Diversify to milk the public £££

[Buggerallbandwidth]

How many of us are diversifying and what are you doing? I have huge respect for those that embrace the public and make a success of it. But like the article says, "It's hard work and long hours" - just like farming, but it could save many a farm in these unsettled times?

 

[Exfarmer]

The country side is also littered with failed farm shops and many other diversification. I think like farming most of these ventures require one thing to make a small fortune, start with a large one.

 

[DanielBennett]

Lots of talk about diversification. Where do you start? Is a trip to the Farm Business Innovation Show at the NEC 6 and 7 November worth a trip?

 

[jamj]

The farm should be profitable enough that it shouldn’t have to diversify.
When you hear government say ‘deversify’ then they are admitting food prices are too low.

 

[bluebell]

At one time, in the good old days, farmland and farmyards and their buildings were used to grow crops, store produce and house farm animals, also businesses were located either on industrial estates or in the highstreet, now all thats gone, we have mini industrial estates on most farms, that are close to where people live, (thats getting more by the year), the most profitable crop a farm can now have is to sell acres for housing, or get as said former farm buildings, permission to turn them into houses, so the countryside is now littered with culd de sac developments of housing in former farm buildings, great?

 

[bluebell]

jamj you are so right, you get these parasite consultants, that lecture farmers/ producers ,that you either, have to tighten your belt more, ie get more effcient? Or start a milk round or market your own produce etc, so you have to work even more, with all the stress worry and investment? While said consultants work if you call it work their 4 day a week from home and send in bills, as we have had for a couple of hours so called work for £8000 plus for a tree survey her right?

 

[bluebell]

Something in the future will change, whever it will be to late? Why i say this is the stats tell you? UK is becomming every year less productive, ie imports more food, less self , sufficient, as people pack up leave the industry i think stats showed that 7000 odd agr businesses closed in the last 10 years why? Simple, just not worth all the aggro work worry stress for the pitiful returns?

 

[kfpben]

I diversified into livestock. So far so good

Many of these are just another business though. Not really related to farming.

 

[robs1]

While I think it's a sad reflection on the reward for working far longer hours and with a very large investment in producing food that many farms diversify to make a decent profit it's a fact of life.
Until we all stand together and withhold our products it isn't going to change, too many sell direct to manufacturers and become powerless to raise prices, I doubt there is one manufacturer that only sells to one buyer, where as many farmers will,
Virtually every thing we sell goes into a non food market and what does is often a by product, profit wise at least, the wheat for example is less profitable than the straw for us, I would like to add value to the wheat by selling direct to the public but just don't have the time nor energy these days.
Farmers aren't always great at dealing with people and while consultants etc are always full of ideas and how to increase profits they never seem to mention the one vital and common component, the farmer and their family, if they aren't great at dealing with customers they will likely fail.

 

[Landrover]

A wise man once told me that any type of diversification must be treated as a proper business, every hour put into it must be treated as you are employing someone to do it,not family labour rates etc !

 

[Whitewalker]

I'm quite simply diversifying my time , I'm doing stuff for other people who can't find other people to do stuff for them. No investment needed.

 

[onesiedale]

The farm should be profitable enough that it shouldn’t have to diversify.
When you hear government say ‘deversify’ then they are admitting food prices are too low.

any farm diversification should be treated as a separate business, and only done on the back of a secure farming business if it uses farm resources - ie. Land Labour Capital.

 

[Jonp]

Could always go get a job, or better, work for yourself in a trade etc. Being a part time/hobby farmer isn't so bad. No big investment required, just time and skills. Plenty of work out there for practically minded farmers.

 

[Tarw Coch]

The farm should be profitable enough that it shouldn’t have to diversify.
When you hear government say ‘deversify’ then they are admitting food prices are too low.

They want you to diversify so that you can continue producing food at low cost

 

[livestock 1]

Looking back at how long the government has pushed diversification tells me that they haven’t had the best intentions for us as farmers.

 

[farmerm]

Lots of talk about diversification. Where do you start? Is a trip to the Farm Business Innovation Show at the NEC 6 and 7 November worth a trip?

Not been for a year or two but I find it to be a fun and interesting day out.

 

[4course]

While I think it's a sad reflection on the reward for working far longer hours and with a very large investment in producing food that many farms diversify to make a decent profit it's a fact of life.
Until we all stand together and withhold our products it isn't going to change, too many sell direct to manufacturers and become powerless to raise prices, I doubt there is one manufacturer that only sells to one buyer, where as many farmers will,
Virtually every thing we sell goes into a non food market and what does is often a by product, profit wise at least, the wheat for example is less profitable than the straw for us, I would like to add value to the wheat by selling direct to the public but just don't have the time nor energy these days.
Farmers aren't always great at dealing with people and while consultants etc are always full of ideas and how to increase profits they never seem to mention the one vital and common component, the farmer and their family, if they aren't great at dealing with customers they will likely fail.

Reckon we are doing /thinking similar it took me a while until I realised that the amount of direct ex farm produce wether wheat in a loaf pork in a sausage peas in a tin etc in terms of ex farm £ in the weekly shop was no where near what the same person will spend on other possible farm related ventures .

 

[upnortheast]

Diversified into bottling our own milk almost 20 years ago.
Works well here, 1 son does the farming, other lad deals with the bottles.
It`s hard work & demanding, extra staff to employ.
but
having had a life time of being told by smart arses from dairy companies they can not pay a decent price for our milk.

We can now sell it at a price of our choosing to folk who appreciate our product & what we do, .which is very satisfying

As I`ve said before on here not once in 19 years has a bottled milk buyer asked us about RT, or demanded to see our paperwork.

The consultant`s advice 20 years ago was more cows, which happened to coincide with the arrival of a letter from the milk buyer, "due to high volume of milk we are reducing the price"
So been the right move for us

 

[robs1]

Diversified into bottling our own milk almost 20 years ago.
Works well here, 1 son does the farming, other lad deals with the bottles.
It`s hard work & demanding, extra staff to employ.
but
having had a life time of being told by smart arses from dairy companies they can not pay a decent price for our milk.

We can now sell it at a price of our choosing to folk who appreciate our product & what we do, .which is very satisfying

As I`ve said before on here not once in 19 years has a bottled milk buyer asked us about RT, or demanded to see our paperwork.

The consultant`s advice 20 years ago was more cows, which happened to coincide with the arrival of a letter from the milk buyer, "due to high volume of milk we are reducing the price"
So been the right move for us

As farmers I don't think we worry about hard work, at least you are getting better paid for that hard work, as you say not having RT rubbish is a big relief

 

[Spencer]

Lots of talk about diversification. Where do you start? Is a trip to the Farm Business Innovation Show at the NEC 6 and 7 November worth a trip?

Probably be a interesting day out. But I’ll wager not many “successful” farm diversifications or similar have ever come from a trade show or a “specialist consultant”! Consultant is code for leech..