Public lambing and a new shop - one farm's fight to survive by diversifying

• Watch Ken Goodwin's report

A farming couple say the key to success may be more diversification. 

Simon and Lisa Knight run Court Farm at Stoke Orchard near Cheltenham. They say being able to sell their own produce in their own shop and cafe has helped them to cope with rising animal feed prices and energy costs.

Mr Knight told ITV News they used to pay £280 for a tonne of hen feed - now, it's more than £420.

Mrs Knight says being able to sell their own products directly to the consumer at their farm shop is not only helping them to survive, but it's helping their neighbours too.

She currently has lamb on sale from a nearby farm while waiting for their lambs to mature.

Lisa has also introduced open days during busy times like the lambing season so that people can see how animals are reared.

"We are not a farm park, this is what we do - this is our livelihood. So people actually see raw farming. And on this lambing tour, they have been able to see exactly what we do and who we are."

The couple are not alone in their bid to diversify. In series two of hit Amazon show Clarkson's Farm, presenter Jeremy Clarkson shone a light on the need for farmers to find new ways to make money.

And a survey by NFU Mutual found that 37% of those questioned plan to increase diversification in the next five years. Of those farmers who are yet to diversify, 11% said they now plan to do so in the near future.

"I think we just about survive, but you are literally scraping a living for an awful lot of work, and not a lot of money," Mr Knight said.