Casting the net wide

One of the agricultural sector’s biggest dilemmas is how to make the best use of land. It’s a resource that many landowners have in abundance, but making the most use of it to maximise returns and acreage is perhaps the most important decision facing them today.

As diversification becomes more commonplace in farming and agriculture, we’re seeing both land and property being developed in usual ways. Thinking beyond convention and being imaginative have both led to land becoming more profitable than ever before. When farmers talk of yield these days, it might mean anything from crops produced (via conventional crop farming) to energy generated (as a result of the installation of solar panels).

Diversification

Diversification can be beneficial both financially and in terms of personal fulfilment and satisfaction. New avenues can lead to new revenue streams and the farming sector is open to all kinds of profitable excursions, such as biomass generation and the installation of power-generating wind turbines. One imaginative and perhaps unexpected way farmers have diversified is by moving into the fishing sector. Fish farms and the rearing and sale of seafood have become a lucrative side-line – or even primary income – for farmers broadening their horizons. Fish farming is one of the principal forms of aquaculture. It’s particularly useful if you are a farmer with coastal access, but there are several land-based, freshwater options. You could also look at fish farms if you have acreage which is waterlogged land or land with a ready water source (i.e. a lake) or river/stream running through it. With oceanic fish stocks depleting, fish farms have become a way to breed fish for consumption – some of the most commonly farmed fish in the UK are salmon and trout.

Gone fishing

If you have the land area and the resources to look at this option, fish farming is a great example of farmers casting their nets wider than traditional farming activities and landing a reward that can make all the difference to the farm’s productivity and profit. If you’d like to know more about looking at farming diversification, then contact our team of consultants today.

Charles Lawson, Director