Farming. How easy to start with zero knowledge?

Farming. How easy to start with zero knowledge?

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Lungauer

Original Poster:

293 posts

151 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Actually not quite zero as I spent a year doing practical experience on a mixed farm when I was 18. Plan then was to go to agricultural college and pursue a career in farming. For various reasons (mostly related to affairs of the heart) I didn't go and spent the next 35 years working in the family business in London, a career which couldn't have been further removed from the land.

I've decided I don't want to do it anymore and given that pensions aren't worth a light and neither is cash, thought about investing in a small farm, probably somewhere lending itself more to pasture than arable (and away from London's thrall). I'm mot looking to get rich, just to survive in an area of great beauty and balm for the soul. I wondered about the possibility of share farming where I, as landowner, might get a percentage of profit from activities conducted on my land (sheep, cows, goats etc.), or possibly just renting out the fields (though I imagine pasture doesn't earn a lot in rent).

This is probably all pie in the sky, certainly there are plenty of farmers giving it up as a bad job, but that year on the farm was the happiest of my life and feel it must be possible to make a go of it. Somehow.

Failing that I suppose there's always the dreaded holiday cottages...

Dixy

2,915 posts

204 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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If you are starting with a large enough fortune make sure you know how much you are willing to loose before bailing out.
Just to give you an example of how bad it is, this year it costs more to cut and bale hay than the bail will fetch.

uber

855 posts

169 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Build a farm park and have the enjoyment of the farm life with the income of a leisure operator!

singlecoil

33,317 posts

245 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Approach full farming gradually, by way of a garden centre/nursery.

rog007

5,748 posts

223 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Lungauer said:
Failing that I suppose there's always the dreaded holiday cottages...
...on a small holding so that the visitors can enjoy the farm life too and actually do the work for you; kids and adults love it. Good luck!

Simpo Two

85,150 posts

264 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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I'd go for a trendy high value crop, the sort of thing Masterchef viewers will pay £5 each for. Or expensive flowers. Profit per acre, that's the thing.

A friend of a friend has filled his boots doing nothing with a massive EU subsidy, but those days seem to be over so it's back to real. And for the best IMHO.

98elise

26,380 posts

160 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Simpo Two said:
I'd go for a trendy high value crop, the sort of thing Masterchef viewers will pay £5 each for. Or expensive flowers. Profit per acre, that's the thing.

A friend of a friend has filled his boots doing nothing with a massive EU subsidy, but those days seem to be over so it's back to real. And for the best IMHO.
Agreed. My brothers company rents some land to a farmer. The farmer is paid by the EU not to farm it. Nice "work" if you can get it.

Dermot O'Logical

2,550 posts

128 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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As has already been hinted, the best way to make a small fortune out of farming is to start with a large one.

I'm just guessing, but I suspect that the days of EU subsidies may be numbered. And I also suspect that nobody knows what they'll be replaced with, but I imagine that whatever it is, it will be more stringently monitored than previously.

In an ideal world, I would look for somewhere that lends itself to DIY livery. A few temporary stable units, owners do all the work, you take the income and hope that in a few years you might be able to flog the land for house building.

Arable farming (or crops of any kind - seeds, herbs, flowers, you name it) is the only industry I've ever experienced where the owner commits to his crop a year or 18 months in advance, has all of the costs associated with growing said crop, then has to harvest it before he knows how much somebody is willing to pay for it.

Dairy? You're kidding. Dairy farms are going out of business daily.

All branches of farming are now run to such tight margins that nobody except the very, very best stand a chance of surviving. And even the very, very best are still going out of business.

Simpo Two

85,150 posts

264 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
quotequote all
98elise said:
Agreed. My brothers company rents some land to a farmer. The farmer is paid by the EU not to farm it. Nice "work" if you can get it.
Genuine question - does the EU pay our fishermen not to catch fish once the EU quotas are met?

sgrimshaw

7,311 posts

249 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Farming only seems to work on big scale now, unless some of the land can be sold for resi!

Smiler.

11,752 posts

229 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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Step 1: R4 at 14.00 & 19.00 weekdays.

biggrin

red_slr

17,123 posts

188 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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IMHO you would have to go down the specialist route, i.e these "hippy" folk who grow carrots for jam and make it all on site and then sell the jars of jam for £50 each.

surveyor

17,768 posts

183 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
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I know a couple of lads...

Their route was to sweet talk the local farmers daughter. That got the some land to raise some ducks... They've now diversified into eggs...

Not sure it's working out too well. One of the lads has got his head screwed on, but has fallen for the said farmers daughter, while his brother is enjoying friends with benefits with said girl...

I suspect they are not making an awful lot...

Lungauer

Original Poster:

293 posts

151 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
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Thank you all for your replies, even if it does not make for encouraging reading. I am not really surprised and it only confirms what, in my heart of hearts, I think I already knew. I am probably too romantic for my own good, with visions of a wild flower meadow and barn owls hunting in the night. Certainly I don't have such a large fortune that I can risk losing any of it.

As for that every day tale of farming folk... Since I was born at home on a weekday lunchtime, in a household in which the Home Service (as it was then) was on all the time, and having developed a possessive passion for R4 to the extent of having a radio in nearly every room, I suspect the Archers has become part of the fabric of my very being, sometimes when I don't want it to (still cross about Nigel Pargetter, and why do I dislike Schula more than Rob Titchener?). This may very well be the cause of my farming itch.

I think holiday cottages, on a few acres and with a meadow for 'scything classes', some chickens for eggs and bees for honey, might well be the way to go.

Leithen

10,800 posts

266 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
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Do as much research as you can. As previous replies have highlighted, Farming at the moment is only mildly profitable on a very big scale, which in turn reflects a very poor ROI if investing in land.

Diversification has been the mantra for decades - which is fine up to a point. It rather obscures the fact that the principle business is largely unviable. Land not being made anymore allied to inheritance tax advantages mean that land and farm prices are artificially high. Planning restrictions for new housing and other building types doesn't help either. So there are large barriers to entry.

If you can find a formula that is financially sustainable, the lifestyle is good however. I'd advise looking for a setup that has various different income streams and allows specialisation in either crop, breed or other area that could bring real job satisfaction. Be prepared to become a complete jack-of-all-trades, master of none as you spread your skills think over the time available in the day.

I'm not a farmer, but own a farm business. I come from a long line of farmers and we continually puzzle over the peculiarities of producing such a fundamental product and yet being barely able to make any return from it....

Bon chance.

Birkin1932

784 posts

138 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
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watch this:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/first-time-farm...

Then watch this series, its fascinating:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b073h497/episodes/...

I have a 45 acre small holding/hobby farm in wales

FORGET IT

You can live the 'good life' type of existence. Work to live. But forget profits

Simpo Two

85,150 posts

264 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
quotequote all
surveyor said:
I know a couple of lads...

Their route was to sweet talk the local farmers daughter. That got the some land to raise some ducks... They've now diversified into eggs...

Not sure it's working out too well. One of the lads has got his head screwed on, but has fallen for the said farmers daughter, while his brother is enjoying friends with benefits with said girl...
I was looking forward to a punchline!

surveyor

17,768 posts

183 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
surveyor said:
I know a couple of lads...

Their route was to sweet talk the local farmers daughter. That got the some land to raise some ducks... They've now diversified into eggs...

Not sure it's working out too well. One of the lads has got his head screwed on, but has fallen for the said farmers daughter, while his brother is enjoying friends with benefits with said girl...
I was looking forward to a punchline!
I'm sure it will come...

BoRED S2upid

19,644 posts

239 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
quotequote all
Go down the specialist route prize cattle and the likes you can make an absolute fortune from pedigree Bulls. Will need to know what your doing though not every Tom dick or Harry can rock up with a few acres of grass and have a go.

Other than that as has already been said bees. Have you seen the price of honey! Could be a sting in that tail though.