Events & Training

90 minute Online Event with guest speakers; Dr Rosemary Agnew, DAERA, Dr John Gilliland, Victor Chestnutt UFU       Dr John Gilliland Director of Global Agriculture & Sustainability, Devenish Nutrition Victor Chestnutt, President Ulster Farmers Union John Egerton, Beef farmer from Northern Ireland

2pm Online 60 minute CPD session on 'Carbon offsetting Explained' with guest speakers; Liz Bowles - Associate Director Farming and Land Use, Soil Association Thomas Gent - Gentle Farming A bit about our speakers; Liz is the Director for Farming and Land Use at the Soil Association and is responsible for leading and managing the Soil Associations work with farmers throughout the UK with her team of advisors and analysts. Alongside  supporting Soil Association licensees as well as delivering  a range of programmes and activities designed to support all farmers in the UK to transition to agroecological  farming (organic being currently the best known example). Liz directs the Innovative Farmers Programme managed by the Soil Association  which puts farmers in the driving seat of on farm research and is pioneering farmer led trials on farm. This programme will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2022, and will be showcasing the global impact of the over 100 field labs carried out to date. Liz has a wealth of experience of agriculture both in the UK and internationally. She has worked in the sector for over 30 years in a number of roles at ADAS and EFFP and brings a practical approach combined with scientific and sector knowledge to her role in the Soil Association. As a Nuffield scholar, her research involved exploring co-operation in the red meat sector and was a precursor to her joining EFFP where she worked on the development of supply chain collaboration in England. Liz is a Director of the Farm Carbon Cutting Toolkit, a farmer controlled business which supports farmers in understanding how to cut their emissions and sequester carbon on farm. She also advises Hectare, an online trading platform for farmers selling livestock and grain. In her spare time Liz manages one of the largest pedigree flocks of Shropshire sheep in the UK and combines this with being a Council Member of the Breed Society. Thomas Gent lives and works on his family farm in South Lincolnshire. They have been farming regeneratively there for around 12 years.  He recently founded an organisation called Gentle Farming to bring reward and recognition to farmers carrying out sustainable farming techniques. Currently in the second year their certified soil carbon offsetting programs pays farmers to carry out sustainable soil management techniques. There is also a huge opportunity looking at differentiation of produce and biodiversity improvements. It all hinges on being able to showcase the amazing work of farmers across the country. 

2pm Online 60 minute CPD session with guest speakers; Nick Allen, British Meat Processors Association Adrian Ivory, Beef Farmer & Farmers Weekly Beef Farmer of the Year Finalist Adrian Ivory I graduated from the Royal Agricultural College with a Bsc Hons degree in 1997 and took over the running of the family farm in 2004. Strathisla Farms is based just outside Meigle in Perthshire and we run a herd of 150 commercial breeding females alongside 55 pedigree Simmentals and 45 pedigree Charolais and a couple of Beef Shorthorns. We keep all our males entire and finish them off the farm with the heifers that are not retained sold either through United Auctions or to repeat private buyers. We also harvest 1,500 acres of cereals annually which is a mix of wheat, winter barley and spring barley. I completed the Scottish Rural leadership programme in 2008 as well as Harvest the Growth in 2015. I was also the Farmers Weekly Young Farmer of the Year as well as Overall Farmer of the year in 2008.  I sit on the British Simmental Council and am a previous member of the British Charolais council. I was awarded my FRaGS 2019.

What does the future hold for agriculture:
the role of Agri Tech in your business?
What do you need to know to make the
most of the Opportunities?
A systems approach
Principles of management
Tips and tools for assessing Agri Tech
opportunities

Join us for the launch of the National Farm Managers Salary Survey where we will look at current trends in profile, responsibilities and remuneration of farm directors and managers.  Graham Redman, The Andersons Centre and co-author of the survey report will talk us through the results of the 2020 farm managers salary survey and what the key changes are to incentivise and reward in a post-Brexit agricultural world.   We will then have a panel discussion featuring Professor Matt Lobley (Exeter University) and Dr David Christian Rose (Reading University) where we will consider skills in agriculture and how we build and enhance agriculture’s human capital.  What skills will the managers of the future need and how are we going to attract the highest calibre individuals from the broadest background and skill base into our industry?

The 2022 Fellows & Professionals Lunch will take place on 15th September 2022 at Bowhill House, Selkirk, Scottish Borders which is part of the Buccleuch Estate. This event is open to Fellows & Professional Grade members of the Institute - guests of members welcome by invititation only (please contact the office to discuss). More details to follow.