How do we save our smallholding?

ALIBOBSY

I agree with the other posters definately go for a number of income streams and see which work the best.

We have long had the dream of a smallholding, but are realistic that OH and I would still keep doing our self employed work as well. Perhaps consider outside work, OH mostly does IT work, but in the spring summer gets extra work in his second business of gardening and odd job work. The number of older people who say you can't get anyone reliable to do bits of jobs like cleaning out gutters, putting up shelves etc.

Perhaps diversify a bit, keep some pigs, turkeys, meat chickens. If you just keep them to fatten up over summer and slaughter at the end of the year so cutting out the extra costs of buying feed over winter.

Also look at reducing costs so you don't need as much income, we always said we would aim to be self-sufficient in veggies, fruit and meat. We already have hens and OH has worked on a local smallholding for experience. So I would look to fill freezers and preserve foods so we spent little money in any shops.

To be fair I maybe teaching you to "suck eggs" as you probably already do grow your own etc, but I wanted to stick it down as a sort of brainstorming thing lol.

Good Luck

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Just had a thought, given the fleeces are dark wouldn't they be good for blankets or simular?

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

Something I heard on the radio the other day was farmers/smallholders using micro generation to cut energy costs which can be a big chunk of your monthly bills.

Ali x

lostinrates

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Something I heard on the radio the other day was farmers/smallholders using micro generation to cut energy costs which can be a big chunk of your monthly bills.

Ali x

And here a the coal face,.....

Getting suitable electricity to do this to the property is costing no small amount. It will still not enable us to export but rather we'll have to buy expensive storage for pv for our own use if we go that route........

Davesnave

Indeed. I have the perfect site for a solar panel array and a 11000kv line going right through it, but the guys who will put up the money to rent the space want a 3 phase supply.

I'm ever hopeful someone at the other end of that line (not far) will need 3 phase for their business.:)

EDIT: No one will believe this, but I've just been visited by Western Power, who tell me a new 3 phase supply is going in at the end of the month! Looking at the map the guy had, the line goes much further than I thought, so I'm not sure of the reason for the change. It seems they are altering more than just this one.

Anyway, good news for me, but not something anyone could rely on happening, especially in a very rural area. I'd guess I've been lucky in having neighbours who have businesses which need more power.

Prothet_of_Doom

Rummer wrote: »

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 more specialist and therefore profitable livestock
• Making part of the land private allotments

Paint Balling, mountain biking, quads, building some houses, bird of prey centre, winter wonderland, microlight airfield.

by the way where is it?

Davesnave

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

Paint Balling, mountain biking, quads, building some houses, bird of prey centre, winter wonderland, microlight airfield.

by the way where is it?

This was the first sentence of the thread :

Farmers-wife wrote: »

We live on a 30 odd acre small holding in Wales currently breeding rare breed sheep.