Diversification

From tourism and glamping to niche markets and rethinking traditional systems, these stories bring together real-life examples and practical advice from farmers across the South West. Discover the opportunities, challenges and lessons learned when diversifying, and how finding the right balance can help strengthen and future-proof your farm.

There is an appetite for projects involving renewables at the moment.

Jo Wingfield

Agricultural Advisor at Natwest bank

You can’t offer it all. You need to do one thing and do it well. Identify your market first, and then everything else will fall into place.

Mark Scott

Company Director at Clear Sky Luxury Canvas Lodges

A dog field doesn’t just run itself. But get it right, and customers will travel to use a well-run dog field they and their pet enjoy.

Hannah James

Founder at British Dog Fields

In our experience, you’re better off focusing on the quality of services rather than the quantity.

Rachel Bishop

Trevear Farm

Enterprise stacking

Enterprise stacking is a form of farm diversification with integration and sustainability at its heart. Farmers Tim May and Dave Oates told the Farming Focus™ podcast how they’re stacking enterprises on their farms to build business resilience.

Young farmer’s aspirations change direction of family farm

Niall Tewson is a second-generation farmer who wanted to put his stamp on his family farm near Ipplepen in Devon. A trip to New Zealand persuaded him a dairy unit on the family’s beef and sheep farm might be the way to do it.

Using diversification to elevate your farming business

Diversification isn’t always about doing something new, it can be as simple as making better use of existing assets according to rural business adviser Simon Haley, and Somerset farmers Rob Addicott and Jeremy Padfield.

Don't let diversification be a distraction

NatWest’s Jo Wingfield offers her advice on how to diversify successfully, without distracting attention from the core business.

‘It’s got to be glam’: Glamping advice for farmers and landowners

Mark Scott from Clear Sky Luxury Canvas Lodges shares his tips for anyone thinking about setting up a glamping site.

Growth in dog ownership creates diversification opportunities

With dog ownership now higher than ever, Hannah James uncovers a growing form of farm diversification – dog fields.

Standing out from the crowd central to luxury holiday business success

Trevear Farm has luxury written all over it. Rachel Bishop describes how and why she targeted the high-end market when taking over her parents’ holiday accommodation business.

Resilience through diversity

For Oak Park Dairy, resilience through diversity has been the cornerstone of building a successful and sustainable family dairy enterprise.

Lydford Farm Shop Devon owner Marcia Vanstone talking with customer

Farms and rural businesses diversify

South West insurer Cornish Mutual says that many of the region’s farms and rural businesses are making long-term changes as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Different ways of being a farmer

In an episode of Farming Focus™, Peter Green spoke to farmers from two Cornwall-based businesses who are taking a different approach to farming. Laura Awdry, a Duchy of Cornwall tenant farmer, Nuffield Scholar, and AHDB dairy knowledge exchange manager, shared her experiences alongside Rhian and Jack Marchant, first-generation farmers running a mixed livestock enterprise.

New direction secures family business

Changing from a beef and sheep enterprise to dairy production has secured the future for one Cornish family farm. We spoke to Philip Kent of Carruan Farm to find out more.

Talk to one of our Experts

Call us 01872277151

Request A Quote