. "to ringfence our tractor running costs".

farmfan, That is modern garbagespeak. Invent a phrase that is, in the correct context of the English language, incorrect, and then use it frequently enough that it becomes part of the language. To "ring fence" tractor running costs would necessitate being in absolute total control of the purchase price, maintenance, repair and fuel costs of the tractor. Nice if you could do that, but I doubt it.

In the original meaning, I would never buy a property that was not ring fenced. Too much trouble.

I have a new word query. What are lands? "we like to work in lands and now Always leave an exact combine width"

Break a field up into rectangular ,parallel sided blocks rather than stating at one side and progressing to the other. Working in lands is easier for some tractor operations and can avoid the awkward gorings ( I sense your next question) if field sides are not parallel. Matching lands to your machine width or exact multiples of is efficient but can increase headland compaction

Thanks for the reply Mark. I know what garings are though I think. The awkward corners with short turns?

farmfan:

What are lands?

We call lands, breaks. So I would open up another break. Or more commonly, bouts.

Also, garings, are called just gares here.

Those triangular bits are called buttes here and scutes in Norfolk.

Called shortland everywhere too I thought.

No, no, no, no, no.You are not all wrong all of the time, just most of the time. Maybe not in your own wee bittie of the world, but I bet the next county has a different word for most of the ones you use. I have never heard of gares, garings, gorings, buttes (except in a different context) scutes or shortlands. A land is possibly understood across most of England, even north of the Roman Wall, and a break too, although the word might not used, it is understood.

England is a strange country, and I remember reading once that a Statute acre (4840 sq yds) was not used across all the country. Anybody care to enlarge on that?

Lands or Bouts I have heard of, and used, down here.

Here's a test for you? This comes up all the time within my company as a Cornwall/England language barrier. Would be interesting to know if my colleagues in Devon are as daft as the make out!!! How many people east of the Tamar know what a "Trone" is?

An acre is worked out by being a chain wide (22 yards) by a furlong long (220 yards), so for an acre to alter, the basic source of the calculation must alter too.

Having said that, if you go back far enough in history every area had its own form of measurement, sometimes using the same names, but sometimes having a new name imposed on an old standard. Much like our old ton, is alittle heavier than the metric tonne, but the assumption is now that they are the same. When you buy/sell a ton of grain are you actually trading 2240lbs, or only 1000kgs?

tcb, I have heard the word used in Northumberland a long time ago, but will not give my understanding of what it means at this stage. I will later.

bovril, I was meaning more recently. I occasionally bought the Smallholder magazine in the 1990s and there was an article in there about different sizes up and down the country. I had never heard of it before, except like you way back in time. I had assumed that since the now USA, Australia etc. used what I referred to as as a statute acre (10 sq ch as you posted) that the acre had been fixed for a few hundred years at least.

An acre is the area of land one man with one horse can plough with one furrow in one day

Old mac, there is an imperial acre, still in use. Then there is a "scotch " acre, about 20% more in area. Maybe thats how scottish yields are always 20% more?

henarar, That is the reason an "acre" varied so much!!!

glasshouse, So how big is a Scotch acre? And is it still in general use? I know enough about Scottish law that I know I know nothing.

I've heard a couple old fella's talk of Cornish Acres. These being slightly larger than a standard acre as a Cornishman and a team of horses could always plough slightly more than those from accross the boarder.

if henarar is right, then we scots must have risen 2 hrs earlier in the morning to plough our extra 20% by nightfall.

as far as i know, the scotch acre is not in use now, but we still rise earlier to do our extra 20%!

glasshouse, So with double summertime you will meet yourself going to bed.

spot on, old mac!

Glasshouse the "scotch" acre is all dependent on how much scotch the scotch have had, the more the scotch the more the acre or is it the other way round

after the bottle of scotch the acre just seams 20% bigger if ur ploughing with horses!

aye, that scotch is devilish stuff!

as far as varations in the size of an acre i belive there is such a thing as an irish acre, no idea what size it is tho, also land in canada is often in sections, a square mile, 634 acres. sometimes a section is listed as 640 acres, i think