Opportunity amid the gloom
With Brexit, climate change and now Covid-19, the industry is facing undoubted change, but what does the future of the traditional family farm look like?
Many West Midlands farms are small to medium sized farm businesses, sole traders or family farming partnerships operating mixed livestock and arable enterprises over just a few hundred acres.
Farm subsidies are being phased out from 2021 and 80 per cent of farm businesses are reported to be facing profit losses as a result of the recent pandemic. But it’s not all doom and gloom, there are opportunities on the horizon for those willing to focus on the positives and embrace change.
Public Money for Public Goods could soon see farmers realising value from natural capital, be it to alleviate flooding, provide carbon sequestration, or a ‘Natural Health Service’ for mental and physical wellbeing.
While diversification is considered crucial to small farms’ survival, top of the to-do list should always be to assess the efficiency of existing operations as controlling costs can make a big difference to profitability and could be a much easier fix than trying to establish a whole new enterprise or diversification project in an effort to boost income.
We’re helping small farms adapt to a changing landscape, after all, our countryside wouldn’t look the same without them.
Melanie Holt, Moule & Co
