You may have started your farm off as a small hobby that you wanted to try out for a bit of fun and now realise you actually enjoy it and would like to expand, however there are certain things you need to do and purchase before you can look to create that expansion.

• Have You Got The Space – Remember expanding your farm means you need to have adequate space to house the additional animals and the land to be able to grow your crops. If you haven’t got this space you may need to think about moving to a place with more space or hiring out some extra land.

• Housing Your Animals – Whether you are looking to purchase more cows, sheep or other cattle, or your existing animals have simply reproduced, you need to ensure you have enough housing space for them. Constructing an agricultural build is extremely important, especially as the winter months approach. Experienced farmers are learning from past winters and are now constructing larger agricultural buildings to protect their cattle during the colder months.

• Equipment – If you only had one or two cows previously you may have simply miked them by hand. However, if you are looking to increase the amount of cows you own, you may want to invest in an automatic milking machine as it will otherwise be extremely time consuming. Similarly you may need larger or more equipment to help with the running of the farm on a day to day basis.

• A Helping Hand – Running a farm on your own can be hard work so you may need to employ someone to help you out. Remember everything needs to be done to a schedule in a farm and with the extra additions, your working time is going to be twice as long, so a helping hand can give you a bit of support when you need it.

• Have Enough Feed – Making sure you have sufficient feed for all of your animals is essential; it is the most important thing to ensure they are healthy and have the nutrients they need. Remember, whether you are looking to breed your animals for milking or for meat, they need to be well looked after and fed for the best results and to ensure you get your money’s worth.

• Try New Things – Now that you have the space and a bit more experience you may want to try your hand at a few other things, whether you want to try a chicken coup, another type of crop or a different type of cattle. Remember, it may turn out to be something you like doing and realise there is a potential market for it in your area. You should do some research and ask around at things like farmers markets and try something that the locals are looking for if there is a gap in the market.

Now that you know what to do when expanding your farm you better get a move on before winter approaches, as any expansion work will be much more difficult.

This post was written by Ekta Mair, who after starting out farming as a hobby has realised she actually enjoys it. She recommends agricultural buildings from Leominster Construction for all of you agricultural construction needs.