impossible to farm?
- Thread starter bluebell
- Start date
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
Why is food security a bigger risk to the UK than anywhere else ?
I would suggest that people confuse food security with energy or distribution security
Produce all the food you like, what happens with no diesel, electricity or distribution networks ?
I would suggest that people confuse food security with energy or distribution security
Produce all the food you like, what happens with no diesel, electricity or distribution networks ?
I didn't say it's bigger than anywhere else.
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
For the record, I have no vested interest in U.K. domestic food production, & no interest in competing in those markets. You are not my competition either. Makes no personal difference to me what happens to UK Ag one way or the other, I have no skin in the game. My only interest is seeing you fellas survive & even prosper into the future, take control of your businesses & futures, rather than these attitudes of being helpless puppets of politicians, markets, buerocracy etc etc that seem to dominate these threads
Life is tough
Life is sh!t
No one ever said it was easy
Ever get up & take control or roll over & die
Life is tough
Life is sh!t
No one ever said it was easy
Ever get up & take control or roll over & die
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
You said it's a massive risk . . .
sorry if I misunderstood, I took that to mean it was somehow different to anywhere else in the world
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
It depends what you believe you can do, that was what I was referring to with my post, by reducing risk and encouraging all this specialisation it has dramatically altered the risk profile of businesses, and the attitude of the person in charge.
Never mind it may have taken a million pounds of outside investment to get said business to the point of no return... probably well worth it to have an entire industry under control.
I agree, given the current energy-hungry methods of production and distribution, you could hardly increase the risks higher than they are at present.
I also disagree, at least I think I do; surely it is in the farmer's best interests to limit production and yet maintain/improve profit?
The "powers that be" have overproduction firmly on their agenda - given all the prior indicators of a season to forget, sheep farmers still lambed early, arable farmers still ploughed in early winter... food production is on extremely shaky ground, if it isn't in any position to adapt methods to suit changing circumstances?
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
Hmm, when you put it like that, then yes, maybe food security is a bigger problem in the UK than elsewhere
Now, I wonder how that came about / who is to blame ?
Now, I wonder how that came about / who is to blame ?
the supply of many things to an island nation is a massive risk - food is just one of those things
- Location
- NSW, Newstralya
Buggy whips !
- Location
- Devon
I'm not sure how unique it is to the UK but the principle problem making farming impossible in England is;
The high price of land
The high price of labour
The inability to have marketing boards to control production/ supply
If you do the sums it is increasingly difficult to find a 'sweet spot' of profitability.
With high costs you are committed to making returns and low margins create the need for a high volume to cover the basic costs.
How many farmers do not have an income separate from farming?
I think many are already finding that impossible.
The high price of land
The high price of labour
The inability to have marketing boards to control production/ supply
If you do the sums it is increasingly difficult to find a 'sweet spot' of profitability.
With high costs you are committed to making returns and low margins create the need for a high volume to cover the basic costs.
How many farmers do not have an income separate from farming?
I think many are already finding that impossible.
Aspiring Peasant
Member
- Location
- Northern Pennines
When I was a lad you could produce milk for a fairly predictable price to the MMB and had a fairly even predictable cash flow. If you could stand the hours this was as risk free as farming gets. Those days are gone now and what we have now is volatile commodity prices and extremes of weather. These factors are out of our control. I think the only way to manage this risk to a farming business is have another source of income. Farming combined with another job is very common place in other places
New Puritan
Member
- Location
- East Sussex
I'd have said fuel / energy security is more immediately important to the Government than food - without the former everything would be sitting at the docks. They couldn't even open the gates if the power was turned off. The UK is not a poor country - if we can't grow our own food, we'll just get it from someone else. Fuel and energy is another matter as it has much more centralised distribution, and is therefore much more vulnerable to attacks / disasters etc.
My land isn't the best but I've made a viable small business out of it. People just need to adapt and survive. I'm growing 5 different crops plus fallow plus some env scheme corners on less than 50 rented acres, and it works for me. And I set my own prices to some extent by missing out middle men wherever I can. You have to work with what you've got and look for opportunities - as various people have said on this forum in lots of places, you can make more sitting in front of your computer than you do on a tractor seat, by negotiating with suppliers and looking for new ideas. Some of the whiners on here should sell up or rent their land out and let someone else have a go if they think it's so bad, or maybe they haven't even got the balls to do that.
My land isn't the best but I've made a viable small business out of it. People just need to adapt and survive. I'm growing 5 different crops plus fallow plus some env scheme corners on less than 50 rented acres, and it works for me. And I set my own prices to some extent by missing out middle men wherever I can. You have to work with what you've got and look for opportunities - as various people have said on this forum in lots of places, you can make more sitting in front of your computer than you do on a tractor seat, by negotiating with suppliers and looking for new ideas. Some of the whiners on here should sell up or rent their land out and let someone else have a go if they think it's so bad, or maybe they haven't even got the balls to do that.
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Sweepa
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
There's an actual fodder crisis going on in Ireland now, you wouldn't know it on here.
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
Sweepa
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Ton of silo grass can go for£40 a ton, big bales of straw can go up to£95 . One third of the island doesn't have enough Fodder is last . Western fringes along the coast have seen extraordinary amounts of rain. Feed from France and Spain being imported.
Bossfarmer
Member
- Location
- between Perth and Inverness
if there ever was a global shortage and restrictions were placed on exports from the major countries such as russia you would be in trouble pretty dam quick supermarket shelves empty/ panic buying/ chaos
cornishfarmer
Member
S
1000’s of tonnes going over from south of England, getting paid for by coops I believe
glasshouse
Member
- Location
- lothians
Thats terrible, what can we do to help?
Sweepa
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Sell us more fodder, but if they're importing from the continent then England must haven't much either.
ThatsSomeSheep
Member
You should start a diary thread like @Selectamatic or @Kevtherev
Sounds like your system would be very interesting to follow (in my opinion anyway).
TSS