Hannah Webber (Chippenham)

On the annual Farm Consultancy Group Summer Tour, our consultants had the opportunity to visit Metcalfe Farms, which is a family-run business based in Yorkshire.  Metcalfe Farms was started in 1940 with an 18-cow dairy herd on 120 acres.  Over the years the farm has been passed down through the Metcalfe family and now the business is run by three brothers.  Since the farm was established the Metcalfe family have continued to develop the dairy and now the family are farming 3000 acres with a 1300 cow dairy herd.

Since the business was founded, the Metcalfe family have diversified the farm business into four different business enterprises.  To run alongside the dairy and arable land which the family farm, they have set up an agricultural contacting business which covers everything from forage and arable harvesting to hedge cutting.  The Metcalfe family set up a haulage company which specializes in transporting heavy and abnormal loads across Europe.  The family has also diversified by setting up a limestone quarry and building commercial business storage facilities.

Diversification is becoming a critical part of a successful farm business, with the inconsistency in monthly cash flow in a typical farm business many farmers have chosen to diversify their farms to ensure more consistent cash flow throughout the year.  Metcalfe Farms is a great example of how a farm has maximised different forms of diversification.

To discuss alternative rural enterprises, and how they could fit into or replace parts of your existing business, please contact Hannah Webber at hannahwebber@fcgagric.com or your local FCG Office.