Much has been written and broadcast on the so-called austerity Budget and the myriad of details plus the on-going implementations are still to be totally understood. During all of the recession, the price of buying a smallholding has not really changed and this month our property article looks at whether its still a good time to buy a smallholding.

In the light of the Budget, I’d say that having some land and the ability to be in some part self-supporting has to be a good thing. You feel a bit more independent of Government intervention when you know that you are about to eat your home produced veg and your hens are providing eggs.

But I think its important too not to skimp on the input to your self-supporting – hens for example need a balanced ration to lay and to maintain their health so scrap feeding (even if it were not against the rules) and cheap corn are not an option for economy. Finishing livestock to freezer weight is also not a time to cut costs though with all livestock it is time to pay attention to the most basic of feeds, grassland and forage (hay, haylage and silage).

If you are overstocked it will cost money to put weight on the animals to bring them to slaughter or you will have health problems in over stocked chickens causing welfare problems, losses through death and vets bills. So do your sums and make sure that you have the right number of livestock for the facilities and that they are produced to a high standard nutrition wise and in management.

The increase in VAT will have an effect on all of us when buying equipment, it might be a good time to review your needs and work towards some bigger purchases. The other effect for smallholders is that there may be less money around if you are selling specialist products and you may need to review your marketing – on the other hand local produce on a stall outside your gate at reasonable prices will be snapped up.

One of my friends, whilst commenting on the Budget, remarked that “farming was the only industry we had left” and there is an argument to be made for this view.

I wonder if the lack of confidence in the economy will cause people to review their energy use such as think seriously about the vehicle mileage – perhaps bringing people to shop locally rather than going to big shopping centres.

Here on our smallholding it’s time to get jam making. I really love doing this, very relaxing and rewarding and I’m grateful of it for toast in the winter. I recently bought a book written in the 1940s that contains some great recipes for using jam – more of those in the colder weather. For now it’s the lovely smell of the fruit as you make jam with the back door open, shooing out the hens and marvelling again that the little seeds you sowed in March have turned into hanging baskets and herb planters around the back door. Nature is, to me, an everyday miracle especially in the summer.

Read more about Liz's smallholding - click on to the Editor's Blog