Diversification News

With unpredictable input costs, volatile markets, and future uncertainty, UK farmers are facing extraordinary challenges. Whilst the drive towards net zero may seem like an additional pressure to many, could it also be an opportunity for farm businesses to assess how they can move towards a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable future, asks Farmplan director Piers Costley.

Higher demand, coupled with the soaring costs of agriculture, has prompted many British farmers to look into new ways to grow and diversify their income. Bev Dumbleton, chief operating officer at Sykes Holiday Cottages, shares some advice on holiday lets.

With over eight out of 10 retailers experiencing crime in the past six months, farm shops are being offered security advice.

A Welsh hill farmer has planted 140 tea bushes around her farm in Powys, to see whether this high value crop could generate additional income for the business.

The popularity of pick your own (PYO) pumpkin patches has prompted an insurance expert to warn against Halloween surprises of the unwelcome kind.

UK farmers’ income from diversification has risen to 13% of turnover in 2023, according to an NFU Mutual survey.

British hemp growers Hugh Wrangham and Alistair McLeod used post-harvest equipment from McArthur Agriculture to overcome challenges with drying, cleaning and dehulling the hemp seed.

If you’ve ever looked into trying to find new ways to get more people to visit your farm, you’d know that most ways to grow your business will often require an upfront investment of some kind. But there is a zero-cost way that you can market your farm to a large, new audience: by becoming a Brit Stops host.

Those who attended the National Sheep Association (NSA) Northern Region event last Friday had their eyes opened to the opportunities and potential pitfalls of ways to diversify sheep farming enterprises.

Farmer Robert Moore made it his goal to leave his 356-hectare arable unit in a better state for the environment and wildlife than when he took it on in 1988. To do this, he has balanced sustainability and profitability in his approach to farming.

Some of the UK’s best pick your own farms have been shortlisted for the national Farm Retail Awards.

Farmers from all sectors who have invested in creating an additional income stream for their business are encouraged to enter Scotland’s ‘Diversified Farm of the Year 2023’ award, with the winner set to receive widespread recognition at the Scottish Agricultural Awards in October.