A HEREFORDSHIRE farm has diversified again as it adds new vending machines to its income streams.

Eggs, cakes and pies are just some of the items farmer Sam Sayce has been selling from the new venture on the side of the A44 near Bromyard, adding to his offering on the Bredenbury farm.

Mr Sayce already sells free-range eggs to McDonald’s and has holiday lets, but the farm vending has been a bid to future-proof the business.

“We’re going OK, we’ve had good feedback,” Mr Sayce said, who installed the new shed with vending machines after people were stealing eggs and money from the previous roadside stall.

“People have reacted well to it and we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure the shed looks nice. People like it really, I think.”

Inspired during a recent visit to Japan where he saw a lot of vending machines, Mr Sayce said selling direct to customers meant he could offer them a fairer price, and get a fairer price himself.

“We have a diverse farm. We have our chickens, but we’ve invested a lot of money in renewable energy, we’ve got holiday accommodation on site and now we’re trying this. We’re just trying different things.

“It’s the enjoyment factor sometimes of trying something new.”

“It’s all about efficiency these days and you need to be efficient to survive.

“We’ve got a set-up now with 32,000 laying hens and we’re trying to run it efficiently, while making sure the hens have a good life. They’re free-range, we’ve got trees everywhere, so they have a good life as well.”

In its 2021 diversification report, rural insurers NFU Mutual said UK farmers have adapted to changing circumstances well.

Farm insurance specialist Chris Walsh said in an effort to boost incomes and make sure farms remained sustainable, farmers have turned to glamping, festivals, dog walking sites and selling their own produce.

“While not all farmers have moved beyond their core farming activities, for those that have, new income streams are helping them secure their business and add resilience during uncertain times, such as those we face today,” he said.

The report said that in April 2021, NFU Mutual asked 1,652 farmers across the UK about their diversification experiences and plans.

More than one third (37 per cent) said they – or a third party – were already using their land for non-farming activities.

“The extent to which these non-farming activities contribute towards total business turnover varies hugely,” the report said.

“But, on average, it contributes 16 per cent, up from 11 per cent in 2020.

“On the other hand, many farms have stuck to their core business. For those that haven’t diversified, it may be because they’ve decided traditional farming is the best use of their skills and land.

“Others said they had stuck to traditional farming because they felt they were too old to try something new.

“For some, it’s only a matter of time before they seek new revenue streams.

“Of those farms that haven’t yet diversified in our survey, 11 per cent say they’re likely to do so in the next five years.

Of farms which have already diversified, 34 per cent said they planned to diversify further.