Agistment facts for kids
Agistment is when someone pays to have their animals, like cows or horses, graze on another person's land. It's like renting a pasture for your animals. The word "agist" comes from an old English word meaning "a lying place," referring to where animals rest.
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History of Agistment
Long ago in England, agistment first meant the money earned from animals grazing in the king's forests. Today, it means two main things:
- A deal where you pay to have your horses or cattle fed on someone else's pasture.
- The money earned from letting animals graze on your land.
When animals are taken in for agistment, the person looking after them must take good care of them. They are responsible if the animals get hurt or lost due to a lack of care. Usually, the landowner does not have the right to keep the animals if the payment is not made, unless they had a special agreement.
There was once a tax called "agistment tithe" on grazing animals. This tax was removed in Great Britain in 1707. In Ireland, this tax continued for a while but was strongly opposed and eventually stopped.
Agistment Today
Agistment is still used in different ways around the world.
Agisters in England's New Forest
In England, people called agisters used to collect the agistment payments. Today, in the New Forest, agisters are important officers. They have daily duties to manage the forest and look after the animals that graze there. They help make sure the commoners' animals are safe and well cared for.
Agistment in Australia and New Zealand
In Australia, agistment is very helpful during dry periods, known as droughts. If a farm is suffering from drought, the farmer can send their livestock to another property that has plenty of grass. The animals might travel by truck or along special routes.
In both Australia and New Zealand, agistment can also mean places like farms or paddocks where horse owners pay to have their horses looked after. This can include full care and grazing ("full agistment") or just grazing ("part agistment").
Agistment in the United States and Canada
In the United States and Canada, the word "agister" is used for someone hired to provide grazing services for animals. For example, in some places, an agister is a farmer or rancher who takes care of horses, cattle, or sheep for a fee. They provide feeding, herding, or pasturing services.
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