[Cabbie37]

On the site where I have my allotment, we have always been well served by a local chap who kept pigs and cattle on a small scale. Sadly, he died this summer and we are all struggling to find a new source nearby. There are one or two likely free sources we could tap, but for each individual to go with a couple of bags to fill would be a messy approach for all concerned. What i am thinking about is a scheme where members could commit themselves to bying a certain amount, the Society hires a grab and go wagon to get a bulk load, then hires and a tractor and trailer to deliver individual loads around the site from the back of the wagon. I'm being met with a certain amount of 'dubiousness' from the Committee on my idea, so I wondered whether anyone here did anything similar and how it works? Pitfalls, costs etc etc would all be good things to hear about...

Many thanks in advance for any contribution...

[flitwickone]

find a farm that will deliver we paid 35 per 4-5 tonne load and then its barrow time

[monkeygee]

we used to do it at my old allotment site but it was a case as already stated , get the barrow out , as your in cambs may be worth enquiring at newmarket, you may get lucky and they want rid of it

[noshed]

We get it free because Bywaters have the contract to dispose of it from various stables and they're always looking for places to dump it. Mcgrath's do the same. We usually tip the driver though.

[Willie_Eckerslike]

We used to have a local lad with a 35cwt transit tipper used to pick it up from the local stables. He got it for free and charged us £15 per load tipped by the gate of each plot. We got about 1 ton for the price. After that it was barrow time. Haven't seen him this year so I got my own trailer and I help myself from the stables about a mile from the plot.

[Cabbie37]

Thanks for all the replies so far, food for thought. It seems no-one has runs the sort of scheme I have in mind. Apparently, my Society, in the dim and distant past, made a bulk purchase of muck, but people abused the the system and helped themselves to the giant pile that was left, without paying for it  Hence their nervousness....

[savbo]

we tend to get together in small groups and buy a load (~3 tonnes) for about £35 and then barrow like mad. I bought a load for myself and it nearly killed me...

I suppose it comes down to how much people would be paying for their share, but if you can drop it at each plot by machine (no chance on our site with 3' paths) it's got to be worth a few quid

savbo