Small farm startup

bailee

Hi there,
I am not sure if this is the right place for this post, so bear with me.

I would like to start a small animal farming business. It would not see any returns until the second year.

I would also be looking for a small plot of land to lease for this venture near London. Big enough where I could put a barn for storage and work.

Is there an agricultural department that would help someone like me. Or anyone out there that has any information on this.


many thanks

Bailee

DCFC79

bailee wrote: »

Hi there,
I am not sure if this is the right place for this post, so bear with me.

I would like to start a small animal farming business. It would not see any returns until the second year.

I would also be looking for a small plot of land to lease for this venture near London. Big enough where I could put a barn for storage and work.

Is there an agricultural department that would help someone like me. Or anyone out there that has any information on this.


many thanks

Bailee

A read of this thread might help and this 1.

A business plan would be a good idea along with some collaterol (sp).

paddyrg

Just a couple of things to consider as a part of that business plan-

Farming is tough to make any kind of living. Really tough in fact. Renting land is just the start of it, you also need to securely keep and manage the livestock legally and healthily, overwinter them, and then either milk, shear or slaughter them to get any kind of value. Milking takes a lot of work, especially for a small herd if you haven't invested in machinery but still have to manage storage. Fleeces sell for nothing. Slaughter has to be done at licensed places, probably not so many near London, so factor in the costs of driving/transport. Keeping legal in terms of tagging, dipping etc is also going to be more complicated if you aren't surrounded by neighbours whose dipping troughs you can use, etc. Again, typically not common/cheap near London.

I totally wish you all the best with wanting to farm livestock, but just want to highlight that it is a great way to make a small fortune out of a bigger one, with a huge amount of work involved. And unless you can get goods land cheap, the margins will be negligible at best. Second year profits sounds ambitious to be honest, the investment well be enormous

Savvy_Sue

You only have to listen to the Archers to know how tough it is in farming!!!

bailee

I know it is hard farming conventionally or maybe a littlele harder in the area that I want to go into, but I have to at lease try.

For starting up I will not need a whole lot of money, but I will need the space to do it.

I will definately need a licence that I will look into sorting out as well as some form for training course in animal raising.

Just to make myself clear I am not looking to buy the land, that would be financial suicide. I am looking to lease/rent a piece preferable lease to give me a bit of managing freedom.

I understand that some council do let land spaces. So I will look into that but any advice on other ways is welcome.

Brock_and_Roll

I admire your intentions but this is very much an uphill battle, not least as you state in other posts you have bad credit history and a small child. I presume also that you have no/low savings.

Furthermore, if you do not know who the NFU are then I guess you are not a British national - there are some unscrupulous people out there that will be happy to rip off those unfamiliar with the british farming/planning systems.

The sad reality is that at present a very large proportion of non-arable farms in the UK do not make any money at all. Given the huge amout of hours these farmers put into these businesses, it could be considered madness that many of them are carry on at all. However, many of them feel in a trap - farming land that their families have farmed for generations, and with no skills to do another job.

As for finding cheap land, you will definitely find some - the problem is that it will be cheap for a reason. Without knowing what animals you are planning on raising, it is difficult to be more specifit about what you should look for and/or avoid.

Best of Luck

chesky

...........a small plot of land to lease for this venture near London. Big enough where I could put a barn for storage and work............

this will cost a small fortune in rent. And what are you going to use for money to build a barn?

At the moment, you're doing what we all do at times - thinking about the ideal situation to live our lives. But you're light years away from being able to afford it.

PasturesNew

Even if you were magically given the land and buildings and animals for free tomorrow you wouldn't stand much of a chance as it's not like a bunch of pets.

What if there's another foot and mouth epidemic and you can't sell your animals, or even move them.

For business ideas, it'd be safer buying a share in a racing horse.... and just as daft.

chesky

PS and the NFU is the National Farmers' Union.

Mojisola

bailee wrote: »

I would like to start a small animal farming business. It would not see any returns until the second year.

I would also be looking for a small plot of land to lease for this venture near London. Big enough where I could put a barn for storage and work.

Even in the 1970s, people wanting to get back to the land and start up as self-sufficient owners or organic farmers had to head off to the fringe, cheap areas of the country and prices were much lower then.

If you want to get a feel for the reality of farming, spend a few weekends WWOOFing and talk to the farmers about the financial side and other commitments.

comeandgo

My family have worked on farms all my life, I think you are looking at it through rose coloured glasses. Do you think you will have a few sheep and chickens and goats? Please look very carefully into this, I dont think there is a snowballs chance in hell that you will make any profits, if at all. A lot of farmers only survive as they get subsidies from the government. Its one of the very few jobs where so much of what goes on is totally out of your control, ie the weather plays a big part, government rules and european ruling. You have vets bills, feed bills, your animals need warmth in the cold and shade when its hot. Can you stay on a farm for a while to see what it is actually like.