There is a virtually unlimited list of ways that farms can
diversify, and below is only a small selection
Do you or your family have skills that you can use off the farm
to generate income?
- Tree surgeon / hedge trimming
- Shepherding
- Garden maintenance / landscaping
- Book-keeping
- Lecturing
- Public speaking
- Dehorning and branding
- Agricultural rep. / selling
- Dog training
- Relief milking
- Hiring out equipment / contracting
Can you add value to your produce?
- Produce cheese / butter / cream / ice cream / yoghurt from your milk
- Butcher your meat and sell through a farm shop or farmers' market
- Turn your produce into: cakes; casseroles; pies; sausages; boxes for
dinner parties; vegetarian or vegetable dishes. Sell via farm shop or
farmers' market
- Sell directly to pubs/restaurants/cafes. Either raw produce or readymade
food. They can emphaise their use of 'local' produce.
- Vegetable box schemes
- Outside catering using your produce (from dinner parties to a hog roast
at the local point to point)
- Smoked foods
- Cure your own ham / bacon
Can your outbuildings be used for animal-related businesses?
- Kennels / Cattery
- Stabling / livery stables
- Riding school
Can you develop the farm?
- Novel breeds - from worm-farming to Llamas
- Free range eggs
- Go organic
- Fish farm
- Spring water
- Honey / beekeeping
- Pick your own
- Farm shop
- Plant nursery / garden centre / herbs
Leisure and tourism
- Riding holidays / pony trekking
- Golf course / driving range
- Farm visitor attraction
- Open your house or garden to visitors
- Educational visits
- Tea room / cafe
- Conducting guided walks of your area / rambling
- Clay pigeon shooting
- Wildlife tours of the estate / nature trails
- 4x4 driving school / Land Rover safaris
- Motocross
- BMX / Mountain bike tracks / holidays
- Paint balling
- Hunting / shooting / fishing
- Maize maze
Accommodation
- B&B
- Caravanning / camping
- Team building / conference centre
- Self catering cottages
Lease your outbuildings
- Light industry / small businesses
- Craft workshops
- Art galleries
- Children's nursery / after school club
Education weekends
- Do you have a special talent like painting, fishing, cooking, dry stone
walling, etc that you could teach people whilst they stay at your house
or nearby? Or could you provide the venue and hire a teacher?
