AHDB

[Steevo]

Is AHDB levy money really getting to the right places?

At the soil workshop event today....over half the names on the list were advisors not farmers. I.e non levy payers.

 

[Brisel]

If that information is disseminated to levy payer clients, that's hardly crime of the century? I agree that it should be chargeable for non levy payers though.

 

[Steevo]

Haha, never said it was a crime. Just interesting to see. Some “companies” don’t sound so agricultural i’ll admit.

 

[Steevo]

Sometimes advisors can add more to an event than farmers...deeper knowledge of the subject. Often more than the presentations/speakers themselves. Certainly can be better at transmitting the information-plenty of speakers at events can be too academic rather than people speakers. (I hate the phrase “knowledge transfer” but I guess that is the point)

 

[Brisel]

I agree that AHDB seem to be less fussy about who turns up to their events, but it's hard to police unless you get everyone to sign in with SBI/CPH numbers & eject them if they can't make one up...

 

[Neddy flanders]

Depends if advisors are charging farming clients for supplying methods, initiatives and data supplied by AHDB that the Farmer client paid for in the first place.?

 

[rob1]

Depends if advisors are charging farming clients for supplying methods, initiatives and data supplied by AHDB that the Farmer client paid for in the first place.?

surely no one would be that dishonest

 

[Farmer T]

It's the accountability that worries me. They spent £400,000 of levy payer's money on a failed grain passport scheme and were offering to pay an extra £2,500,000 of levy money on a problem we don't have.

They spend millions on benchmarking exercises with very little take up, and those who do already know their margins.

Yet they spend 3% of the cereal levy on promoting exports which is amazing given the Brexit situation.

They acknowledge the Red Tractor is failing but don't offer a penny of the £61 million budget.

It's worrying we can't hold them to accountability yet we're forced to fund them.

 

[mo!]

Is AHDB levy money really getting to the right places?

At the soil workshop event today....over half the names on the list were advisors not farmers. I.e non levy payers.

Were any extra costs incurred as a result of them being there? Generally with these things there are a pitiful number of farmers attending compared to those who are paying.

 

[Warnesworth]

To be fair Andrew, today’s workshop was specifically there for you to ‘guide’ and ‘inform’ one aspect of the ‘Great Soils’ project, rather than you being there to learn. So it was a great opportunity for you as a levy payer to tell them where you felt the project should go. I must of missed you, were you there all day?

 

[ploughman1963]

I am a regular atteneder of various AHDB organised meetings and as far as I can see, the more heads there the better! Attendance from farmers is often pitifully poor and on many occasions the 'same old faces' make up the majority of attendees.

In particular, I am a member of 'Marches grazing discussion group' with members as far away as Glamorgan. We have a hard core of regular contributors but trying to persuade new members to join is like pulling teeth. As said above - when we get non-farmers coming along their opinions and experiences, often from the other side of the fence, are a valuable contribution,

 

[ajd132]

It's the same faces at meetings anywhere genereally.

 

[Farmer T]

I can't understand why they are pushing this benchmarking so strongly and putting millions of levy payer's [emoji383] behind it.

The farmers that know their CoP or already do benchmarking aren't going to use it and those who don't are hardly going to suddenly turn around and start.

I know their only trying to make the industry more efficient but I think they're going the wrong way.

I would like to see them acting more in the supply chain side, getting fairer cereal contracts or pushing our export markets.

 

[gone up the hill]

I can't understand why they are pushing this benchmarking so strongly and putting millions of levy payer's [emoji383] behind it.

The farmers that know their CoP or already do benchmarking aren't going to use it and those who don't are hardly going to suddenly turn around and start.

I know their only trying to make the industry more efficient but I think they're going the wrong way.

I would like to see them acting more in the supply chain side, getting fairer cereal contracts or pushing our export markets.

Because they want farmers to produce more for less..

( ie increase production but reduce costs at the same time )

Hardly anyone in any sector is currently happy with the AHDB.

Even NFU grandees like @An Gof have recently stated they are getting increasingly unhappy with the AHDD and the direction its taking.

 

[bankrupt]

Hardly anyone in any sector is currently happy with the AHDB.

Funnily enough, gone up the hill, I had a call only last week from a delightful researcher enquiring my opinion of the AHDB.

Had to say, at that point, I'd honestly never heard of it.

When she asked from where I get my market intelligence, I told her that I log on to the HGCA twice daily.

Seems there's been some kind of a takeover.

 

[gone up the hill]

Funnily enough, gone up the hill, I had a call only last week from a delightful researcher enquiring my opinion of the AHDB.

Had to say, at that point, I'd honestly never heard of it.

When she asked from where I get my market intelligence, I told her that I log on to the HGCA twice daily.

Seems there's been some kind of a takeover.

Shows just what a bad job they are doing when even levy payers haven't heard of the AHDB...

Thou for your stress levels its prob better you haven't heard of them

 

[SilliamWhale]

I don't honestly think we need any of the levy boards.

If you want to know about soils then just educate yourself.

 

[gone up the hill]

I don't honestly think we need any of the levy boards.

If you want to know about soils then just educate yourself.

Intresting comments by a farmer writer in this weeks FG about being asked to give a talk at a AHDB event and how the event was run.......................................................

 

[Grass And Grain]

We'd all make more money if ahdb advised us all to produce less.

It would reduce output, but increase profit and financial efficiency. And we'd all work less hours and get more time to enjoy other aspects of life.

If the market is over supplied, then we need to produce less.

Edit.
We normally make more money in years that yields are low. UK ags goal should be to maximise margin per acre, not maximise production. They are different!

 

[mo!]

Because they want farmers to produce more for less..

( ie increase production but reduce costs at the same time )

I want to increase production while reducing costs.

I don't want anyone else to though.