Farm tenancies, which prevailed in Ayrshire until owner occupier status became the norm, can lead to complications as in both cases the farm usually would pass to one son (or daughter). A farmer may have had to wait until later in life before marrying, when he had begun to prosper. When several sons are born, only one of them can take up the tenancy of the father’s farm, so the rest of them had to seek employment elsewhere, or procure another farm. The fathers tended to hold on to their farms long after normal retirement age, which meant that the sons would hold a subordinate role on the farm, and may not be in a position to marry and have their own children, and so the cycle of farming as a profession continued.
Diversification is not a new thing for farmers. Spare sons often took up employment affiliated to farming, such as;
Butchers
Hauliers (or carters)
Agricultural contractors
Agricultural salespeople
Auctioneers
Millers
Grain merchants
Blacksmithing, and mechanical engineering and maintenance
Golf course ownership
Real estate
Quarryman
And there were those who combined their chosen employment with farming the land when they came back into farming at the death of their farmer father, or were wealthy enough to start up their own longed for farming enterprise.
These can be from any walk of life and include;
Doctor - Dr Thomas Hunter (1801-1870) and his son also Thomas of East Polquhirter, New Cumnock
Lawyer - David Limond Esq. of Glencairn
Teacher
Politician
Initial training and experience growing up on a farm can be a stimulus for exploring a wide range of skills. The traditional view was that a natural farmer is interested in “coos, or tractors” but this is a simplification. It requires a willingness to improve the quality of land, productivity and animal welfare, and also to embrace the technical initiatives that can lead to success. Business acumen is also vital, as can be seen where farmers have used their own assets to expand their profitability. Examples are;
doorstep selling of milk
Supply of milk and cheese to local markets
Bed and breakfast
Farm shops
Caravan parks and campsites
Etc
As the profit margins in farming wax and wane, these subsidiary businesses can prop up the central core in leaner times thus preserving the landscape and way of life on the land that we see today.
Any farmer will tell you it takes luck, hard work, and stickability and you will hear those stories first hand in our audio files.
