Following its popularity in 2019, AHDB and the NFU’s jointly-run ‘Fit for the Future’ workshops are back, bigger and better than ever before.
The series of events has expanded and returns this month with funding support from the Heart of the South West Growth Hub.
The workshops will review the markets and the political climate while suggesting practical farm management actions for the future, helping attendees set short, mid and long-term goals for their businesses.
With a focus on preparing farms for change, the workshops, which will take place at five venues across south-west England, will help farmers understand how to increase their businesses resilience during a period of political change and social pressures.
Line-up
Speaker, Sarah Baker, from AHDB’s Market Intelligence team, will explore the latest market trends including the market share of British beef and lamb and will talk about auction pricing.
There will also be a political analysis delivered by the National Farmers’ Union’s Gail Soutar and real practical business pointers from Mike Houghton from The Andersons Centre.
During the events, AHDB will also explain the benefits of benchmarking. AHDB’s online tool Farmbench is the ideal way to calculate the full costs of production across multiple enterprises.
It also compares the profitability of each enterprise which can help in the decision-making process on areas for expansion or reassessment.
Philip Dolbear, knowledge exchange manager at AHDB, said: “Having personalised information helps farmers take a holistic approach to business, allowing users to plan for the medium and long term, while considering personal and professional goals, to build a resilient and profitable business for the future.”
The series of workshops, which take place from February 18-20, are open to anyone with an interest in preparing their farm business for change. The events run as follows:
- Dorset: February 18;
- Devon: February 18;
- Cornwall: February 19;
- Somerset: February 19;
- Gloucestershire: February 20.
For more information and to book a ticket, contact the NFU South West regional office on: 01392-440700 or email [email protected]. More information can also be found on the Business Resilience: preparing for change webpage.
