I want to be a hobby farmer

[Bertram]

They come in for some stick at times, not just on TFF but in most farming circles. I’ve been guilty of that. But I’ve changed my mind, and now I get it. Imagine having 50 acres, one simple tractor, a handful of sheep, a collie, and no debt. No pressure to keep growing, expanding, more machinery, more employees, more reliance on contractors, more breakdowns, bills, bills, bloody bills. Crap weather, no margins, feckin red tape, NFS. Etc etc etc.

Yes I know. Moan whinge. Just a bad day. But when I see someone happily pottering about a few acres with a 35x and a stick, who’s the clever one?

 

[JP1]

They come in for some stick at times, not just on TFF but in most farming circles. I’ve been guilty of that. But I’ve changed my mind, and now I get it. Imagine having 50 acres, one simple tractor, a handful of sheep, a collie, and no debt. No pressure to keep growing, expanding, more machinery, more employees, more reliance on contractors, more breakdowns, bills, bills, bloody bills. Crap weather, no margins, feckin red tape, NFS. Etc etc etc.

Yes I know. Moan whinge. Just a bad day. But when I see someone happily pottering about a few acres with a 35x and a stick, who’s the clever one?

I'm glad to be a peasant cow keeper (that's one tier below a hobby farmer)

 

[Wilksy]

But arn't the people you describe former city workers/bankers looking for the good life? Kate humble? Sat on a s**t load of money and can bank roll the set up and shortfall

 

[HolzKopf]

Laudable...... but what if you have young children, mortgage, pension contributions etc? and just hope you don't get ill. That life still needs a proper job?

HK

 

[Bertram]

But arn't the people you describe former city workers/bankers looking for the good life? Kate humble? Sat on a s**t load of money and can bank roll the set up and shortfall

They might well be. Or they might be living a hand to mouth existence. Either way, looks ok to me.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

You can be a hobby farmer on 2000 acres as long as you dont need to make a profit

 

[Clive]

They come in for some stick at times, not just on TFF but in most farming circles. I’ve been guilty of that. But I’ve changed my mind, and now I get it. Imagine having 50 acres, one simple tractor, a handful of sheep, a collie, and no debt. No pressure to keep growing, expanding, more machinery, more employees, more reliance on contractors, more breakdowns, bills, bills, bloody bills. Crap weather, no margins, feckin red tape, NFS. Etc etc etc.

Yes I know. Moan whinge. Just a bad day. But when I see someone happily pottering about a few acres with a 35x and a stick, who’s the clever one?

trouble is don’t you need to make a fortune elsewhere before being able to afford such idealism?

 

[Goweresque]

They come in for some stick at times, not just on TFF but in most farming circles. I’ve been guilty of that. But I’ve changed my mind, and now I get it. Imagine having 50 acres, one simple tractor, a handful of sheep, a collie, and no debt. No pressure to keep growing, expanding, more machinery, more employees, more reliance on contractors, more breakdowns, bills, bills, bloody bills. Crap weather, no margins, feckin red tape, NFS. Etc etc etc.

Yes I know. Moan whinge. Just a bad day. But when I see someone happily pottering about a few acres with a 35x and a stick, who’s the clever one?

So in reality you are merely saying you aspire to be independently wealthy? The farming being just a hobby, it could be anything, stamp collecting, keeping racehorses, following Accrington Stanley, whatever you chose to do the important part of your scenario really is where the money comes from, not what you choose to do with your spare time?

 

[Bertram]

What I’m saying is that I’d like to swap places. Don’t overthink it. It’s irrelevant whether matey on his fergy inherited his small holding from his great aunt, lives with 5 ferrets and has never been out of the county, or he’s the chief exec of BP and is trundling about at weekends to get a break from a horrible high pressure job. It just looks nice, from where I am. That’s all

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Envy can eat you up

 

[Bury the Trash]

But arn't the people you describe former city workers/bankers looking for the good life? Kate humble? Sat on a s**t load of money and can bank roll the set up and shortfall

exactly and who the heck would want to be like them.

best to not have anything to with it if getting out for retirement imo get a clean break, nice well equiped workshop in the garage that sort of thing, do up old bikes or something...
and decent sized veg garden and that sit

 

[Sharpy]

My accountant said that the definition of a hobby was "something done without hope or expectation of a profit" . Sounds like a lot of farmer arithmetic.........

 

[Bertram]

So in reality you are merely saying you aspire to be independently wealthy? The farming being just a hobby, it could be anything, stamp collecting, keeping racehorses, following Accrington Stanley, whatever you chose to do the important part of your scenario really is where the money comes from, not what you choose to do with your spare time?

No. I’m saying that that style of “farming” whatever the background or circumstances looks more enjoyable than my particular way of farming which is largely based on making a viable business and putting food on the table, and therefore consists of quite a lot of hours, quite a lot of stress, and quite a lot of debt. That’s all. it’s a wistful and unrealistic wish for a simpler way of life - it looks nice.

 

[teslacoils]

120ac of irrigated light loam within half an hour of the south coast of France would be just fine for my farming hobby.

 

[Kidds]

I'm the guy on the 35x but I only have 18 acres not 50. Been here 2 years now and if I were to sell up I reckon I have made 5-600k profit. A big chunk of that is from house improvements and the rest from building sheds.
No plan to sell just yet though, it's a nice place now.
I am also very able to live on the profits from farming that land too, in fact I rent out almost half of it.

 

[Bertram]

I'm the guy on the 35x but I only have 18 acres not 50. Been here 2 years now and if I were to sell up I reckon I have made 5-600k profit. A big chunk of that is from house improvements and the rest from building sheds.
No plan to sell just yet though, it's a nice place now.

Sounds good to me.

 

[Kidds]

Makes me smile when I get on the 35 after a few weeks and it still fires up instantly.

 

[Bertram]

Makes me smile when I get on the 35 after a few weeks and it still fires up instantly.

That’s the real mark of success, having a 3 pot and not a 4

 

[Kidds]

There is more profit in my 18 acres on my own than 6 farms run as a partnership and having to work all the hours. I choose what to do and when to do it.
Not pretending it is a bed of roses but it is a very nice lifestyle and all at my own choosing.

 

[DrWazzock]

exactly and who the heck would want to be like them.

best to not have anything to with it if getting out for retirement imo get a clean break, nice well equiped workshop in the garage that sort of thing, do up old bikes or something...
and decent sized veg garden and that sit

I kind of agree with you. Often consider the future here. Below a certain critical mass the place just isn't viable and can't maintain itself (or me). So as far I am concerned its either full steam ahead or sell up completely and let somebody make a decent job of it. I wouldn't want to spend 30 years watching the roofs fall in because there isn't the money to repair them while I potter around on obsolete machinery producing what exactly? The abattoir now wants lambs in lots of 40 minimum. Arable crops have to leave in 29 tonne loads. The live markets are on their last legs. If you aren't assured your produce is unsaleable and you need a fair number to cover these overheads. Who will come to shear 50 sheep? Is it worth 3 weeks of sleepless nights lambing 50 when its the same amount of time to lamb 300? If you have a big pot of outside money and you want to run a hobby farm then its your choice, you can do as you like, but for a farmer with no other source of income its a non starter IMO. With greatly reduced turnover you can't cover overheads.