Worshipful Company of Farmers

As always when Ii find something out about anything to do with agriculture I want to let you all know about it.

I had never even heard of this worshipful company, nor any of the other liveried companies in London and it's quite interesting.

THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF FARMERS grew out of the Company of Agriculturalists (subsequently altered to the “Company of Farmers”) of the City of London which had been established on 23rd September 1946. In December 1946 Lord Courthope, a Past Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths’ Company, accepted an invitation to become Master of the new Company.
The initiative came from the the Chairman's Committee of the British Red Cross Agricultural Fund which had been set up during the Second World War and was known as the Duke of Gloucester's Red Cross and St John of Jerusalem Appeal Organisation. The purpose was to raise funds for the war effort. The whole of agriculture and ancillary trades were united by this appeal and over £8.5million had been raised when the Fund closed in 1946.
In February 1951, a Petition was presented to the Court of Alderman and on 22nd January 1952, the Court granted the Prayer of the Petition. The Company's Grant of Livery was fianlly approved on 10th June 1952 and formally presented to the Master by the Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House on 31st October 1952. A Grant of Charter of Incorporation was formally made by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 29th July 1955.
The annual installation of the Master is held at the conclusion of the Company's Harvest Festival Service in October each year.

Challenge of Rural Leadership Course

Unbelievably it will be two weeks tomorrow since I returned from my course in Devon. The farm is still here, the children still alive, and Philip, although ill for several days after I returned, has sustained very few life threatening ailments, meaning that it is alright for me to go away for two weeks on a regular basis.............!

It has been very hard, now I'm back, not to have come in like a bull in a china shop and tell everyone that we are all doing it wrong - after all we are fairly successful in what we have achieved so far, so softly softly.

The two weeks were wonderful and I would recommend that any one who is interested in going forward within the rural workplace should apply for a place on the course. Applications are taking place now and can be found at www.cornwall.ac.uk. The course fees may be subsidised in some way by the Worshipful Company of farmers, again all the information can be found at the website quoted previously.

The course is very hands on, and ours consisted of candidates from South Africa, Australia, Chech Republic, Scotland, Wales (Me) and England. There were people from many occupations, NFU Policy Makers, Solicitors, Land Agents, Agricultural Bank Managers, Tenant Farmers, Arable Farmers, Dairy Farmers, Organic Farmers, and Rural Lecturers. We took part in lectures from Jane king - Farmers Weekly, Prof. Keith Grint - leadership Expert, prof Fuller - gene technology. John Stones - Nuffield Scholarships, International farming, Organic Perspective form HRH Farms, Neil Parish- EU Agriculture, Col.Bryan Watters - Military Leadership, Media Relations, communication workshops and much more, finishing in a presentation dinner at the end of the course.

I would be happy to talk to anyone interested int eh course who may like to apply so for a personal overview give me a ring on 01597 851614 - well worth the two weeks away!!!!!!

Coleg Powys Pay Us A Visit

A Beautiful crisp, frosty and icy morning.

Coleg Powys year three agricultural students have just paid us a visit, they are doing their unit on diversification.
This is now the fourth year that they and their tutor Nigel Barrat have been using us as a role model for a Farm diversification.

We started off in the cattle shed talking about how and when we started, and how we have much more control over our business as it is not totally dependent on live stock auction prices or abattoir prices, and how we have to be able to adjust our business to accommodate ever changing events, such as lamb prices up or down etc.

We then go to the butchers shop where Philip explains how we add value to Lambs and Cattle. This is the area which amazes them the most. Like many farmers they probably take their stock direct to abattoir or to livestock markets and the price they get for them dose not comp[are to the retail price. although I have to say that this year the lamb price has held up much better, possibly due to a smaller amount of lamb being available as more and more farmers leave the business every day.

Finally, after a coffee, we have a brief visit to my office, which amazingly for some of them is not a biscuit tin on the kitchen table but a nerve centre of the business (or so i like to think!).

After my recent course I hope I have inspired them as to how important it is to step back and have a good look at what you are doing take time to leave the dance floor and view everything from the balcony - go on give it a try........