Is their a future in farming?

Unknown12

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’m a young person who’s interested in farming but not sure if there’s a future for me in farming and wondering if there’s money to be made as I enjoy farming but there’s no point getting into it as a main profession if it’s not going to make me a living?
 

Derrick Hughes

Member
Location
Ceredigion
I’m a young person who’s interested in farming but not sure if there’s a future for me in farming and wondering if there’s money to be made as I enjoy farming but there’s no point getting into it as a main profession if it’s not going to make me a living?
Never been easy
My dad left School with not a penny. Took on 3 jobs to get into farming . Nearly killed himself but got there eventually, when the bank is calling you in to the sweat box every few months abd interest rate is 16% . Thats when its hard
 

topground

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
North Somerset.
Get qualified in a trade which will give you some financial stability and funds to develop farming as a sideline which might go full time if you are good at it. Depends where you are in the country but here in North Somerset there are a lot of wealthy people who have houses with land that they have no idea what to do with it. A chap who does some work for me is in his late 20s has developed his farming passion on the back of a successful building business, he has an impressive range of kit that he uses for silage and hay and about 90 acres virtually for free and he is developing his own site with the buildings to house his cattle. It can be done if you have the right work ethic and get on with people.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
Do what you like doing.

Set up a joint venture with a landowner. Make sure if you do that you are earning more than wages. and if it's seasonal, you have well paid work or business off the farm.

Try and add value to everything you produce.

Try and do something no-one else is doing

Don't buy machinery unless it will earn you more than depreciation

Get a free house to live in and buy one to rent out.
 

kiwi pom

Member
Location
canterbury NZ
As a farm worker and eventually farming for myself

I think if you want to make good money from agriculture as a worker, you either need to work towards a farm manager job or specialise in an Ag service that farmers either can't or won't do. Something like hoof trimming on the livestock side or mechanic on the machinery side, there will always be work that way.
You can make a decent living out of GFW, tractor driver or herdsman but earn enough to set up farming yourself, I doubt it.
 

kfpben

Member
Location
Mid Hampshire
Don’t believe the naysayers.
The old buggers saying ‘there’s no money in farming’ have been saying it for my whole life. Ignore them. Surround yourself and work for successful, positive people.

There are always opportunities. Do something that’s a little unusual. Dairy, pigs, poultry, contract shepherding, forestry, vineyards all have scope for growth and specialism.

I wouldn’t personally follow the John Deere-tattooed-on-erse-cheek brigade at college. The robots will probably take over tractor driving soon anyway.
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
Lots of opportunities in my opinion. Might involve divorcing land ownership from the farming equation. Might look different from a previous generations idea of farming. It’s considered a shrinking industry but that’s not strictly true. Certainly an industry with a stigma around it that discourages others. Where there is sh!t there is money.

Keep in mind the current generation is aging out. There is a lot of land and wealth to be exchanging hands.
 

czechmate

Member
Mixed Farmer
Lots of opportunities in my opinion. Might involve divorcing land ownership from the farming equation. Might look different from a previous generations idea of farming. It’s considered a shrinking industry but that’s not strictly true. Certainly an industry with a stigma around it that discourages others. Where there is sh!t there is money.

Keep in mind the current generation is aging out. There is a lot of land and wealth to be exchanging hands.


I wasn’t even thinking about the value of the farm itself; more looking at the half million tied up in just the cattle as a starting point
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.2%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.8%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,289
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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