How do we save our smallholding?

Farmers-wife_2

We live on a 30 odd acre small holding in Wales currently breeding rare breed sheep. So far this year we have made £4.82 from the wool marketing board (with a further £40 or so pound still owing) We're going to making £2000 or so from the sale of some sheep and approximately £6000 from a holiday cottage we rent out.

All in all, my husband and I make about £8000 between us (+child benefit). That has to clothe, feed and pay all of the bills for us both, our 1 year old daughter, 6 dogs and a cat. It a bit of a stretch (massive understatement)

We don't want to work away from the small holding if we can help it (obviously we will if it comes to it) but we could really use some ideas on how we could up our income.

However lame the suggestions sound, it would be great to hear them. We've got outdoor space, a couple of free barns and we are willing to put in lots of hard work, we're just rubbish at ideas.

lostinrates

Our small holding business plan while showing more profit could not consider being viable without my husbands income from outside.

Is the property picturesque? Could you look at camping/caravaning options? And the barns, might they make picturesque venues for anything?

Sheep keeping courses?

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Hi Farmers wife, it might be worth coming over onto the daydream thread.. this is one thing that we talk about.. how in reality you do need an 'outside of the smallholding' job to make ends meet..

These days having a smallholding is 'life style'

Rummer

What kind of sheep are they and what quality are the fleeces? Just wondering as you could sell them to spinners if they are of good quality.

As the others have said come and join us on the Daydreamer thread

Rummer

Some other quick suggestions:

• Horse livery
• Pet boarding
• Camping/caravan area
• Selling fleeces to spinners
• Processing fleeces and selling specialist yarn
• Producing food for local business/locals
• Bees and making honey
• Keeping and selling other livestock
• Making part of the land private allotments

Davesnave

Rummer & lostinrates have covered a lot of ground there, which I don't need to repeat.

The viability of some activities is governed by location. For example when we bought our smallholding, we deliberately purchased on a B class road to allow for gate sales. We knew it would be no good to be up a quiet lane somewhere.

Ironically, we've now stopped selling. We found it too difficult to balance the needs of a business and the other work we needed to do. The business wasn't being given sufficient input, nor were we making enough progress on the holding.

Fortunately, as I'm an old codger with a couple of pensions, I can make the choice whether to run a business or not.

So, I'd say if one of you can manage the holding alone, or almost on their own, the other could run a business. Gate sales are most efficient if you have the right location. Otherwise, you have to develop outlets.

One example I can give is a local couple who started making jams, chutneys etc. They did well, so developed their brand and started selling through a variety of outlets. You can guess what's coming next though; their business really took off,
so both of them are now fully employed in it. Perhaps not the original game plan!

RAS

Have you checked whether you can claim any child tax credit www.turn2us.org.uk?

Most small holders I know or knoew have multiple income sources/portfolio careers; retained fire-fighter, agent for other land-owner/holiday cottage owner, sheep farmer, cattle-farmer, tree-worker, fisherman were the roles of one person I knew.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

One example I can give is a local couple who started making jams, chutneys etc. They did well, so developed their brand and started selling through a variety of outlets. You can guess what's coming next though; their business really took off,
so both of them are now fully employed in it. Perhaps not the original game plan!

They might not need to forever. When businesses really take off they tend to get offers of purchase.

cte1111

Are you good at any crafts? I would think about running craft courses from one of the barns, e.g. crochet, knitting, felting, etc. You could include something like home made scones and tea to make it a day out.

MrsAtobe

If the barns are water tight, could you partition them up and offer storage? One of the farmers around here does it, and slightly under cuts the competition, so always has a waiting list.

Caravan storage would be another idea although you may need to invest in CCTV for that.

lostinrates

MrsAtobe wrote: »

If the barns are water tight, could you partition them up and offer storage? One of the farmers around here does it, and slightly under cuts the competition, so always has a waiting list.

Caravan storage would be another idea although you may need to invest in CCTV for that.

Requires PP and insurance adjustment don't forget.

Most of the activities here would change your insurance liability really. Its really tough when you start any diversification and budgets are already very tight.