Farm Diversification: What can you offer?

Guest Writer: Aaron Metcalfe from Lune Valley Pods

Camping or Glamping?

If you have space, providing land for campers is a straightforward and fuss-free way to diversify. For added value and the chance to charge more, think about providing basic facilities such as shower blocks, electricity and drinking water.

If your objective is for long term viability, glamping offers the chance to charge significantly more. Nevertheless, it would mean up-scaling the facilities provided, which means greater expenditure. Sign up for one of our Feasibility Studies where you will receive a very comprehensive report with a full section outlining Return on Investment (ROI) detailing how long it will take for you to recover the outlay costs including not only your accommodation, but also planning and construction costs.

Our Feasibility Studies are in excess of 20 pages and cover many areas to help you make the right choice for your business.

To ensure you stay the right side of your local authority, make sure you check planning permission and whether you need a licence to run your campsite. This can all be undertaken with assistance from our Feasibility Consultant if required.

If you diversify your farm into a broader rural enterprise you're likely to grasp a range of benefits which you don't often find in a traditional farm.

Some of the main benefits of diversifying your farm business include:

Increased revenue - by taking on new activities you and your family are likely to enjoy an increased farm income and a better quality of life.

Adaptability - branching out encourages you to be willing to change and look out for other opportunities. By adding a new activity you will learn what works for you and your farm and be better able to make further changes in the future and respond to new opportunities as they arise

Security - by moving into new activities farms can provide you and your family members with a long-term future and greater stability. By branching out you will increase the number of sources of revenue for your farm ensuring that you are less susceptible to any one income source letting you down

Tradition - diversifying can provide you and your family with a means of carrying on your farming tradition. While the focus of diversifying may be on increasing income and securing a future it can provide the means of subsidising and continuing the traditional activities that are valued and enjoyed

Develop new skills - running a new venture will provide the opportunity to increase your skills and expand your network of business contacts. From management to marketing and finance to customer service diversifying will develop your business flair

Did you know you may be able to apply for a Farm Diversification Grant

The farm diversification grant programme has been set up to enable farming businesses to diversify into non-farming activities.

It aims to help farmers support the underlying farm business by bringing in supplementary income in addition to that from traditional farming pursuits.

This may be by putting under used resources to better use, for example old farm buildings, or it may be by being able to meet a local demand for a product or service that is not currently being met.

Grants are available for between £5,000 and £100,000. 60% match funding required.

Again, our Feasibility Consultant can help with researching if your farm meets the criteria to apply for a Farm Diversification Grant.

 Glamping…In a nutshell

Glamping is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, and for very good reasons. It offers all the fun and excitement of camping without any of the hassle – no tent to fight with on arrival at a wet campsite, warmth, comfy beds, and hot showers within your own accommodation making shared on-site facilities a thing of the past. Besides delivering these luxuries to your customers, it can be a great way to make some extra cash from unused land.

Our family business, having produced timber buildings since 2003, saw a gap in the market for what we once called a ‘wooden tent’. Glamping is basically camping, but with all the luxuries. We understand the Glamping market as one of the specialists in meeting individual needs. All pods can be individually customised to whatever you wish!

Did you know, it's also now one of the most popular holiday options in the UK, thanks to its growing popularity with celebrities and influencers, with the global glamping market expected to grow 10.4% year on year! The Covid pandemic has only helped strengthen the appeal with many choosing to stay in the UK and seeking that little bit of luxury at an affordable price.

Glamping has increased dramatically over the past few years, with many glamping businesses citing record-breaking profits just last year alone. So, what are you waiting for - don't miss out on the opportunity that many have already taken.

 Summarised…

There are plenty of benefits that come with adding a glamping site to your land. It's the perfect way to generate some additional income. If you're not using your land for anything else, why not put it to good use and start bringing in some extra cash?

With the right marketing, it’s also a great way to attract new visitors. Those that we have supported on their diversification have never looked back with many already adding to or looking to add extra pods to their sites with many realising a full return on investment within just 18 months.

Looking at the long term and future generations it's equally important to understand that if you're ever looking to sell, a glamping site is sure to increase the value of your land.

There are several options you can look at for your spare land including Yurts, Tipis, Cabins, Pods, Domes, and Tree Houses. Here at Lune Valley Pods, we specialise in the luxury Glamping Pod offering and each pod can be created bespoke to your personal specification which is often the case with our customers. We aim to create unique, memorable and luxury homes for your guests.

Our first prototype from 2003 is still standing and is a very small version of what we now produce. What we have learnt, is that whilst we have a bank of design templates, each customer requirement is a little different, so all our pods can be adapted whilst continuing to be designed around the iconic arch and its different dimensions.

Check out Lune Valley Pods now to add value to your land!