Making money from a smallholding

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Making money from a smallholding
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VSS

Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2845
Location: Llyn Peninsula, North Wales

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 07 11:13 am Post subject:

Having read the Farmer's Guardian while eating breakfast, i see that David Milliband is saying that reducing farming's environmental footprint is more important than fod security.

While i agree that minimising environmental impact is important, throwing caution to the wind and relying on imports is just crazy.

We live on an island. It wouldn't be hard to have our food supply routes disrupted or cut.

We just have to abmit that we will get no help from the powers that be.

At least we won't starve!

www.viableselfsufficiency.co.uk

crofter

Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 2252

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 07 12:54 pm Post subject:

VSS wrote:

We just have to abmit that we will get no help from the powers that be.

No. What we get is a mountain of paperwork and regulations, over-zealous inspectors and less freedom to farm with each passing year. Government will sacrifice farming to meet environmental targets, (nitrates, livestock methane etc)

Green Man

Joined: 23 Jul 2006
Posts: 5272
Location: Rural Scotland.

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 07 4:40 pm Post subject:
Agriculture is Britain's last industry to export. Farmers, thanks to the subsidies the French and Germans fought for, are so much more resilient than textile or manufacturing businessmen that have long since relocated. The difference is, if agriculture is relocated abroad, what is to become of our manicured landscape? Are we really all prepared to watch it revert to non-productive scrub?

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 07 8:24 pm Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

how most people judge food, but comparing Rob's beef Tesco's is like comparing a ford fiesta to a Ferrari. Totally differnt product

The difference is though that a Ferrari & a Fiesta have a huge price differential. My beef price is based upon an average retail price. Which makes the point that decent food doesn't need to be expensive, it just often is to make people buy it, for the reasons Nick states.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 07 8:33 pm Post subject:

Cho-ku-ri wrote:

Farmers, thanks to the subsidies the French and Germans fought for, are so much more resilient than textile or manufacturing businessmen that have long since relocated.

Are we really all prepared to watch it revert to non-productive scrub?

This is a common misconception that subsidies have helped British farmers. Yes, short term, they improved the viability of some farming enterprises but they, along with the regulations & stipulations that go with them, have held the industry back, resistant to change. Some sectors didn't have the subs,such as pigs & poultry, which meant that to compete with the subsidised sectors they had to go more intensive to be viable. If we hadn't had the subs, I can't see there would have been as much intensive farming as has developed.

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 07 4:57 pm Post subject:

ANYWAY

To get back to the point of making money from a smallholding...
Weve been trying to do the same thing now for over a year. Its been hard, but we do B&B supplemented by plant sales supplemented by part time lecturing.

The tourist thing is where the money is. Any animals will just drain money away (even though we love them). Our 'business' allows us to keep the animals, otherwise it wouldnt be cost effective.

Ideas for you -
country cream teas
camping/caravanning
making and selling chicken huts/rabbit hutches.
secure Boat storage
Growing herbs to sell to local restaurants/fruit/veg shops
Farm/grow turf for the landscape industry
install Fish lakes

AND I totally agree that the ag tie system is bo**ocks!
Trying to 'farm' one acre has proved a joke. And what agricultural worker could ever afford an ag tie property in Cornwall!!

Lorraine

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