Back to traditional farming or hobby farmers?

[Barleycorn]

The good old ways: can we still farm like our grandparents?

Against the odds, small-scale farmers are learning new ways to survive in an age of industrial-scale competition

www.theguardian.com

 

[JP1]

Peasantry has a lot to commend it - I never left !

 

[egbert]

The good old ways: can we still farm like our grandparents?

Against the odds, small-scale farmers are learning new ways to survive in an age of industrial-scale competition

www.theguardian.com

One of em is a member here, and well respected within their sector s'far as I'm aware.

 

[steveR]

Peasantry has a lot to commend it - I never left !

I have aspirations of becoming a Peasant, and moving on from being a Yeoman Farmer....

 

[steveR]

The good old ways: can we still farm like our grandparents?

Against the odds, small-scale farmers are learning new ways to survive in an age of industrial-scale competition

www.theguardian.com

I wonder for how much longer the NT will be allowing small scale farming as described here...?

 

[Suffolk Serf]

Peasant is a big step up from a serf.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

It's funny in some ways. Sad in others.

"Diversification" wasn't really needed in our grandparent's time because they had never really seen a need to become specialists (or had a government tell them to do that).
Therefore they didn't need hundreds of acres of land in order to have a comfortable life, tasks were simple enough that the kids could, and did.

Really it's a great example of "success leaves clues" because if you avoid all the hazardous parts of modern agriculture (stuff with wheels, labels, being a specialist) then it probably never really went away from being something that anyone can be a part of.

One of our checks is, "can a ten year old do this job" and if not, we try our best to discard that job in future.
As @JP1 said, "peasant" or "shepherd" are actually the more important jobs out there, again our experience here is showing the great flaw in looking down on people who want to do these important roles.
Only look down on someone if you're helping them up!

 

[Agrivator]

Before hankering after a bygone age in farming, ask Grandmother, Great Grandmother, or better still ask Great Great Grandmother or the women Bondagers in Berwickshire, what they thought of it.

Up to about 70 years ago, women in farming had an exceptionally difficult life.

 

[Hilly]

Before hankering after a bygone age in farming, ask Grandmother, Great Grandmother, or better still ask Great Great Grandmother or the women Bondagers in Berwickshire, what they thought of it.

Up to about 70 years ago, women in farming had an exceptionally difficult life.

They probably still do in Berwickshire, all that money to count they must get fair seek ha ha

 

[kfpben]

It's funny in some ways. Sad in others.

"Diversification" wasn't really needed in our grandparent's time because they had never really seen a need to become specialists (or had a government tell them to do that).
Therefore they didn't need hundreds of acres of land in order to have a comfortable life, tasks were simple enough that the kids could, and did.

Really it's a great example of "success leaves clues" because if you avoid all the hazardous parts of modern agriculture (stuff with wheels, labels, being a specialist) then it probably never really went away from being something that anyone can be a part of.

One of our checks is, "can a ten year old do this job" and if not, we try our best to discard that job in future.
As @JP1 said, "peasant" or "shepherd" are actually the more important jobs out there, again our experience here is showing the great flaw in looking down on people who want to do these important roles.
Only look down on someone if you're helping them up!

As a Shepherd I always have a spring in my step about Christmas.
A Carol caused injection of self importance that my job matters among all the other web designers, accountants and second hand car salesmen in the village.

 

[serf]

Peasant is a big step up from a serf.

You called !

 

[toquark]

I’ve been saying for ages that in coming years, the industry is going to split between the large industrialists and the small scale/hobbyists.

The guys in the middle have the decisions to make, there’s a lot to be said for farming part time alongside a paying job and self subsidising. Some of the best and certainly most memorable guys I’ve come across make it look like they’re playing at farming when they’re actually running a very tidy little sideline. I aspire to such a status...

 

[robs1]

I’ve been saying for ages that in coming years, the industry is going to split between the large industrialists and the small scale/hobbyists.

The guys in the middle have the decisions to make, there’s a lot to be said for farming part time alongside a paying job and self subsidising. Some of the best and certainly most memorable guys I’ve come across make it look like they’re playing at farming when they’re actually running a very tidy little sideline. I aspire to such a status...

Yes totally agree it will be smaller scale higher profit margin farms and large scale high turnover small margin farms, as you say the ones in the middle are the ones who will have some hard decisions to make,

 

[B R C]

I am relatively small scale arable, and the non farming enterprises bring in way more than the farming, but now using contractors I think I shall have more time for better management and with low overheads I fully intend to run an efficient farming unit going forward that is both resilient and adaptable. No matter what size you are, you need to have a plan.

 

[Still Farming]

HMRC would love it and screw the crap out of you as in their terms" hobby farmers"????

 

[B R C]

What are hobby farmers in their terms? I’m certainly not a hobby farmer.

 

[Formatted]

I work fulltime, takes me 30 minutes to do the cows in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening, in the summer I could be in and out in 15 minutes. On weekends we do all the jobs full-time farmers do in the week, anything time-sensitive we use contractors.

Isn't that just the future of farming? Cattle/crops/sheep that grow whilst you earn a wage?

 

[Chae1]

How many of us including myself are hobby farmers anyway? Justifying an existence. If you were to sit down and analyse what many farmers actually produces/do in a year it wouldn't be a lot.

Many sitting on high value land, property bought and paid for by older generations.

 

[Woolless]

They probably still do in Berwickshire, all that money to count they must get fair seek ha ha

I know, I have so much that I had to allocate some of Christmas day to keep my tally up to date

 

[Kildare]

Absolutely nothing wrong with part time farming. Just read a book called the farming ladder. The author is farming and making grain bins. He makes more per hour at the bins.
Many in Ireland are part time. 25 hours a week farming 40 hours teck job equals a good life. Better than 65 hours on a difficult farm