Scottish Enterprise Agritourism Monitor Farm

Scottish Enterprise Agritourism Monitor Farm

Peel Farm Fact Sheet – Meeting 1 – 20th May 2014
Ownership –

The business is owned by the Fleming Family. There are five partners in the farming business – Claire Fleming (age 34) and Hugh Fleming (age 29) along with father Charles (age 59) and his parents, (Charles Fleming age 86 and Mary Fleming age 83). Claire and Hugh’s mum Frances has been instrumental in developing Peel Farm, as a visitor attraction, but retired in December 2013. Claire and Hugh have a sister, Hannah, who works in London and is not involved in the family business.
The farm shop and farm retail element of the business has been rented out to Kim Gall for the past three years. Kim will form an integral part of the monitor farm project and Kim, as well as the Fleming family are keen to have feedback from those attending meetings to help with the growth of all elements of the farm and diversified farm businesses.

Business Structure –

The business consists of the farming enterprise at two farming units, one is located at Peel Farm and the other at Strone Farm, Memus, around twenty-five minutes drive away.
The farm at Peel is 150 acres of upland temporary grass, spring barley and spring oats, some fields rented out for peas and sometimes potatoes. The partnership also own about 100 acres behind the village of Lintrathen with a 3 year rotation similar to the Peel.
The farm at Memus, The Strone, is made up of 350 acres of permanent and temporary grass and some cereal crops. Crops produced are barley for feed and malting, oats for milling and feed and silage for feed.
The farm has 200 breeding cows producing cattle sold store at Forfar Market. The farm has 480 breeding ewes producing lambs which are sold fat at Stirling Market. The business also sells its own beef, lamb and pork through the farm shop. The beef is Highland Beef and the pork is rare breed pork. The meat which is sold via the farm shop is taken to the abattoir in Dunblane then butchered by the Seriously Good Butchery Company (previously Highland Drovers) in Perth, before being transported back to Peel for sale. The diversified business has a separate profit and loss account but is run within the same accounts and same partnership as the farm.

Farm Diversification Development –
1986 – The idea was born and there were 3 tables in the conservatory on the farmhouse. There were shared facilities ie. The kitchen and toilet. The dining room was used as an overflow.
1988 – The coffee shop was built as an extension to the house 25% of the cost was covered by a farm diversification grant.
1992 - In 1992 a farm trail was developed and a large number of school children in particular came to the farm to take part in a guided tour of the farm and an explanation about the farm animals.
2002 – In 2002 a £25,000 FBDS grant was secured which allowed the development of the Courtyard and the farmhouse at the Strone which was in need of renovation. It is now rented out with a short term tenancy.
2014 -Two new luxury self-catering units are about to be opened after converting a former byre with a 50% SRDP grant of £160K. One of the units will sleep 4 and one will sleep 8. They are not yet open.

Turnover –

Farm£283k

Courtyard£128k*

Courtyard breakdown –

Buy in and sell out directly£52k*

Farm produce (Claire)£32k*

Coffee Shop£69k

Workshop Area (new)£0

Production Uni (new)£0

The courtyard rents to 12 venders who pay £40 per month rent and 12.5% commission. There are also “visiting vendors” who pay 20% commission but no rent.

The food production area is new and will be hired out to food and drink businesses for a day/week etc. In addition Kim is going to use the area to produce own label preserves and gin. The workshop area has just been developed and will be hired out for meetings, for birthday parties and craft workshops.