On the 4th of October, at Trinity Park, Ipswich, the inaugural Autumn Farming Conference will take place. It’s organised by Larking Gowen, in conjunction with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and will include presentations by experts from across the farming sector on a range of topics.
“The farming industry is at a massive crossroads right now, largely because of major changes in the sector post Brexit, together with the loss of the Basic Payment Scheme and the effects of climate change,” said Bruce Masson, partner at Larking Gowen.
“The impact of these and other factors has been amplified by the terrible situation in Ukraine, which no one could have predicted and will have a significant global impact for the foreseeable future.
“Farmers and rural enterprises have been severely impacted, so are looking for guidance and ideas. To help them plot a way forward we have brought together a compelling group of speakers whose talents and experience span a range of complementary fields.”
It will be chaired by CLA East director Cath Crowther and will include:
- Steven Rudd, Larking Gowen’s head of farms and landed estates, which is the largest of its type in East Anglia and one of the largest in the country. Delegates will also learn more about the government’s viewpoint from Jo Churchill, Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds since 2015 and current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
- Stuart and Rebecca Mayhew, founder members of Regenerative Agriculture Community East (RACE). Formed in April 2022, it aims to connect the region’s farmers, retailers, and consumers, shortening supply chains, supporting sustainable farming, and helping improve food security. They will explain what regenerative agriculture is, engage in some myth busting about the concept and give examples of how it works in practice, as well as present a case study of their Old Hall Farm, Woodton near Bungay.
- An analysis of farming data and a review of last season by Alec Smith, director of agricultural and advisory business Sentry Ltd. Based in Suffolk, the employee-owned firm has a footprint across 15 counties and 50 years of trading experience.
- A look at the future of farming by Jason Cantrill, a partner at Ceres Rural. Based at the firm’s Norwich office, Jason is a qualified Chartered Surveyor, RICS Registered Valuer and agricultural valuer. Covering Suffolk and Norfolk, he specialises in the management of farms, together with the formation of contract farming and joint venture agreements.
- Emma Hayley from YANA (You Are Not Alone), the farming charity which provides mental health support for the farming and rural community. All profits from the conference will go to this much-admired organisation.
- Izzi Rainey, who grew up on her family’s farm in Norfolk, will give first-hand experience of farm diversification without stewardship, talk about the success of women in agriculture and give her perspective on the role of the next generation in the industry. After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art, she established IzzyRainey, a farm-based textile company which designs and manufactures high quality stationery and homeware products.
The conference will run from 8.30am to 3.30pm on the 4th of October. For more information go to www.larking-gowen.co.uk