Breaking the Impasse

[DrWazzock]

I feel we have reached an impasse mainly due to the limiting effects of the weather, static commodity prices, rising costs and withdrawal of actives.
How can we break the impasse and move forward?
Build a reservoir, diversify, go down the environmental payment route, sell up?
Interested to know people’s thoughts.

Basically I’d like to build a business with potential to grow rather than stagnate.
The good thing about growing commodities is there is always a market of some sort for them but long term I think margins won’t improve.
I suppose really it all depends on personal circumstances.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Try building a business with potential to grow that relies on you chaps building a business with potential to grow.

Honestly, if I didn’t have a keen lad of my own and a great young lad doing some of my work with me I might just give up. Everything seems to be going downhill just now and if farmers don’t have any money they don’t tend to spend much with me. I’ve masses of work outstanding which, on the face of it, seems positive. However, calls to farmers along the lines of “I see that block of ground could be ready for the lime” invariably leads to a “we’ll have a think and let you know “ kind of reply.

Sorry, I have no answer to your post, but it seems we are all in the same boat with the same broken oars.

 

[DrWazzock]

You don’t need to store many caravans to pay better than 10 acres of wheat this year. Storage this year has been a nice little earner for a lot less risk and hassle. Don’t like the sight of caravans but considering expanding it. Believe it or not the quick payback and steady income cheers me up a lot more than walking over parched fields.

 

[choochter]

I wonder if we should be shifting our focus onto the growing of more non-food crops.

For example, industrial hemp, flax, bamboo, wood pulp…
New technologies have enabled fibres from a range of plant sources to be used for an ever expanding range of textile and fashion uses. Also carpet, yarn, rope, geotextiles and building materials.
Flax (for linen) used to be grown a lot in parts of Scotland in past times and it’s still grown in parts of Europe.

There is an increasing demand for ‘sustainable’ materials and ‘natural’ fabrics, especially from the textile and fashion industries and many very popular fabrics, like viscose, modal, Tencel, are made from plant based material.

 

[Bogweevil]

I wonder if we should be shifting our focus onto the growing of more non-food crops.

For example, industrial hemp, flax, bamboo, wood pulp…
New technologies have enabled fibres from a range of plant sources to be used for an ever expanding range of textile and fashion uses. Also carpet, yarn, rope, geotextiles and building materials.
Flax (for linen) used to be grown a lot in parts of Scotland in past times and it’s still grown in parts of Europe.

There is an increasing demand for ‘sustainable’ materials and ‘natural’ fabrics, especially from the textile and fashion industries and many very popular fabrics, like viscose, modal, Tencel, are made from plant based material.

Hang in there - with climate change Aberdeenshire will be the new Kent and Hampshire in a few decades, while the south-east will have to come to terms with growing almonds, grapes and peaches using secondhand water.

 

[Highland Mule]

What commodities do you produce and sell? Any chance of adding value by pushing yourself down the supply chain and selling to the end user?

 

[DrWazzock]

What commodities do you produce and sell? Any chance of adding value by pushing yourself down the supply chain and selling to the end user?

wheat , barley, sugar beet, lambs. Produces a small profit and I think it’s as optimised as it can be. It isn’t worth spending much on that side of the business when basically it’s entirely reliant on the weather and prices beyond our control and now needs immense scale.
I am now looking towards something quite different that I can run from these premises. There are many possibilities.

 

[DrWazzock]

I did once brew some wine from some beet but it was rough. Maybe it would distil to produce vodka. Hmmmm.
I sell wheat to local shoots which adds a bit of value on small volumes and I am being more cooperative about drilling game covers for adjoining syndicates.
I have always fancied a small engineering works and serviced mowers for a bit at one time.

 

[Bury the Trash]

I feel we have reached an impasse mainly due to the limiting effects of the weather, static commodity prices, rising costs and withdrawal of actives.
How can we break the impasse and move forward?
Build a reservoir, diversify, go down the environmental payment route, sell up?
Interested to know people’s thoughts.

Basically I’d like to build a business with potential to grow rather than stagnate.
The good thing about growing commodities is there is always a market of some sort for them but long term I think margins won’t improve.
I suppose really it all depends on personal circumstances.

Yep , build that reservoir.

 

[DrWazzock]

Tree nursery. My brother is experienced in that area.

 

[DrWazzock]

Yep , build that reservoir.

It is the most logical progression. I can see them being an asset quite widely to help smooth out water supply and demand.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Try building a business with potential to grow that relies on you chaps building a business with potential to grow.

Honestly, if I didn’t have a keen lad of my own and a great young lad doing some of my work with me I might just give up. Everything seems to be going downhill just now and if farmers don’t have any money they don’t tend to spend much with me. I’ve masses of work outstanding which, on the face of it, seems positive. However, calls to farmers along the lines of “I see that block of ground could be ready for the lime” invariably leads to a “we’ll have a think and let you know “ kind of reply.

Sorry, I have no answer to your post, but it seems we are all in the same boat with the same broken oars.

Lime is way better value than artificial N

these days.

 

[tepapa]

Yep , build that reservoir.

And fill it with fish or sailing boats.

 

[Chae1]

Try building a business with potential to grow that relies on you chaps building a business with potential to grow.

Honestly, if I didn’t have a keen lad of my own and a great young lad doing some of my work with me I might just give up. Everything seems to be going downhill just now and if farmers don’t have any money they don’t tend to spend much with me. I’ve masses of work outstanding which, on the face of it, seems positive. However, calls to farmers along the lines of “I see that block of ground could be ready for the lime” invariably leads to a “we’ll have a think and let you know “ kind of reply.

Sorry, I have no answer to your post, but it seems we are all in the same boat with the same broken oars.

You can't farm without lime though? Its false economy running levels down as it will cost more in the future to build them up again.

Unless farmers start buying there own spreaders I'd think your business will be fairly safe.

I know some people need reminding but it would annoy me if somebody phoned up saying a part of farm ready for lime.

 

[Bury the Trash]

You can farm without artificial N tho, just plant legumes .

 

[DrWazzock]

I think I am too reluctant or maybe just can’t afford to delegate or sub contract. Or maybe I am just a control freak. The idea of employing somebody worries me too much so I end up bogged down in a lot of detail and I’ll admit out of my depth. I have taken on an agronomist again which has free up masses of time to regain direction. I need to get the crop production side more streamlined. Maybe get neighbour to do the combining rather than spend hours keeping our old machine running. Or just let the arable.

 

[DrWazzock]

You can't farm without lime though? Its false economy running levels down as it will cost more in the future to build them up again.

Unless farmers start buying there own spreaders I'd think your business will be fairly safe.

I know some people need reminding but it would annoy me if somebody phoned up saying a part of farm ready for lime.

I’ll admit I chanced some spring barley where the pH was a bit iffy this year and you can see the low patches very clearly. False economy but such a tight weather window this spring.

 

[Highland Mule]

wheat , barley, sugar beet, lambs. Produces a small profit and I think it’s as optimised as it can be. It isn’t worth spending much on that side of the business when basically it’s entirely reliant on the weather and prices beyond our control and now needs immense scale.
I am now looking towards something quite different that I can run from these premises. There are many possibilities.

I have to say that lamb price is 100% within your control, if you take them to retail. It takes some work, but can be done. Use the arable ground to produce their feeds, and cut this production costs right down. If I had time, I’d be putting in a cutting room and doing my own butchery.
How many would we be talking about, and how close are you to your potential customers?

 

[Chae1]

You can farm without artificial N tho, just plant legumes .

You go first.

 

[7610 super q]

Only high value crops like fruit and veg would warrant the expensive of reservoirs ( how much does construction per million gallons cost now ? ) + pipes + pump + reels + diesel.
Watering crops that are valued at £100- 200 / ton is a non starter.

If you're near population, then the world's your oyster. Storage, farm shops, PYO, visitor attractions etc.
What about us in the back of beyond ? Transport kills most things as all the packers seem to be based in Southern/ Eastern England.

I've seen a few new box schemes starting up locally during lockdown. Could we push home delivery of farm produce ? Just pinching 20 % of business from the likes of Tesco could turn the tide ?