Selling direct is great but hard work and a long process, though very rewarding and for many, the only way they will turn a profit on the scale they are on. As you start building though, you can very quickly become a marketer/seller and not necessarily the practical farmer you once were and hoped to continue to be?
SHOULD FARMERS, GROWERS HAVE TO RETAIL THEIR PRODUCE?
- Thread starter bluebell
- Start date
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I’d have been lucky to shift a bag a month at that price. People in Lincolnshire expect stuff direct off farm to be a bargain.
The Seeker
Member
say what you like about the guy but last time i bought a new contraption to clean my floors i didn't buy it from james himself 
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Isn’t that how merchants came about? Some farmers decided dealing suited better than growing. IMO best stick to one or the other, otherwise end up jack of all trades.
Do the supermarkets really do such a bad job?
The Seeker
Member
No supermarkets are not bad not really but is it really the price we need as producers that needs looked at , we are making it at as near to the cost of production with all the risk involved. i like super markets but i do wish they would sell milk at a price that was sustainable for all involved in the chain likewise with meat and grain. imaging a world without milk .. and all that goes with the process .. no butter no cheese, no cheese.... cheese makes loads of crap that the supermarkets sell the quick food isle taste better. as it stands no subs no farmers in my opinion
Neither did I because we have figured out that James's products are not as good as he would like us to thinksay what you like about the guy but last time i bought a new contraption to clean my floors i didn't buy it from james himself
The Seeker
Member
No you misunderstand i did buy one just not from him in person.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
They never lose suction as they never had it in the first instance.
I did realise that, I was just saying a bit tongue in cheek that we never bought from him or indeed his company this time as they are not as good as other brands especially with 2 Samoyeds in the house (white hairs everywhere)
Chap I used to know well decided to convert some of his polytunnels over to strawberry production, over a combination of gate sales, a stall at the local school two days a week and a weekend car boot sale he could sell 4000 punnets at £2 each (same price as local superstore) which he said was a good income after expenses. As he had plenty more polytunnels to spare he looked at upping production, that however meant supplying on a trade basis, they could buy in from the producers with lots of low cost labour at prices that just didn't make sense for his operation. Its the same for beef pork lamb etc there's a limit to how much you can sell from the farm gate, you are making the profit due to a combination of less transport, less packaging, less waste etc. As soon as you scale up these costs rise and if you aren't careful you are doing less well than the person sending a lorryload a week to the abbattoir rather than better.
The Seeker
Member
rising tides lift all ships
kiwi pom
Member
- Location
- canterbury NZ
As long as it's pasteurised milk they're selling, unfortunately its not.
- Location
- Bay of Plenty NZ
No its not, it is a tiny amount sold direct to a very small niche market.
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- Location
- Bay of Plenty NZ
Could not agree more, every farmer selling their own produce as individuals would only lead ultimately to a price war between them, driving the price lower still.
The successful farming economies generally have one thing in common, they have farmer owned processing cooperatives, this does take a fair amount of capital to set up properly, looking at the amount most dairy farmers have invested in a processing marketing co operative it would be about the equivalent of a years turnover.
kiwi pom
Member
- Location
- canterbury NZ
Becoming rarer on the dairy side here now though. Westland being the latest to sell to China. Isn't one of the big beef and sheep processing outfits half Chinese now too?
beardface
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
I think some people in your country and ozzy will regret selling out to the Chinese for a quick buck in the current circumstances.
- Location
- Bay of Plenty NZ
The majority of dairy is still producer owned co ops. It is a concern that the percentage is dropping.
do you really want to have to retail your produce, isnt it enough work and agro just to run the livestock farm? question only to livestock farmer ? why should you have to think of not only having all the worry and agro of milking cows but have to then be told to survive you also have to spend another load of money to either make cheese or bottle milk? then retail it with all the cost, worry agro that that brings, yes some can master it and good luck to them? NO pack up others like doctors are doing less work for more money , i certainly dont want the agro stress worry now at mytime of life, but ive found an easier way let the buildings or some of them out make some money out of these professionals wanting an office out of town? Or dare i say sell some land if its in the right area, trouser some real money?
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
Fonterra make sure of that! They will do their very best to derail any direct selling at the farm gate, because they love their shareholders so