Hilly
Member
- Location
- Scottish Borders.
Coming from a clever dic did you see what I did there pure geniusToo many chances of a cock up.
Coming from a clever dic did you see what I did there pure geniusToo many chances of a cock up.
Its bolloks, your either a farmer or not, if your not your something else and a hobby farmer.When did diversification become aspirational, as opposed to...we need another job we are short of money? How many other occupations diversify? We must be right lazy b8%£&D's!
When did diversification become aspirational, as opposed to...we need another job we are short of money? How many other occupations diversify? We must be right lazy b8%£&D's!
Had some in my mothers greenhouse, wasn't convinced when I said they were tomatoes cut them up just as they flowered..... Had a funny smell in her airing cupboard for a while after that.
Edit: are you looking for some crazy ased schemes or the most successful? What criteria do you go on? Its not like the country file calander is it?
When you decide to diversify into running courses on cider making, let me know, and I will be your first client.Well yes i'm a tenant farmer so have the unfortunate problem of paying a rent. Although the whole farm is to be sorted out first as it has never been a sheep farm, that in itself could occupy all my time for the next 5 years.
I have always liked french cider and also west country cider so i planted a cider orchard, about 230 trees on mm106 stocks.
I spent alot of time travelling in France as a youngster, and then holidays.. to France and somerset, gathering ideas (ehhm tasting sessions)
There isnt anybody i'm aware of producing French cider here, sweet, naturally slowly fermented by the process they call 'defecation'! We call it keeving. They also use very high tannin cider apples which can give taste anywhere from bacon to leather, smoke etc.... lovely So i have planted some west country apples, some french and some heritage or thought lost cider apples.
Of course there is no competition here at all and we get alot of holiday makers as its a beautiful part of the world.
We also keep kune kune pigs and sell the meat direct... they eat the grass under the apple trees and it seems a good combination!
These are low cost ways of diversifying... i bought the rootstocks and scions and grafted the trees myself for a £1. Pigs just eat grass. If i ever get the farm sorted i may actually begin a business breeding kunes off grass as nobody seems to be doing it. But thats a way off yet and i'd need a willing landlord
When you decide to diversify into running courses on cider making, let me know, and I will be your first client.
and is there any point in diversification, if you cannot run your main line of work right, then what makes you think you could run a side line better than anyone else
and is there any point in diversification, if you cannot run your main line of work right, then what makes you think you could run a side line better than anyone else
we had 2500 acres and looked for other things rangeing from grapes /wine makeing etc B&B ,skeet shooting in an old wild west set up , golfcross (yea it's a tad strange )and is there any point in diversification, if you cannot run your main line of work right, then what makes you think you could run a side line better than anyone else
Shame we missed the show but will make sure we make it this year, any feedback from the event @willfarmbiz