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Farm diversification
4 Profitable farm diversification for beef farmers
September 19, 2021
Farm diversification
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Agri-tourism: Farmer sees campsite business boom after relaxing of rules

September 20, 2021
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agri-tourism

Agri-tourism: Farmer sees campsite business boom after relaxing of rules

Agri-tourism has has a huge boom this year. Due to Covid-19 many consumers have been choosing to holiday in the UK rather than risk travelling abroad. This has led to a huge increase in demand for agri-tourism, including increased demand for glamping, campsites and farm stays. Many farmers have also taken advantage of the relaxation of development rights regarding temporary or pop-up campsites to capitalise on this agri-tourism boom. Check out our blogs on Glamping here.

How a farmer is capitalising on the agri-tourism boom.

A diversified Worcestershire farmer has received more than 350 campsite bookings this year after he took advantage of relaxedglamping permitted development rights.

Diversifying into a campsite has meant that organic farmer Oliver Surman, who runs Little Fish Meadow near Upton upon Severn, has boosted revenue against the backdrop of the pandemic. Many farmers have taken advantage of relaxed permitted development rights, which has enabled them to operate tent campsites for 56 days without needing to apply for planning permission.

“We’ve had more than 350 bookings this year,” Oliver said. “I would estimate that everyone who stays with us spends between £25 and £30 a day with surrounding businesses which has a really positive impact on the local economy.”

The change in regulations was introduced in July 2020 to help the rural economy recover from the pandemic, as well as providing much needed extra capacity for staycationers. Previously, farmers and landowners had only been able to operate temporary campsites for 28 days per year without applying for planning permission, which put many of them off from trying.

The regulations are due to revert back to this limit in England at the end of this year. But Oliver said the change to 56 days, coupled with the challenging economic outlook for agriculture, will have been the ‘tipping point’ that prompted many farmers to finally set one up.

Agri-tourismHe said: “We run a number of diversification activities on the farm including camping, but we hadn’t got round to maximising it as a business opportunity. But Covid prompted us to do that, so we listed the campsite on the booking website Pitchup.com for the first time last summer, in time for the easing of the first lockdown. I’ve been blown away by the response. People have been coming from all over and seem to be having a wonderful experience. Often, they’ve never camped before and turned up with a tent straight from the outdoor shop that they don’t know how to put up, but they soon figure it out.”

Oliver and his family rear 200 head of organic Aberdeen Angus x Hereford beef stores on the farm as well as growing organic potatoes and cereal crops. They also run a number of diversification projects including a music festival, a triathlon, an organic ready meals business, Pegoty Hedge, and the campsite, which is nestled in a five-acre field next to the River Severn.

He said: “The 56 day rule has made it possible for a lot of farmers across England and Wales to open a campsite for the first time, as many didn’t feel 28 days was long enough for it to be viable. This has been fantastic for the farmers themselves, and has had significant benefits for wider rural communities. For example, pretty much everyone who stays with us walks across to the village. They may buy ice creams in the afternoon, perhaps hire a canoe or boat and go on the river, have lunch and drinks in the local pub and in the evening, go into the town,” he added.

Official figures show that farm incomes fell by 9% and 7% respectively in the two years up to the pandemic and figures from Visit Britain reveal that domestic tourism lost more than £140bn of spending in 2020/21, a 41% decline on 2019.

Dan Yates, the founder of campsite website Pitchup, said temporary campsites were a quick and effective way to redress some of the balance. One working farm listed on the website has generated nearly £120,000 in extra revenue in pitch fees alone from a temporary campsite this year, and others have made in excess of £50,000.

As a whole, pop-up campsites have injected more than £17 million into the rural economy this year, and with some able to stay open until October half term, this number is set to rise.

“The 56-day extension has been a godsend for many working farms and rural communities,” Dan Yates said. ”Setting up a temporary campsite is an easy way to address the issue of falling farm incomes while providing holidaymakers with access to some of the UK’s most spectacular countryside.”

Article taken from Farming UK

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5 Instagram Reel ideas to market your artisan-spir
5 Instagram Reel ideas to market your artisan-spirit farm business

🍸 Why do we use [insert unusual ingredient] to make our [insert spirit]?
🍸 A tour of our distillery! What system do we use?
🍸 3 ways we are making our [insert spirit] carbon-neutral!
🍸 How do we make [insert spirit]? See our behind-the-scenes process!
🍸Cocktail Masterclass
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Do you use reels for your business?


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Charcuterie can be an excellent option for extending a product range as the products can be made from your existing meat supplies, or you could choose to team up with a local charcuterie business. 

Additionally, the shelf life of charcuterie products is often significantly longer than other meat-based products. Charcuterie also often uses less desirable parts of an animal, such as in the case of using cheaper cuts in salamis.


Instagram Reel ideas for your dairy diversificatio
Instagram Reel ideas for your dairy diversification

🧀 What happens to male calves on our farm?
🧀 A tour of our milking parlour! What system do we use?
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🧀 Cheese tasting masterclass
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1. Milk vending machines – for dairy diversification
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5. Ice cream – the tasty farm diversification
6. Storage containers – the commercial farm diversification
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8. Growing truffles – the high-end farm diversification

If you are planning a farm marketing strategy to promote your farm diversification then we would also recommend you book a consultation with us.

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Diversification idea – wool business!
Why choose a

Diversification idea - wool business!
Why choose a wool business?

A wool, yarn or fibre business can be an effective farm diversification for adding value to something that is often a by-product of the sheep farming sector. But there are also lots of other types of fibre to consider, from alpaca to plant-based fibres. Fibre businesses are useful for bringing in additional income on a smaller scale and tend to work well alongside a wider farm business strategy or even as a way to make money from your smallholding.

Fibre businesses can range from selling raw fleece through to spinning yarn and even dying yarns. 

Do you sell wool or fibre from your farm?

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With packages starting from as little as £200 and most under £675 per month, why not? 

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Video content for wool businesses needn’t be har
Video content for wool businesses needn’t be hard. Some ideas could include:

🐑 How is it made videos – show the processes within your business, such as spinning
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🐑  Meet the team – show yourself or your team behind the business.


Want to transform your farm business?
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Want to transform your farm business?
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Find out more on our website - go to the link in bio

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