It isn’t easy to secure the future of a traditional farm, and so the race is on for new ideas – including quad bike rides, speedboat adventures and natural burial sites
Farming has always been a gruelling job, with unsociable hours, physical exertion and the unpredictability of the climate to deal with. And, for a long time, British farmers have been struggling financially. According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the average income for English general cropping farmers decreased by 21% year-on-year in the period 2019-20. Were it not for generous EU subsidies, many would have gone out of business years ago.
Faced with these challenges, many farmers are diversifying into other, more profitable ventures – most commonly as B&Bs, wedding venues, solar farms or farm shops. We visited four who have taken more unusual routes.
