Farm Diversification / Rural Business Start up Opportunities
Below is a list of 159 areas where opportunities may exist for farmers to generate supplementary income
Key factors to consider include:
- Is there a demand/market?
- Will it be profitable?
- Capital required
- Cash flow
- Labour
- Existing skills, qualifications, training, experience
- Likes / dislikes
Many options will require additional training.
Animals
- Organic beef, lamb, milk
- Goats Dairy, Angora, Cashmere
- Dairy sheep
- Angora rabbits, rabbits for meat
- Deer
- Ostriches
- Camelids (Lhama, Alpacha fibre)
- Free range eggs
- Free range poultry
- Ducks (eggs and table)
- Geese
- Quail
- Guinea fowl
- Snail farming
- Worm farming
- Pedigree breeding of cattle sheep and other farm animals
- Rare breeds
- Cattle livery
- Butterflies
Crops / horticulture
- Organic vegetables
- Organic fruit
- Specialised vegetable growing (in tunnels)
- Specialised fruit growing (out of season)
- Wild fruits
- Mushrooms
- Wild flower seeds
- Flowers bulbs & stems
- Herbs
- Dried flowers
- Crops for biofuel eg. rape seed for biodiesel, cereals or beet for ethanol
- Biomass crops for electricity or heat generation
- Crops for industrial uses
- Cut foliage
- Straw for thatching
- Hard nursery stock
- Turfgrass sod production
- Garden centre
Horses
- Horse livery services
- Blacksmith / farrier
- Horse riding
- Pony trekking
- Cross country courses
- Sport horse production
Fish / Marine
- Fish farming
- Shellfish
- Live bait maggots for angling
- Seaweed, Carrageen moss, dulse
- Smoked fish
Dogs/Cats/Pets
- Dog breeding
- Dog kennels
- Greyhounds
- Sheepdog training
- Cattery
- Breeding pets eg. rabbits, hamsters etc.
Food
- Honey
- Cheese, yoghurts, ice cream, chocolates etc
- Home made bread, cakes, traditional recipes
- Speciality food e.g. gluten free bread
- Drinks fruit drinks, milk shakes etc
- Preserves, jams
- Spring water
- Christmas hampers
Forestry
- Commercial forestry
- Christmas trees
- Planting, maintenance, harvesting
- Woodland clearing / management
- Fencing
- Saw doctor
- Ash for hurleys
Food providing a service
- Farmers markets
- Farm shop
- Caterer
- Food distribution
Environment / Energy
- Stone wall building / maintenance
- Hedgerow maintenance - planting, laying, coppicing, trimming, cutting
- Recycling
- Composting
- Wind Farm
- Small scale hydroelectricity generation
- Biomass
Gardening
- Laying new lawns, landscaping
- Mowing lawns, garden maintenance
- Paving, patios, paths
- Installing garden decking
- Erecting fences, railings, gates
- Stone wall building
- Mulch making
- Hedge cutting / removal
Tourism / Sport
- B&B
- Self catering
- Camping
- Health Farms
- Fishing
- Shooting / production of game
- Clay pigeon shooting
- Hill walking
- Educational e.g. Nature trails, guided tours of local flora and fauna, archaeological / historical sites
- Heritage / language centres
- Open farms
- Adventure sports e.g. Rallying, ATVs, Paintball
- Speciality holidays e.g. Working on the bog?
- Traditional skills shearing, turf cutting
- Cycling
- Boating
- Golf / pitch & putt /driving range
- Coffee shop / restaurant
Arts / Crafts
- Wood
- Metalwork
- Pottery
- Glass
- Souvenirs
- Painting
- Sculpture
- Music
- Candles
- Photography
- Wool, Crochet, Lace
- Dried flowers
- Floristry
- Greeting cards
- Wreaths Christmas, holly etc.
Farm relief type work
- Milking
- Feeding cattle
- Small scale agricultural contracting specialising in one / two particular services e.g. hedge cutting, reseeding, emptying septic tanks, ATV work
- Sheep shearing
- Hoof paring
- Fencing
- REPS contract work
- Farm work on stud farms
- Maintaining hobby farms
Transport / Driving
- Taxi driver especially in remote rural areas
- School bus driver
- Digger operator for local contractor
- Fork lift, lorry, tractor, machine driver/operator for local factory
- Small-scale haulage cattle, straw, hay, gravel, stone, topsoil etc.
- Delivery van
- Limousine service
- Furniture / house removal service
Manufacturing / Sales
- Light engineering e.g. Gates, trailers, fences, cubicles
- Carpentry e.g. Garden furniture
- Franchising ideas
- Agricultural spares
- Fishing tackle retail
Building construction & maintenance
- Labourer
- Specialise in particular area e.g. Restoration, thatching, old style rendering, pebble dashing, stonework
- Painting & decorating
- General maintenance basic carpentry, plumbing etc.
- Welding
- Antique furniture restoration
- Agricultural and Construction machinery repairs
Leasing
- Renting / leasing farm building to other farmers
- Letting or leasing buildings etc. for offices, small businesses, commercial storage
- Letting or leasing small areas of land for purposes other than farming e.g. Communications mast, advertising bill board
Caring / Education
- Child care playschool, crθche, minding children for period after school etc.
- Care of disabled or those with special needs
- Care of the elderly
- Teachers assistant
- Grinds
Other possible services
- Beauty therapy
- Hairdressing
- Alternative therapies e.g. reflexology, aromatherapy, massage etc.
- Dressmaking, alterations, curtains etc.
- Knitting
- Secretarial / computer based work
- Bookkeeping
- Car valeting
- Contract cleaning
- Power washing
- Sand blasting
- Quarry stone products
- Driving instructor
- Auctioneering
- Security
- Skip hire
