Farms 'would not survive' without diversification
BBCBranching out into other ventures on farmland has helped sites "survive", their owners say.
Shops, campsites and cafes have attracted visitors to South West farms, while others have created own social media accounts to highlight day-to-day life for them.
John Gibson and his family run West Middlewick Farm in Normansland, near Tiverton in Devon, which now has holiday accommodation, a farm shop and restaurant on the site.
He said without the diversification, the dairy farm "wouldn't have had a hope".
"We would not survive at all [without diversification]," John Gibson said.
He said the income meant they could pay for a new dairy centre, adding "any money we make goes into the dairy".
His wife Jo said the couple were "working all hours of the day" and decided they needed another income stream to support the farm and the future of their three children when they opened self-catering log cabins.
She said: "People just love to watch the farms come down after milking, they like to see the tractors working in the fields and all the harvest that goes on.
"Diversification is supporting the farm really.
"Farming is lovely, but we need the diversification as well."
Their daughter Catherine looks after the farm shop which stocks local produce and said people like buying the the farm's milk and meat.
She said: "They want something where they know it has been locally grown.
"They can see the animals in the field then they can trust in the food that they are eating."
The family said branching out had also provided a useful income stream as the very hot weather this summer has proved challenging.
John Gibson said: "It's quite difficult because we've had a month of dry weather and baking hot conditions.
"We have run out of grass and the cows are on full winter rations, silage and cake which is a bit unfortunate."
Dan Gibson, the family's son who works on the farm, said he had noticed the impact on crops too, saying the grain had been "pretty small".
"Crops are getting smaller, the sun's eating them up before we can get to harvest them, it's pretty different than the usual rushing to get it in before the rain comes," he said.
He added the corn had "come a lot earlier than usual" and farmers have been on their combine harvesters during the night "because of the sheer heat".
Dan Gibson added farmers are scrupulous about keeping machinery clean "because of the heat and the risk of fire spreading".
Shaun Ferkin has been farming for four years on Cornwall Council's 60-acre Grambler Farm near Redruth and features on 'The Bearded Farmers' TikTok account.
The farm is opening a campsite for tents and motorhomes over the summer holidays for the first time while the site's cafe will open daily during the break, instead of weekends only.
Livestock at the farm includes cows, hens and pigs with the produce sold through the farm shop and cafe.
Ferkin said this meant the business was not controlled by "what we get paid for an egg or a sausage".
"We make our own market," he said.
He said social media has helped "if you want to get your story out there", but added "you really have to out some thought into it".
"We're very interested in connecting people to the knowledge of where their food comes from," Ferkin said.
People enjoy seeing the animals on the farm, including peacock chicks, he added.
