More time for farmers to apply for free business advice
Written by Andrew Powley
Copyright Natural England/Chris Gomersall
To support farmers through the agricultural transition, we’re offering free business advice to those who currently receive direct payments.
Through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, we’re paying independent advisers to explain how the changes happening to farming will affect farmers and help them to prepare.
In total, 19 providers across England are offering the advice.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the fund is structured in 3 phases. We are currently in the second phase. It was due to end in March 2022, but we’re extending this phase until September 2022.
We appreciate that 2021’s late harvest made it difficult for farmers to apply in time and take up was slower than expected.
So, we’ve offered all our providers an extension of up to 6 months, which is when the next phase of support is expected to begin.
This will give providers more time to deliver the support. The new end dates for each of the projects are set out in the table below.
We hope this extension will encourage more people to get in touch with an adviser and work out the best plan for their farms. The final phase of support will operate over a longer timescale; launching later in 2022 and running until March 2025.
If you’d like to access free business advice, all you need to do is take a look at the list of advisers below and contact them directly.
The advisers are offering support in different ways: it could be delivered in the form of workshops supported by experts or through one-to-one conversations.
[email protected]
[email protected]
Continue reading on Defra Future Farming Website...
Written by Andrew Powley
Copyright Natural England/Chris Gomersall
To support farmers through the agricultural transition, we’re offering free business advice to those who currently receive direct payments.
Through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, we’re paying independent advisers to explain how the changes happening to farming will affect farmers and help them to prepare.
In total, 19 providers across England are offering the advice.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the fund is structured in 3 phases. We are currently in the second phase. It was due to end in March 2022, but we’re extending this phase until September 2022.
We appreciate that 2021’s late harvest made it difficult for farmers to apply in time and take up was slower than expected.
So, we’ve offered all our providers an extension of up to 6 months, which is when the next phase of support is expected to begin.
This will give providers more time to deliver the support. The new end dates for each of the projects are set out in the table below.
We hope this extension will encourage more people to get in touch with an adviser and work out the best plan for their farms. The final phase of support will operate over a longer timescale; launching later in 2022 and running until March 2025.
Get free advice
If you’d like to access free business advice, all you need to do is take a look at the list of advisers below and contact them directly.
The advisers are offering support in different ways: it could be delivered in the form of workshops supported by experts or through one-to-one conversations.
| Organisation | Contact | Phone | Coverage | Sector | End date |
| ADAS | [email protected] | 03301 755839 | England | Any sector | 31 May 2022 |
| AHDB | [email protected] | 0247 5189300 | England | Grazing livestock & Cereals | 31 August 2022 |
| Berrys | [email protected] | 07469858749 | Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Derbyshire. | No particular sector | 31 May 2022 |
| Brown & Co | [email protected] | 01480 598875 | Hertfordshire, Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Humber, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bucks, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Essex, Kent, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset. | Targeting all farmers and farm types including arable, livestock, mixed and roots. | 30 June 2022 |
| Bury Beet Group | [email protected] | 01284386111 | Suffolk and Norfolk | Arable and sugar beet | 31 March 2022 |
| Ceres Rural | [email protected] | 01865790790 | Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Sussex, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Surrey and Norfolk. | Arable | 30 April 2022 |
| Devon County Council | [email protected] | 01392383000 | Devon and Somerset | No particular sector | 31 May 2022 |
| DJM Consulting | [email protected] | 01746714089 | Shropshire, West Midlands, South Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire | No particular sector | 31 August 2022 |
| JH Agri Consultancy | [email protected] | 07739176667 | Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Northumberland | Livestock | 31 August 2022 |
| Kite Consulting | [email protected] | 01902854797 | England | Dairy | 31 August 2022 |
| Landworkers Alliance | [email protected] | 07875849754 | England | Horticulture, dairy, SME meat, mixed farming | 31 March 2022 |
| Laurence Gould Partnership | [email protected] | 07968412052 | Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surry, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Northumberland, Cumbria, Durham | No particular sector | 31 August 2022 |
| M B Hodgson & Son Limited | [email protected] | 01539566222 | Cumbria, North Lancashire, North Yorkshire | Livestock | 31 August 2022 |
| Natural Enterprise | [email protected] | 01983296244 | Isle of Wight | No particular sector | 30 April 2022 |
| NIAB | [email protected] | 07957966802 | Wessex and Cotswolds | Arable | 1 March 2022 |
| Promar International | [email protected] | 07971 118688 | England | Dairy, Beef and Sheep | 31 May 2022 |
| Ricardo-AEA Ltd | [email protected] | 01235 753530 | England | No particular sector | 30 June 2022 |
| RSK ADAS Limited | [email protected] | 03301 755839 | England | Any sector | No extension needed |
| SRUC | [email protected] | 07825 781347 | England | Any sector | 31 August 2022 |
| The Prince's Countryside Fund | [email protected] | 07551848892 | Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northumberland, Durham Dales, Peak District, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, Cornwall. There will also be a virtual group. | Dairy, Beef and Sheep | 30 April 2022 |
Video: Farmers share their experience
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