Does my farm have a future?

There is a “murky uncertainty” about the future direction of farming and lack of political clarity over land management according to Jake Freestone. He sees changes afoot in terms of enterprise-shifting with a diversity of income streams becoming more important to ride out the volatility.

Helen Browning agrees, feeling today’s rapid change is unlikely to slow down, making it hard to prepare “when you don’t know quite what’s going to hit when.”

And she thinks it’s going to be “more about the farmer than the farm” when it comes to future success: “When you’re looking at the range of challenges and opportunities ahead, it will be much more about attitude and skills than about farm type.”

Collaboration important for smaller farms

Both guests feel collaborating with other farmers “is going to be crucial”, particularly in the South West where smaller farms dominate and partnerships could bring the benefits of scale. 

Helen says: “It’s not always about having to have it all yourself, but it makes a lot of sense to be either working with others or thinking about the development of a service rather than a product you have to buy in.”

As a farmer in Cornwall, Peter admits it’s not a common approach: “We love our little island, with our own machinery and doing our own thing, but actually sharing is going to be increasingly important.”

An example of this was discussed in another episode where Rob Addicott and Jeremy Padfield describe how buying machinery together begin a successful contracting business.

Collaboration also features in balancing food production and environmental demands says Helen: “Farming won’t be very successful if we don’t have a resilient, thriving environment. The two are inextricably linked so it shouldn’t feel like a tension. They must be seen by farmers not in competition, but in collaboration and we need policy to support that coming together of environment and farming.”

More on this can be found in an interview with Helen, ‘Finding the way to net zero farming’.

Diversifying income streams

Spreading risk is one reason farmers consider diversification and Jake believes diversifying income streams can involve looking both on and off farm: “We would all love to be in a place where farms can generate enough income for a family or two to live off, but realistically we’re not at that point at the moment, and I can’t really see that changing.”

Peter agrees, citing off-farm incomes as being far more common in Ireland and one for UK farmers to think about.

Episode showstoppers

·       Look for opportunities to collaborate – through buying groups and shared ownership – to reduce risk and benefit from scale.

·       Consider off-farm incomes as a way to diversify and supplement the business finances. 

·       Think of food production and environmental demands as being inextricably linked, not in competition with each other.

·       Positivity, adaptability and resilience are the important attributes for future success – it’s about the type of farmer not the type of farm.

Guests’ top tip

Attitude and skills will be the most important predictors of success. 

Listen to the full episode below - also available via Spotify and Apple podcasts.

About our guests

Helen Browning farms in a family partnership in Wiltshire, selling products through Helen Browning’s Organics. She has been Chief Executive of the Soil Association since 2011 and has held many positions in agri-politics. She was awarded an OBE in 1998 for her services to organic farming.

Jake Freestone has been farm manager for Overbury Farms in Gloucestershire since 2003. He completed a Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2013, since when he’s changed Overbury to a regenerative farming system. He was named Soil Farmer of the Year in 2020 and the following year became Farmers Weekly Environmental Champion and BFA Arable Innovator of the Year.