Finding opportunities to draw greater value out of something that is already abundant has guided the development of Andy Rumming’s farm business.
This was the focus of a RASE Farm of the Future farm walk, hosted on Andy’s farm earlier this year, during which attendees discussed the merits of rainwater harvesting, the running of a biomass boiler and efficient herd management.
About Andy’s farm
Situated in Wiltshire, Waterhay Farm rears and sells Pasture for Life certified beef directly to customers.
Andy collaborates with his brother, with suckler cows, calves and bulls kept at Waterhay Farm, but youngstock moving to his brother’s farm for growing and finishing at around 20 to 26 months. Land is managed to support both food production and nature, while Andy has turned to diversification for adding value and finding efficiencies in his production system.
Choosing the diversification
Many farms are considering diversification to remain financially viable, which can often involve adding something completely new, and non agriculturally related, to the farm, such as glamping or more recently padel courts. While these can work excellently and bring a wider audience onto the farm, they are not for every farmer.
Andy showed that by looking a bit deeper into what you already have on farm, and finding market opportunities for that, resources can be used much more efficiently, and a much greater value can be attached to a product that you already have.
The main example of this at Waterhay is Andy’s leather. Andy has found that, when marketed right, he can make more money out of the hide of the animal than the meat - which he also sells direct. He runs trainer making workshops on the farm and is making belts to sell. This adds to the income from selling the meat through his farm shop, which enables a higher price to be gained from each carcass, and Andy can tailor the products he sells to keep customers coming back. All of his upcoming events and products are advertised through his website.
Using natural resources
Beyond the products being sold, Andy is also making the most of the natural resources available on farm. He has installed 800,000L rainwater storage capacity which will cover around half of the farm’s requirements. It was 60% funded by capital grants, and enables the farm to have some more autonomy and control over its own water supplies.
The farm is prone to flooding, therefore by capturing some rainwater, even if it is just a fraction, it means that Andy can store and make the most of the water to use it at a time of year when he needs it more. Despite the upfront cost, with models suggesting 2026 won’t be the last summer of its kind, and heavier rainfall resulting in flooding could become much more common in winter. Rainwater harvesting allows the most to be made from the otherwise free natural resource.
Andy also runs a biomass boiler using wood from managing the trees on farm. A 60kw boiler was installed in 2019 to replace oil heating. It produces around 40,000 kWh of energy a year, which in oil would cost around £2,300. During the walk there was a discussion over the real cost of ‘free’ timber from the farm, especially when the timber is a low energy wood such as willow, and whether it would be more cost effective to buy in a heavier wood that would burn better and cover that cost by selling the willow to other markets.
While the economic case will vary between farm, the boiler again showed the benefits in both security and cost savings compared to buying in fuel. Many farms have trees and hedgerows to manage which produce timber that could be processed and used on farm, either for energy production or something else.
Andy showed that by thinking about what you already have in a farm system, including the natural resources such as water, and using them more efficiently and creatively, not only can costs be saved, but additional income streams can be found. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for the industry, but by making the most of what is readily available, new opportunities can arise.
