Former NFU Scotland vice-president John Picken, who farms on the outskirts of St Andrews, has put half his farmland on the market.
Mr Picken says he is selling a block of almost 300 arable acres at Feddinch and Waterless to reduce his workload.
“I lost our long-term tractorman two harvests ago and he is irreplaceable. I now farm single-handed and rely on contractors,” he said. The land is divided into 13 enclosures and lies across the road from the home farm of Priorletham. It is on the market in two lots at offers over £1,650,000 and Mr Picken said most of it is suitable for fruit, potatoes, vegetables and cereals.
In total there are 249 acres of arable, 12 acres of permanent pasture and 32 acres of woodland, approximately 22 acres of which were replanted with hybrid sitka spruce in 1996.
The land lies between 100m and 150m above sea level and the soils are made up of predominantly mineral gleys with some lighter alluvial soils. It is classified by the James Hutton Institute as class 3(1) and 3(2) .
Mr Picken said there was a derelict steading and house on the site which offered potential for a farmer to obtain planning permission for a dwelling in connection with farming operations.
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