Amy Pigott Farming is one of the most labour intensive, resource heavy pursuits in the whole world. Since the moment we first put down fence posts and grew crops inside, people have had to work night and day to keep the harvest healthy. And in the UK right now, farmers are feeling the squeeze more than ever before. The face of agriculture has changed time and time again over the past 30 years, and the profit that can be made from organic products has fluctuated wildly. But if you want to become a farmer more than anything else, does this mean that now would be a very bad time to follow your business dreams?
Profit is Picking Up
The UK’s farming sector saw a record low in profits during the pandemic. But from 2022 onwards, and well into 2024 as we see it, the average farm made over £95,000 in profit. This is an indication of the sector stabilising, and the more we pay into this, the easier these profits will be to generate. Even a new farming business has a chance to get a cut.
Farming Doesn’t Require as Much Space
In the olden days, the more space a farm had, the better. In 2024, you no longer need such intensive farming area. You can make use of methods like vertical farming to keep your acreage to a minimum, make good use of water, and to prevent wastage across arable land that’s becoming harder and harder to farm properly.
If you don’t need as much space, you don’t need as much startup money, and you certainly won’t need as much time to till your fields and get the seeds sown. It’s only if and when you want to introduce livestock to your efforts that you’ll have to think about this again.
Reputation is Everything
This is never not going to be true, so it shouldn’t determine whether or not you put your plans into action now or later. However, it should cause you to consider if you’ve currently got what it takes to enter the agricultural scene and become part of the modern farming network.
Farming standards are stricter than ever, and whilst that’s not a bad thing, it can be a hard adaptation for new farmers getting used to operating in the UK market. There’s a lot of community outreach to be done, and it’s best to strike deals with supermarkets to become a trusted supplier.
But on the other side of this, the more produce expected from you, the harder it’s going to be to produce all year round. Bad harvests are more likely due to climate change and you’re going to need as many workers in the fields as possible, which is just another expense that counts toward your reputation.
If you want to run your own farm, and you’ve got all the necessary resources and at least some land to make use of, now could be the perfect time to get started.
