Making money from farms

To deal with my countryside cravings, the family and I spent a couple of days on a sheep and cattle farm in Dorset last week - Cardsmill Farm near Lyme Regis.

I doubt the nice family  that own it are making big bucks from the day job - they sell their meat to Tesco - but they have a nice little earner in renting out most of the farmhouses and several other properties to holidaymakers. It was a lovely stay - but what they should be doing is organic farming with a shop.

There's a growing demand from urbanites and surburbanites such as myself for all things natural - (e.g. booming organic milk sales, home-delivery organic fruit & veg, etc).

So despite the reported doom and gloom for UK farmers - pressure on EU hand-outs and increasing competition from the dirt-cheap developing world - I believe there's a stunning opportunity for UK farmers to carve out a niche... organic farms, working farm holidays and genuine farm shops (i.e. selling their own wares not those jars of relabelled jams). 

If you fancy a slice of the action, This is Money's business finder can help...

Broomley's Children Farm, which I pointed out before is still available but I've got my eye on a chicken farm in Spain.

Happy farm shopping!

- Andrew Oxlade, This is Money Editor