[shankendfarming]

Hi,

My name is Kate, I am 28 years old and I run my own 60-acre small holding, called Shankend Part, in the Scottish Borders. I got the tenancy for my small holding at the end of 2010. (Since October last year I also rent an additional 30 acres on an annual let on a small holding 5 miles away from Shankend). On the ground that I have I run a small fold of Highland cattle and a flock of 115 breeding ewes and I have a selection of lambs and tups running about the place as well.
I am currently trying to make my small holding pay for itself as I no longer have a full time job. Last November the farmer I was working for full time retired and when he went so did the job. But onwards and upwards and hopefully my small holding will can pay for itself..soon!!! I am currently selling fleeces to hand spinners and I am hoping to sell meat/carcases from my Hebridean and Shetland sheep once this years lambs are big enough to eat!!

Cheers
Kate

[Hamish Crofter]

Hi and welcome from the isle of skye. I'm planning on having highland cattle and Hebridean sheep on our new croft next year so I'll be looking for some advice!

[Rosemary]

Hello and welcome from  Carnoustie 

[Lesley Silvester]

  and welcome from Shropshire. Good luck with your plans.

[lachlanandmarcus]

hi Kate, welcome to TAS!


Great to hear about the smallholding, we have Shetlands on some of our 40 acres, they are great sheep!   


Welcome

[Spinningfishwife]

Hi Kate! Nice to see you here! 

[JulieWall]

Hello Kate, just wanted to wish you luck with your venture. Sounds like a lot of work for a single lady.

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

A big hello from the North Pennines! 


good luck with all your plans   

[goosepimple]

   Hi Kate, you got here!  No doubt be seeing you at some point in 2014 

[shankendfarming]

Thanks for all the welcomes and for wishing me luck with my venture.

Its all a learning curve at the minute. Ive gone from working on a farm and studying at college to trying to run my own little enterprise. I love what I do, and hopefully that will help make my business a success

Will be good to chat with like-minded people and hear about their experiences and how they have over come any problems, as I presume there will be alot of people on here that have been farming/"small-holding" for a longer period of time than me.

Look forward to chatting with folk on here 

[lilfeeb]

Hello from Kinross-shire  and good luck with your smallholding

[shygirl]

welcome, from aberdeenshire.
if you are serious about making the farm pay, get a really good business plan going if you dont have subsidies, and find something you can sell at a premium. many of us on here dont break even!!
 

[shankendfarming]

Hi,

Ive got the base of a business plan which Im working on with the help of Business Gateway and the Princes's Trust. Its coming together and I am trying to get to the stage where I can market the premium products offered by the breeds that I have. It seems like its never going to come together, but I am only just starting and there are so many things to think about and to sort out, but I really love what I do, so it makes all the work Im putting in just now worth it

Will keep working on my business plan :-) Thanks for the tip

Cheers

[aess35]

Good luck! You seem to have a sensible head and enthusiasm for what you're doing which is a good start.  It is so difficult to make this way of living pay, I'd advise looking at as many ways of making money as possible so you cover all bases when things peak and trough.   

[bigchicken]

A big welcome from Fifes bigchicken all the best on your adventure