Have farm land to spare? Here’s 4 ways to use it

Wales is blessed with beautiful scenery that lends itself perfectly to farming, however if you need to diversify to boost your income, here’s four things you can try:

1. An Indoor/Outdoor Farm Café

If you love to entertain, why not take that a stage further with a farm café? As well as giving you a place to sell your produce straight to the public, you can engage them in a new way while bringing in an extra source of income.  Even an indoor shop selling home-made ice cream and coffee would be a start, but if you have the space, an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven makes for a particularly popular attraction. With an outdoor kitchen, your guests can enjoy summer evenings cooking and dining al fresco.

If you don’t have a budget or outbuildings to convert, why not think about creating cosy outdoor spaces, such as a cozy seating area with a fire pit or outdoor fireplace. Add some string lights, and you have the perfect spot for entertaining guests at night.

You will however need to ensure that your leaseholder is happy, along with the local authority, and you will also need to have inspections from your council’s environmental health team to comply with public health obligations.

2. Farm Trails with Wildlife Blinds

Creating trails through your land can be a good way to attract walkers or ramblers – who will then spend money in your new café!  Whether you’re a keen bird watcher or a nature photographer, wildlife blinds are a great way to get up close and personal with the local wildlife. These structures can be made from various materials, including wood, metal, and even recycled shipping containers. You can purchase pre-made or build your own Wildlife Blinds For Hunting And Photography of the amazing birds and wild creatures that live on your farm. With a little bit of planning, you can place these structures in strategic locations to maximize your visitor’s chances of getting that perfect shot.  You can even offer ‘almost’’ wild camping with no facilities for a small nightly fee for those who want to take pictures overnight.

3. Renting out Pasture Land

If you buy a property on an old farm and find yourself with good quality pasture land to spare, and aren’t looking to farm or utilise it yourself, it may be worth speaking to your local farming community.  Often landowners buy a property for the view and don’t use all the acreage that comes with it – and having a fallow field won’t deliver any benefits for you.

Good pasture land is always in demand – and whether you do a deal with a farmer to swap the use of your field for the occasional joint of meat (or whole lamb!) or you charge actual rent, you can both benefit from the arrangement

4. A Solar or Wind Farm

If you own a suitably sized plot of land you could potentially rent your space to a wind or solar development company.  For large scale wind turbine installations (5MW plus) your land should be capable of holding 2-20 turbines.

Much of the hilly land in Wales is perfect for wind turbines or solar panels, and often these don’t prevent farmers from keeping farm animals in the fields.  This use of previously unused land can be quite lucrative if the land conditions are right. However, at the very least, why not look at installing your own wind turbines or solar panels to generate your own electricity?  With energy costs rising, and suitable land, it’s a no-brainer for many farmers in Wales.

Every inch of your land should work for you, whether that’s enhancing your business and lifestyle or enhancing your view.

Hopefully these ideas have given you a good place to start!