Does size matter?

DrWazzock · Mar 2, 2017

YorkshireAndrew said:
Read the original post . You seem to think that anyone who diversifies on their farm is only a hobby farmer , you need a reality check as many farms have diversified in one way or another & are in no way part time farmers . It doesn't make them part time farmers as you suggest . Are b & b pigs/cattle a diversification , or contracting or a farm shop , I could go on but I need to go & do some diversification work .

That's right. First and foremost we have to earn a living. How many acres I farm is immaterial. I can turn my hand to all sorts of work as well as look after the farm or even let it if needs must. The farm is a useful base for a whole range range of businesses. The farm yard and buildings are actually more useful than a thousand acres in terms of generating revenue.

YorkshireAndrew · Mar 2, 2017

As has already been said , it's not what you've got but how you use it . I tell my wife this all the time .

JP1 · Mar 2, 2017

Jonny B88 · Mar 2, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
A farm which doesnt make the farmer enough to live off full time(before including diversification), usually under 200 acre these days, another way of putting it would be a part time farmer

Why would you not include diversification income, surely that's farming what you have, all be it in a different way. You could argue that a farmer could diversify into fruit or veg and you wouldn't say that's not farming!

alex04w · Mar 2, 2017

I run sheep and sucklers.

I signed up with Moy Park to do two runs of turkeys a year in the sheep shed. Is that diversification and mean I am not a real farmer? I would call it making very good use of assets.

The 500 square metres of sheep shed makes more money per acre than the rest of the farm and it is only used for turkeys 16 weeks of the year. What is more, that 500 square metres does not attract any subsidies!

The Boss has come very strange ideas about what farming is and what profits can be made without subsidies.

nelly55 · Mar 2, 2017

On a small farm it will be easier to make up under £10000 sfp ,but someone getting over £100000 isn't going to fill that gap with a job.

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

Jonny B88 said:
Why would you not include diversification income, surely that's farming what you have, all be it in a different way. You could argue that a farmer could diversify into fruit or veg and you wouldn't say that's not farming!

because I thot the whole point of the thread was does the size of farm matter of course it does if its solely farming as more acres to grow crops/feed for livestock, if someone with 50 acres puts on a farm shop good for them they are not making a living just from the 50 acres though so the farm shop should be kept seperate

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

alex04w said:
I run sheep and sucklers.

I signed up with Moy Park to do two runs of turkeys a year in the sheep shed. Is that diversification and mean I am not a real farmer? I would call it making very good use of assets.

The 500 square metres of sheep shed makes more money per acre than the rest of the farm and it is only used for turkeys 16 weeks of the year. What is more, that 500 square metres does not attract any subsidies!

The Boss has come very strange ideas about what farming is and what profits can be made without subsidies.

your diversification is good but is not relevant to the discussion, perhaps the thread title should have been does size matter for beef/sheep or cereal farming

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

nelly55 said:
On a small farm it will be easier to make up under £10000 sfp ,but someone getting over £100000 isn't going to fill that gap with a job.

if you rent out a small farm will it make more than a big farm?

DRC · Mar 2, 2017

My neighbour only far

Bossfarmer said:
because I thot the whole point of the thread was does the size of farm matter of course it does if its solely farming as more acres to grow crops/feed for livestock, if someone with 50 acres puts on a farm shop good for them they are not making a living just from the 50 acres though so the farm shop should be kept seperate

My neighbour probably earns more from his 5 acres than me from 400. He's a pig farmer with lots of up to date state of the art pig buildings. He employs 3 people and definitely isn't doing it as a hobby.

Forever Fendt · Mar 2, 2017

S J H said:
Depends what the tenancy is, they could be paying for less than the BPS, better off than paying a mortgage.

I have tenants paying less than the sub they are receiving and it shows

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

silverfox said:
My neighbour only far

My neighbour probably earns more from his 5 acres than me from 400. He's a pig farmer with lots of up to date state of the art pig buildings. He employs 3 people and definitely isn't doing it as a hobby.

whos making more when the soya/wheat price is high? pigs are a dangerous business model

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

Forever Fendt said:
I have tenants paying less than the sub they are receiving and it shows

shows how?

unlacedgecko · Mar 2, 2017

According to my wife I'm a hobby farmer.

davieh3350 · Mar 2, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
because I thot the whole point of the thread was does the size of farm matter of course it does if its solely farming as more acres to grow crops/feed for livestock, if someone with 50 acres puts on a farm shop good for them they are not making a living just from the 50 acres though so the farm shop should be kept seperate

If someone sells their produce from 50 acres in a farm shop, or puts the produce in a box and delivers it out to people, they are still farming, they are just selling differently.

unlacedgecko · Mar 2, 2017

davieh3350 said:
If someone sells their produce from 50 acres in a farm shop, or puts the produce in a box and delivers it out to people, they are still farming, they are just selling differently.

Selling smarter I'd say.

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

clearly but its a niche ent

davieh3350 said:
If someone sells their produce from 50 acres in a farm shop, or puts the produce in a box and delivers it out to people, they are still farming, they are just selling differently.

clearly but its a niche enterprise, 50 acres of grain wont pay for a combine/dryer/drill/plough/sprayer/fert spreader/forklift/baler

Bossfarmer · Mar 2, 2017

unlacedgecko said:
Selling smarter I'd say.

the whole country cant do that and they could still loose money selling in this way

multi power · Mar 2, 2017

alex04w said:
I run sheep and sucklers.

I signed up with Moy Park to do two runs of turkeys a year in the sheep shed. Is that diversification and mean I am not a real farmer? I would call it making very good use of assets.

The 500 square metres of sheep shed makes more money per acre than the rest of the farm and it is only used for turkeys 16 weeks of the year. What is more, that 500 square metres does not attract any subsidies!

The Boss has come very strange ideas about what farming is and what profits can be made without subsidies.

Of course you are a real Farmer, a sheep, suckler and Turkey Farmer

alex04w · Mar 2, 2017

Bossfarmer said:
your diversification is good but is not relevant to the discussion, perhaps the thread title should have been does size matter for beef/sheep or cereal farming

Nice to know that keeping turkeys is not farming - its just diversification and irrelevant to you.

Bossfarmer said:
whos making more when the soya/wheat price is high? pigs are a dangerous business model

Likewise pigs are now not farming either.

Bossfarmer said:
the whole country cant do that and they could still loose money selling in this way

Being smarter than your neighbour and adding value is now ridiculed as well.

You really do have an agenda that says that anyone smaller than you, farming differently to you and adds value to their product is not farming. You really are something else.

The sooner that farmers realise that they must innovate and add value the sooner they will succeed. Those that carry on blindly doing the same thing over and over again, and complaining they cannot survive without a big dole cheque, will surely fail, irrespective of how much acreage they farm / work at part time / play with as a hobby.

Does size matter?

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100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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