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While farm diversification has been around for a long time, it has recently come into sharp focus for many farmers as financial pressures and uncertainty grows. There’s never been a more perfect time to explore options and opportunities surrounding farm diversification. Whether it’s exploring new strategies such as starting a farm shop or cultivating existing options, there are many farm diversification ideas to uncover.

What is Farm Diversification

 

Farm diversification refers to efforts to boost income, spread risk and ensure farms are operating sustainably. It involves branching out from traditional farming and expanding to new income-generating activities. Many farmers are turning to diversification and exploring their options in order to diversify their income streams and be better equipped for an uncertain future.

 

Why Farmers Are Turning to Diversification

 

It goes without saying that UK farmers face an uncertain future following financial pressures and growing uncertainty in recent years. From policy changes and climate-related changes to changing consumer demands and profitability concerns, this has inevitably led to the necessity of diversification.

 

Farm Diversification Ideas & Examples

 

 

 

 

There are lots of options to explore when it comes to diversification. Here are our top 5 farm diversification ideas and examples you can choose from:

 

 

1. Set up a farm shop

Setting up a local shop like Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat shop and selling your produce can be a great way to diversify. According to a report by Harper Adams University, Farm shops alone generate a massive £1.4 billion in sales nationally while employing 25,000 workers. Not to mention overheads to get things started can be significantly less than other farm diversification ideas.

 

 

2. Open a farm restaurant

Farm restaurants that serve local, seasonal produce are becoming increasingly popular as consumers are beginning to take more interest in where their food comes from and the impact this has on the environment. This makes this a potentially lucrative option for farmers looking to diversify.

 

 

3. Explore agritourism options

Agrotourism is another farm diversification idea with a lot of potential. It offers a number of options including opening a bed and breakfast, offering farm tours, workshop and classes and creating camping or glamping accommodations.

 

 

4. Experiment with new off shoots

Farm businesses can also explore opportunities with new profitable crops or livestock they haven’t yet ventured into. With changing consumer demands, broadening your offering by utilising one of our farm diversification ideas is a great way to help you future-proof your business.

 

 

5. Hire or rent out your space

Renting out your space or hiring out your barn(s) for events, conferences and weddings can be a great way to diversify. Barn weddings in particular are increasingly gaining popularity, with a fifth of all couples opting to host their wedding at a barn or farm, making this a great route to explore.

 

 

Farm Diversification Grants

 

There are currently various farm diversification grants available for farming businesses. Our team of agricultural consultants are available to support you with advice and application processes. Below are two grants farm diversification grants available:

 

• Farming Investment Fund

The Farming Investment Fund (FIF) provides grants to improve the productivity of farms and bring environmental benefits.

FIF is made up of 2 separate funds:

1. Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (for grants between £2,000 and £25,000) Currently open closes on January 7, 2021. This smaller grant will be offered with the aim of boosting the performance of businesses. It gives farmers access to equipment that can increase productivity and reduce costs.
2. Farming Transformation Fund (for grants between £35,000 and £500,000) This will aid the largest investments. These grants could be used for projects involving reservoirs and sustainable water storage, more environmentally friendly agricultural equipment, and robotic technology.

 

• Farm Equipment and Technology Fund

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) provides support to farming businesses so that they can invest in equipment and technology to improve sustainable agricultural, horticultural, and forestry productivity.

The grants are for a minimum of £2,000 and a maximum of £25,000, a fixed amount for each item as set out in the details.

Items include:

3. Feed pushing robots
4. Direct drills
5. Slurry dribble bars and trailing shoes
6. Cattle crushes
7. Cattle handling systems

 

Esus Agri Ltd have maintained a 100% success rate in getting their clients the grant they requested, including FIF and FETC grants. View all farm diversification grants and other funding options available here.

 

How Esus Agri Ltd Can Help You With Farm Diversification

 

 

Esus Agri Ltd has been helping farmers thrive since 1995. We have worked with farms from 40 ha to 100,000 ha, delivering sustainable solutions to enable the owners to achieve their goals. To learn more about farm diversification and discover how ESUS Agri Ltd can help you implement the best farm diversification options for your farm business, get in touch today.

On February 2nd we hosted a Webinar with Soil Capital explaining their Soil Carbon Payments Scheme for Farmers in South West England.

To see the recording please use this link to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLMFWUc9b9GGXxOuzYsOBOg

Concerned with the costs of in-wintering his Ruby Red Devon Cattle, North Devon Farmer, Richard Stanbury has designed and built his own big bale feeder so that he can use the American System of Bale Grazing to keep his cattle healthy and well-fed whilst wintering outside on grass, whilst improving soil structure and fertility. This is all part of Richard’s journey down the Regenerative Agriculture route, to improve the profitability and sustainability of the farm for the four generations living on it.

In the attached video, we look at the feeder in action and discuss the pros and cons of the feeder and the system

 

About this time of year, the RPA announces the latest round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) provides support to farming businesses so that they can invest in equipment and technology to improve sustainable agricultural, horticultural, and forestry productivity.

The grants are for a minimum of £2,000 and a maximum of £25,000, a fixed amount for each item as set out in the details.

Items include:

• Feed pushing robots
• Direct drills
• Slurry dribble bars and trailing shoes
• Cattle crushes
• Cattle handling systems

For a list of all the available options and application details please send us an email mailto:contact@esusagri.co.uk with FETF in the subject line, send us a message https://www.esusagri.co.uk/contact/, or call us on 01398 392011

ESUS Agri Ltd recently calculated that the base ingredient (pea protein) cost per kg for plant-based burgers is £0.16, a vast difference compared with the top-of-the-range beef burger at £3.55.

The most significant ingredient in the plant-based burger is water, 16% is pea protein.

The beef burger contains 85% beef, whereas water is a small ingredient in the beef burger.

The margin over the base ingredient for the plant-based burger is 99.7% compared to 66.4% for the beef burger.

It seems to us that profit is driving plant-based burgers more than concern for the planet.

We set out our calculations below:

	Beyond Meat Burger Plant Based Burger	Reds Original Beef Burger 284G
Retail Price £/kg www.tesco.com	17.70	10.57
Base Ingredient	Peas	Beef
Base Ingredient %	50%	85%
Base Ingredient Price  £/kg Ex farm www.fwi.co.uk	0.317	4.180
Base Ingredient Cost £/kg*	0.16	3.55
Margin/ Base Ingredient Costs	99.1%	66.4%
Ingredients	Water, Pea Protein*(16%), Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Rice Protein, Flavouring, Stabiliser (Methyl Cellulose), Potato Starch, Apple Extract, Colour (Beetroot Red), Maltodextrin, Pomegranate Extract, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Maize Vinegar, Carrot Powder, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin),	Beef (85%), Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Beef Bone Marrow (3%), Water, Onions, Seasoning (Sugar, Salt, Spices (Black Pepper, Ginger, Cumin), Onion Powder, Emulsifier (Diphosphates), Mushroom Extract Powder, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavouring, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid)), Brewed Shio Koji (Rice, Salt)
*Assumes 3.5kg peas to produce 1kg pea protein

Less than ¼ mile from ESUS Agri HQ, on the farm of our neighbours JR, RA & RD Stanbury, in a new Innovative Farmers field lab, livestock farmers are driving new research into a variety of winter grazing crops to reduce feed and input costs while enhancing soil health and biodiversity.
The study’s objectives are to lessen soil erosion and provide habitat.
The farmers will contrast their customary winter forage, which consists of a single type of Brassica monoculture, with a diversified, 16 species fodder crop mix, which includes clovers, hairy vetch, ryegrass, spring oats, kale, and linseed.
In addition to supplying a nutrient-rich crop that supports animal health and performance, their objectives include reducing soil erosion and fostering natural habitats for wildlife during winter grazing.

Cost Saving

Farmers will cut down on feed expenses and the amount of time the herd spends indoors during the winter, many beef farmers plant just one brassica forage crop, such kale or fodder beet.
This field experiment will examine if a diverse crop’s increased biomass might increase farm resilience by safeguarding the soil structure. Benefits are anticipated to include decreased erosion and runoff as well as increased worm populations, infiltration rates, and water holding capacity.

Benefits That Extend to Farmers

The government’s upcoming transition to a new farm payment system and the new Sustainable Farming Incentives programme make the field lab’s findings potentially especially important as there is a growing emphasis on keeping the soil covered over the winter.

Extension of Arable Regen Ag

The benefits of diverse cropping have been well documented in arable farming context. In the livestock sector diverse grass mixtures went out of fashion as high-yielding varieties were bred that performed well when highly fertilised monocultures protected from pests and diseases with agrochemicals outperformed the traditional mixes and were much simpler to manage. The current hike in energy and fertiliser prices is renewing interest in diverse mixtures and work done in New Zealand, Germany and Canada confirms that new diverse mixes can outperform monocultures, improve soils and add to farm resilience.
Please check out the video presentation on our You Tube Channel  https://youtu.be/h-gAn5zF-OQ

The Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme’s next application window is now open, giving more farmers and land managers in England the opportunity to plan while also receiving money for environmental activities and sustainable food production. There are four offers:

Mid Tier

Five-year agreements with a variety of alternatives for ongoing land management, as well as up to £120,000 for capital projects such as fencing installation. Acceptance is not guaranteed, but last year all our applications were accepted. The deadline is July 29, 2022.

Wildlife Offers

To assist farmers and land managers in protecting and preserving wildlife and the natural environment:

• The Arable Offer,
• Lowland Grazing Offer,
• Mixed Farming Offer
• Upland Offer

Guaranteed acceptance. The deadline is July 29, 2022.

Capital Grants

For specific environmental projects, such as:

• Restoring hedgerows,
• Planting trees
• Installing hardcore tracks,
• Roofing yards and silage pits
• Fencing ditches and watercourses

Available year-round.

Higher Tier

Five or 10-year agreements to manage complex land in environmentally significant sites, commons, or woodlands that require support from Natural England or the Forestry Commission. Deadline: 29 April 2023. These agreements take a lot of preparation and should be considered well in advance.

Regenerative Farming

Countryside Stewardship projects can be used to ease your way into Regenerative Farming in several ways. You can get paid to grow:
• GS4: Legume and herb-rich swards
• SW6: Winter cover crops
• AB3: Beetle banks
• AB8: Flower-rich margins and plots
• AB15: Two-year sown legume fallow

ESUS Agri Ltd has the knowledge and experience to assist you in exploring the options and navigating the application and delivery process.

Application

Esus Agri Ltd provides a free initial consultation to examine your farm’s application possibilities, explore choices, and advise you on rules and regulations. We use mapping software to create schemes that emphasize the most significant available possibilities, ensuring that every selection is appropriate for your farm. Then we produce an evaluation report with extra information, such as costs and financial returns. If you decide to proceed we will complete the application for you and deal with any queries from the RPA and/or Natural England.

Ongoing Management.

If you are already a part of a scheme or are contemplating joining one, we can assist you with the ongoing management. You can choose from our range of packages that range from keeping you on track with paperwork and management to getting your entire scheme mapped through The Land App and supporting you with day-to-day decisions.

ESUS Agri was incorporated in 1995, however we can trace our history back to 1969 to Harrison’s Fleming Advisory Services (HFAS) whose business we took over 1995. HFAS provided technical and management consultancy to large scale tropical plantations companies, governments, and development banks. HFAS was always at the forefront of sustainable and renewable agriculture, it was a world leader in biological pest control, the optimization of fertiliser usage and improving conditions for employees. HFAS Diversified into privatisation and was responsible for the largest privatisation of a plantation company in Africa.

ESUS Agri has built on the legacy of HFAS, whilst broadening the range of services and the geographical areas in which we operate, to encompass large scale cereal production in Eastern Europe. For 10 years we operated our own sheep and arable farm in North Devon, and since 2018 our focus has shifted from overseas work to our work in South-West England.

Brexit has brought change and uncertainty to farmers in South-West England. ESUS Agri has been operating in markets where change and uncertainty are the norm, we have the skills, experience, and techniques to help our clients survive and thrive.

There are many myths currently being circulated about Farm Carbon Credits.

Antony Pearce dispels three of the myths

To learn more about The First Certified, Multi-National Carbon Payment Programme for Farmers in Europe check out our web site click the button below

At ESUS Agri we are looking all over the world for innovations in Regen Ag that can be introduced into South West England. New Zealand farmers get no subsidies so they have to innovate all the time, and mixed species winter grazing is one such innovation.

This video from Quronsense NZ shows some of the exciting potential of multi-species winter crops and bale grazing for improving soil health, animal health, resilience, profitability and the well being of farmers. However these innovations are not silver bullets, they won’t suit everyone, and need to be adapted to each unique situation.