According to government figures, 62% of farmers are having to diversify alongside running a traditional farm in order to make a living. Changes to subsidies, the unknown ripple effect of Brexit and animals being struck by disease are all key reasons that farmers are having to think laterally to survive. Farm diversification, where a land owner turns to other forms of income outside of traditional farming practices, is becoming increasingly common. According the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Farm Business Survey 2017/18, total income from diversified activities in 2017/18 was £680 million, an 8 percent increase from 2016/17. Across all farms, income from diversified enterprises accounted for 22 percent of total Farm Business Income in 2017/18 (£3,090 million) although there were wide variations between farms. There are regional variations in many farms’ diversification, with farmers in the south-east taking advantage of the need for office space in the region, while the south-west is more of a tourist hotspot- providing ‘glamping’ and ‘family farm parks’ to house and entertain visitors to the region.

Opportunities

The opportunities to entertain are far and wide. Locally in our region, we have farms which have become gin distilleries- where visitors can choose their own botanicals to distil their own unique spirits, farms where you can make cheese, smoke fish, go on an alpaca walk and even stay for the week in a Mongolian Yurt. Some of the diversification ventures have become so successful they have completely replaced the traditional farming activities.

At Armourgeddon, however, our decision to diversify some 15 years ago, remains a business in harmony with it’s original traditional livestock roots. Today, we are firing up a Sexton tank which has been in the process of restoration for around two-years, whilst we move sheep about to lamb from one field to another. Cows use the FV432s (when not in use of course) as wind breaks from the elements and wonder comfortably between the tanks in their resting positions. The phone rings as a deposit is taken for a corporate booking in May for a group to come to Armourgeddon for outdoor adventure like Tank Paintball Battle and quad biking safari whilst the radio calls for a member of the team to pop out and help move a number of sheep between fields. The businesses work in complete harmony and the team who work on the farm are certainly keen and able multi-taskers when there aren’t any groups of visitors to be looked after!

Farm diversification is widely regarded as an opportunity to offer scope for improving economic viability of many farm businesses. The knock-on effect, of course, involve benefits for the wider rural community, for example through offering, providing and encouraging new and different job opportunities.

Renewables

Referring to the DEFRA’s latest business survey results, the main diversification activities continue to be the letting of buildings for non-agricultural uses, generation of solar energy and other sources of renewable energy. For 23% of the businesses surveyed, the diversification income outweighed the traditional farming income.

When the farmers of Southfield Farm decided to diversify from livestock into tanks and to create a unique offering for visitors to undertake a tank paintball battle, shooting cannons loaded with paintballs at their opponents, their offering was pretty unique! Armourgeddon houses a museum and collection amassing to over 70 tanks and military vehicles, interactive exhibits. There are opportunities to drive a number of tanks and unusual vehicles, including a military aircraft recovery vehicle and a Bedford truck, as well as the only place, worldwide to enter into a tank paintball battle. the farm diversification at Southfields Farm is certainly one of the more unusual solutions to increased competition, slashed subsidies and the omnipresent pressure from the UK supermarkets for lower commodity prices!

If you wish to visit the museum at Armourgeddon, it is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9am – 4pm from April through to October. To book a Tank Paintball Battle, Tank Driving Experience or Adult and Child Tank Driving activity, you can order online or call the office on 01858 880 239. Come and visit to see farm diversification at its most extreme!