Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Small holdings as a business
  • Mounty_73
    Full Member

    I have had a few ideas rattling around in my head for a couple of years or so about having a small holding and turning it into a small business.  As children/family we had animals and the land.

    Just doing ever ongoing research and I am sure there will be a few people on STW that are currently running a small holding or have done in the past.

    I am just wondering what the STW massives thoughts and experiences are?

    poolman
    Free Member

    The farmshop i go to has never advertised and is only open 1 day a week, saturday mornings till 1pm.  Place is packed.  His secret is organic pesticide free and focuses on higher value fruit and veg so avoids any supermarket competition.  ‘re animals i think he has just 1 pig that eats the waste and I think is for the owners christmas lunch.

    Funnily enough in these times of austerity i know a few of his regulars and no one knows his prices, the veg is such a step up in quality from the supermarkets.

    Stock rotates with the seasons and he just emails out on a Thursday what is avail, quite a few people email back a shopping list which can then be collected.

    As a business it probably ticks over keeping 3 of them happy, he has a couple of helpers on the land.  I have some photos if it helps,it’s the sort of thing if it ever came up for sale I may do.

    Mounty_73
    Full Member

    Yes please, any info or pics would be great, thanks.

    Email in profile.

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    oldmanmtb
    Free Member

    I have a small holding (oooh eerrr missus) and over the years looked at various ways of making cash out of the place and its difficult, you just cant keep stock (other than a few hens) without a lot of paperwork and kit.

    Free range eggs sell well and for sensible money, veg is very hard work on any scale. The one idea i never did was planting shrubs trees etc in large pots/bags then sell.them when they put some height and weight on for “instant gardens,” there is good money in this ( have mate down south who used to it and he said £10 turned into a £100 in five years)

    neilc1881
    Free Member

    I kept a small flock of sheep for a few years earned a little but would have worked out as a rubbish hourly rate if I sat down and worked out the true cost in terms of labour etc.  By far the most profitable diversification was doing holiday rentals on shepherd’s huts I built.  They paid for themselves in under a year (including labour).  Low impact off-grid, people loved coming and exploring the area, seeing lambing in action etc.  Still building huts now, but hoping to sell privately rather than run them myself as I’m no longer at the farm.

    mrwhyte
    Free Member

    Our good friends run a smallholding on Exmoor. It’s very tough all consuming and they always say its not as idyllic as people think. Looking after a number of animals is hard work and you have to be there at all hours, come rain or shine.

    I’ve helped out on the farm quite a few times and chatted at length about it. I did think I’d like to do it, but after a few days I thought again.

    They do smallholding courses, which are really good. All the basics from husbandry to butchery

    Search Hidden Valley pigs and Simon Dawson

    He has also written a lot about his experiences. Try a smallholding weekend on Exmoor to start?

    poolman
    Free Member

    Mounty whats yr email address I can’t see it on profile, I ll send the pics

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    Talk to Comrie Croft about thier plot of veg and flowers – alongside the accomodation, they supply thier own cafe, sell to local shops and hotels and have thier own shop.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    lol I’d hardly describe the croft as a plot, that’s proper full scale growing. Although they do have a lot of ideas I would like to investigate further (the toilet facilities in particular although in the shorter term Farmer John may have the winner with a dry system).

    My old man has recently bought an 8 acre field, that was the first big step (took months before he got in as it was in probate). He has since managed to get a 20′ container in, a gate and a passabe hard standing built  (not before the digger that was supposed to spread the hardcore got both its batteries nicked though). Oh, and one strainer post in for the 137m replacement fence along the bottom end.

    If you are going to do this don’t be under any illusions that it will either be easy or quick. It won’t. Nor will it be cheap. And make sure any kit is secure because the countryside most certainly isn’t.

    Mounty_73
    Full Member

    Mounty whats yr email address I can’t see it on profile, I ll send the pics

    Sorry I must have removed it.  It is mounty73 AT hotmail .co.uk

    Thanks.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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