Jane Ransom wrote in
:

Surely, once upon a time, most land was agricultural. Over the years
the farmers have had their land reduced and this land has been built
on. If the builders didn't allow enough space for farmers to access
what remained of their land with their large agricultural machines,
it's no good taking it out on the farmers - lobby the local planning
departments!!!!

But the size of machinery has changed too: you cannot blame planners for
that.

Mich is unlucky in having as a neighbour a farmer who can afford large
machines, and presumably has access that mostly allows him to use them
on his land without blocking the highways.

Many of the farmers around here use tractors that are at least 20 years
old. They are tiny compared with most new ones. What might have been a
reasonable turning circle 20 years ago will often now be too narrow:
same as garages that are too small for most modern cars.

This does, of course, make the land less economic to farm, and means
that many smallholdings are now run by people who have other sources of
income.

Where I grew up in North Devon, the lanes are mostly sunken as well as
narrow and winding, and it's simply not possible to get the really large
trailers along them. They were designed for small carts or packhorses.

Some farmers widen gateways in their own fields, or make new ones so
they can take their equipment across country over their own land
instead. Others use smaller machines and accept the limitations that
imposes.

Crunching someone's garden does not strike me as an acceptable
alternative to these options, or, really, to be the fault of anyone
other than the driver.

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--