Want to talk to farmers making ELMS a success?

[Bryher @ Landworkers]

For anyone who would like support with the ag transition, this is a great free program from the Landworkers' Alliance - https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/your-farming-future/

Are you in receipt of Direct Payments? Would you like some help and support with the agricultural transition?

The last few spaces are available on the 'Your Farming Future' programme, a comprehensive support package which includes two days of advice specific to your farm to identify opportunities. It’s free but ends in March, so sign up now. https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/your-farming-future/. Read on for more details.

The programme helps farmers and land managers build farm businesses that will work for you and future generations. The programme supports the integration of resilience into all aspects of farming systems, with a focus on agroecological land-management, shortening supply chains, creating new markets and healthy financial practices.

The following support is available for FREE to farmers:

• FARMER TO FARMER WEBINARS – weekly webinars for farmers on topics covering all aspects of transitioning to a more environmentally and financially resilient business. They are recorded so you can watch when you have time.
• ONE-TO-ONE ADVICE & PEER SUPPORT – two days of farm advisory services, peer to peer support networks and farm tours.
• TRANSITION TOOL KIT - information, resources and sector specific films sharing case studies of different environmental land management practices and farming models.

To be eligible you must have an SBI number and be in ENGLAND in the following sectors:

All scale of farms (above 5 hectares) with any of the following on farm:

• Some regenerative practices or are interested in doing some
• Horticulturists/Fruit and veg growers
• Undertaking some organic processes even if not organic
• Run a mixed farming systems or would like to include livestock within their farm

The horticulture focused advice will be more appropriate for farms above 5 hectares, but if you are a horticulture farm below 5 hectares do register your interest and we will seek to support you if possible.

You must not be in receipt of advice from another FFRF provider. You can read more about the DEFRA Future Farming Resilience Fund here.

For more information and to sign up, go to:

https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/your-farming-future/

Please do ask any questions you have about the process.

As spaces are now limited, unsuccessful applications will be kept on record to be given advance notice of the next phase of the scheme, due to last three years, and expected to begin in autumn 2022.

 

[Huno]

I am my own consultant on transition and you lot are leaching agents.. go away.. i certainly dont need your paid help to tell me what i have already worked out..Ta

 

[Huno]

Spaces are not limited and you lot are trying to grab any scraps that you can like a pack of hungry wolves..blahhhh...

 

[Muddyroads]

Spoiler alert!!!




We’re all going to be worse off (apart from the consultants).

 

[delilah]

To be fair, it isn't the LWA's fault that ELMS is a crock of sh!t. There's around 20 organisations that are involved in this support scheme, I'm sure that take up has been low for all the reasons we know about, but at least LWA have had a go on here.

 

[Huno]

Maybe my advice to them is for all 20 groups to join up and create a farming Union with one voice.. At the moment all of our voices are lost in the wind.. prehaps they could call themselves UNITE??

 

[Chris F]

Spaces are not limited and you lot are trying to grab any scraps that you can like a pack of hungry wolves..blahhhh...

Places are limited in this phase. The government have provided £9m for this round of funding to 15 or so organisations. This is your government and your money. So you are paying for this.

I'd agree the land agents are doing well out of this and I have actually questioned Defra about this directly. However, there are also some really good people doing this advice. I'd include LWA in that. Same people as the writers we use in Direct Driller magazine and people who's opinion I do actually respect.

So you indignation is not totally warranted and since there will be 3-4 more rounds of this 9m funding then you will continue to pay to other farmers to receive help (you are right in that places are not limited per se).

Now the question is @Base Farmer John H : If you were paid by Defra - would you be happy to be one of the educators? Because that is part of the offering I would like to see more of - farmers helping farmers and getting paid land agent rates to do it. I see lots more value in that.

 

[Huno]

Agreed.. 30 million is proposed for the next round where real farmers can help real farmers without advisor influence.. now that would be more interesting and yes i would do that job for the right fee to help our industry

 

[DRC]

Micheal Gove said it’d all be very simple with no need for any agents to be involved . Done before breakfast if I remember right

 

[farmerm]

Micheal Gove said it’d all be very simple with no need for any agents to be involved . Done before breakfast if I remember right

still waiting for the bonfire of red tape

 

[BenAdamsAgri]

Agreed.. 30 million is proposed for the next round where real farmers can help real farmers without advisor influence.. now that would be more interesting and yes i would do that job for the right fee to help our industry

So you're no different to these "leaching agents" that you keep vilifying

 

[Huno]

I am told that it is our money that is being used not theirs but you do have a point! Maybe i wont take any money for anything as a matter of principle

 

[Huno]

How about free consultancy and a 5% cut of the extra profits i can earn you?? That seems far more gentlemanly??!!

 

[farmerm]

How about free consultancy and a 5% cut of the extra profits i can earn you?? That seems far more gentlemanly??!!

The difficulty there is it can often be very difficult accurately quantity "extra" Your clients may take a very different view on who or what contributed most to any rise or fall in profit... human nature to give you less than fair credit for any rise and more than fair blame for any loss

 

[steveR]

Micheal Gove said it’d all be very simple with no need for any agents to be involved . Done before breakfast if I remember right

Or maybe Brunch.... done on a sunny Sunday morning, watching laambs gambolling around!

 

[Muddyroads]

Or maybe Brunch.... done on a sunny Sunday morning, watching laambs gambolling around!

Under the shadow of a passing flying pig?

 

[steveR]

Under the shadow of a passing flying pig?

If there are any left in the UK by next year....