The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: crimson on September 07, 2014, 09:44:37 pm
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From farming, feel free to not answer, but im curious at to what other people make. I know alot of people barely break even.
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Well I don't think we come close to even breaking even but I don't count to make that easier to bear!
We don't sell more than the odd bit so we can't look at pure profit so to speak but if I add up what it would have cost to buy the produce we grow or raise: the geese and ducks cost us a bit, the pigs make a bit of a profit, the goats make a profit compared to buying that much milk from the supermarket but would never buy 5-6 litres of goat milk a day and they eat for Britain! The sheep are cheaper than an electric lawnmower and produce lamb and wool so I think are probably neutral. The veg patch wins hands down for profit (and would do better if I could stop the OH buying what we have growing in the greenhouse!). We are getting better though.
The reality is that we don't do this to make a profit (which is a good thing!) but to try and live and eat a bit better and kinder.
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This year I've made around £400 a month in wages from our small community farm.
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This year I've made around £400 a month in wages from our small community farm.
how does that work with a community farm? do you get a managers wage or sell the meat onto the public? ???
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We have between 15-20 members who pay a monthly subscription and get veg boxes, pork, lamb, christmas bird, eggs, honey etc. in return. On top of that we do a number of other 'sidelines' selling half pigs, christmas birds, excess produce and doing hatching in schools. I also do a few paid talks a year and other bits and bobs to bring in money.
The members agree to work at the farm two days a month (in summer, one a month in winter) and I run the rest of it, all the daily animal feeding and sorting out supplies etc. for which I have started to get paid regularly just this year (our fourth full year at the farm). We've also just taken on our first 'farm hand' who does a few animal feed rounds and a bit of milking each week - now my wife has gone back to work I have a farm, another part time job and three kids under six to fit in and it was getting a bit hectic!
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim: Profit?
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Are you sure HMRC doesn't read TAS????
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Are you sure HMRC doesn't read TAS? ???
Eh?
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Are you sure HMRC doesn't read TAS????
If they do I don't think it will stretch their coffers much !! :roflanim:
Profit .....hmmmmm.... still trying to persuade OH that we could break even ONE DAY!
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thats really interesting Benkt. thanks for sharing.
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No problem!
I think it helps enormously to hear that it can be done. Before we started (and since) I've met many smallholders/small farmers who manage to find a niche and make a living from it and think the standard motto of "its not possible so don't bother even trying" can be a bit dispiriting to those thinking of starting down this path. Having said that, we did pour a lot (for us) of money into the place over the first few years so even at current rate of progress it will still be a few more years until till we 'break even' on paper. Although by then we'll have a functioning smallholding to show for it which must be worth more than the ramshackle mess we started with ;)