14091 fcj 252 autumn 2014 web

AUTUMN JOURNAL 2014 • ISSUE 252

www.thefarmersclub.com

Farmers Club INSIDE Pasture perfect p6 Mutton renaissance p8 Renewable insurance p11 Canadian suckler beef p12 Club AGM report p14 Livestock sculpture p16 Autumnal poetry p19

INSERTS Madam Butterfly St Andrew’s Day Lunch Committee Ballot form Staff Christmas fund

Levy work rethink New AHDB chairman explains his plans p4

Farmers Club Over 170 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

FRONT COVER Maize harvest in full swing on member John Corsan’s Bridgwater farm as Ambition yields 44t/ha (18.5t/acre) at 35% DM on 9th October 2013

Contents

Disclaimer: The articles published in The Farmers Club Journal do not necessarily reflect the views of The Farmers Club. No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in the magazine can be accepted by the publisher. Advertisements are included in good faith’. All rights reserved.

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Chairman’s Comments Club’s autumn agenda explained

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Fresh focus for near-market research Newly appointed AHDB chairman Peter Kendall reveals his plans for the levy-funded organisation

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Pasture perfect Can improved grazing systems put more profit in farmer’s pockets? An expert conference provides answers

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Mine’s mutton The demise of mutton needs to be reversed, argues a Club member with a new book on the topic

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Water wars Competition for water is intensifying and it is far from clear that farming is getting its fair share

10 Expo 2015 Feeding the planet, energy for life is the theme for Expo 2015 in Milan, putting farming at the centre of the world stage

11 Renewable insurance

13 12

Are your renewable enterprises adequately covered?

12 Canadian suckler beef Novel strategies are helping Saskatchewan producers survive.

Could they inspire fresh thinking on UK beef farms?

14 AGM report Insight into the Club’s Annual General Meeting

16 Animal art Stunning livestock sculptures catch the eye

14 16

17 Christmas card Time to order your Club Christmas cards

18 Under 30s Under 30s chairman reports on recent events and a look at farming poetry

20 Club News and Calendar Changes continue at the Club

22 Club Information and Contacts 02 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Chairman’s Comments • Jimmy McLean

years, with more extreme weather events and a greater exposure to fluctuating world markets, as EU market protection has been reduced.

Price volatility Farmers have dealt with this volatility so far, but as businesses become larger so does the potential impact of such price fluctuation on farm finances.

As a result this is a challenge that may have to be given more attention in future. This will probably require more transparency in supply chains in order to improve the understanding of their operation.

It may also require a wider range of hedging mechanisms to be available to farmers and, of course, a greater willingness to use them.

Chairman’s Comments

Following successful events at the Game Fair and The Royal Welsh Show our busy schedule of Club activities on the ‘show circuit’ has now slowed. The main event in our social calendar during August was a visit to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, where we enjoyed a perfect summer evening, with excellent views over the city, as we climbed to the top of Edinburgh castle for dinner in the Queen Anne Room.

Whisky event

“Volatility appears to have increased in recent years, with more extreme weather events and a greater exposure to fluctuating world markets, as EU market protection has been reduced.”

AS I write, harvest is drawing to a close, even up here in the north, with much of next year’s winter barley and oilseed rape already sown. With land lying fallow for such a short period in a modern farming system, it is a reminder of how much time pressure there is on the farm workforce at this time of year.

Although August has lived up to its reputation of being one of our wetter summer months, harvest conditions have generally been good. After two ‘tricky’ years, I think many farmers will have appreciated a season when they could look out over their crops and livestock, satisfied by a job well done.

Arable farmers will not appreciate the low ‘spot’ prices for their cereals, although those in the intensive livestock sector may well have a different view. As the autumn sales of store cattle and sheep begin, prices are also expected to be weaker, reflecting the current reduction in finished prices – particularly for cattle.

Farmers have always had to deal with price volatility, with weather patterns affecting production and changing the supply:demand balance. However, this volatility appears to have increased in recent

One potential mishap was narrowly avoided as, en route to the castle, our guide mistakenly led the party into the Scotch Whisky Experience (at least those at the front of the group blamed the guide). However, no damage was done. Indeed, as one senior member noted, to get 60 members of the Farmers Club into a purveyor of Scotch whisky and back out again, without one drop being consumed, was something of an event in itself!

We all enjoyed an excellent dinner in the castle, followed by an introduction to the show by the producer Brigadier David Allfrey. Returning to the Esplanade we chatted to some of the performers and took some pictures with them, before getting to our seats for a superb show – which was both entertaining and moving.

In the Club itself, August was a quieter month, which enabled the kitchen upgrade to take place ahead of, what we expect to be, a busy autumn season. The new rooms on the ‘eighth floor’ are now in service, with some excellent views over the city from those with a southerly aspect. I look forward to seeing you in the Club this autumn.

New Club Website A transformed version of the Club’s website (www.thefarmersclub.com) is due to be launched this autumn, to make on-line booking of bedrooms and Club events easier than ever.

The professionally designed site will integrate fully with the Club’s bedroom management and Club event booking systems to offer a much improved service to members.

To make full use of the new website you will need to register, which is easy, provided you have your membership number to hand. This eight digit number can be found on the address label on the front of the envelope that this Journal arrived in – so why not make a note of it right now? Alternatively, contact membership@thefarmersclub.com

The new Club website, due to launch this autumn, brings much improved functionality, including on-line bedroom booking, explains Communications sub-committee chairman George Jessel

www.thefarmersclub.com • 03

Charles Abel • Farm research

Levy board shake-up Recently retired NFU chairman Peter Kendall is breathing fresh life into AHDB, the industry’s levy-funded development board. Charles Abel reports

“We want to get more from the money invested and get things done more quickly.”

PETER Kendall rarely pulls his punches. Seen as one of the National Farmers Union’s most successful presidents he transformed government attitudes to farming during eight years in office. Now his focus has turned to the role of the levy-funded Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board.

As its new chairman he wants to draw better value from its £62m/year budget, by reducing bureaucracy, improving decision-making and better aligning its work to the needs of farmers and growers.

Speaking at a special lunch after the Farmers Club’s Annual General Meeting he said joining a government body was almost completing the circle of what he started at the NFU. “We have come a long way from Margaret Beckett seeing farmers as park keepers for a nation that could buy its food on the world market.”

In his new government-appointed role he wanted AHDB to provide farmers and growers with the tools to grow UK Agriculture – through better research and development, market intelligence, promotion, skills and training.

With the UK population forecast to grow by 4.5million by 2020 he said farmers needed to feel the benefit of that extra demand, not French, or Irish producers. “Ireland’s Harvest 2020 plan is to produce food for our market. We need to counter that.”

He saw levy payers as “absolutely the customer”.

There had been too much talk about what government wanted addressing. “If we do a good job, government will naturally support our work.”

Intensive care Sustainable intensification was the way forward, with a strong focus on how inputs are used. “I see a massive intensification of management, to ensure inputs are used smartly - so we do the right thing, in the right place, at the right time, with the right amount of input. And I do disagree with it being called sustainable intensification – what we’re talking 04 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

about is more sustainable intensification. Feeding 9bn people with no impact on our planet is just not viable.”

New Zealand showed how R&D investments can drive productivity. But the wholesale rejection of new technologies in Europe, be they neonicotinoid insecticides [banned due to bee health concerns] or alternative plant breeding techniques [including genetic modification] ran the risk of the EU becoming a ‘green backwater’. An EU Agriculture Commissioner who wanted a competitive industry was important.

Making AHDB faster acting and more efficient was a key goal, particularly as its 290 staff move into a new combined headquarters building this autumn. “I’m not putting the boot in, because there is a massive amount of good being done, but we do want to get more from the money invested and get things done more quickly.”

He felt the existing structure of six separate departments to deal with cereals and oilseeds (HGCA), potatoes (Potato Council), horticulture (HDC), dairy (DairyCo), beef and sheep (EBLEX), and pigs (BPEX), was an historical structure that must adapt to facilitate more collaborative working.

“To get support for cross-industry work involves decisions from each sector, which just takes too long,” Mr Kendall commented. Setting the agenda and agreeing industry priorities involved a lengthy decision making process across the sectors. “We need to find a quicker and smarter way of detecting the bigger issues farmers need addressing. Farm minister George Eustice challenged us to work more as one body, working across all sectors, rather than the current loose federation of six very independent bodies.”

€4billion funds Without changes there was a real risk the UK would struggle to secure its fair share of the EU’s Horizon 2020 €4billion budget for rural research and innovation. “The Netherlands and Denmark

Farm research • Charles Abel

Former NFU president Peter Kendall, now chairman of the AHDB, shares some thoughts on levy-funded work with Farmers Club chairman Jimmy McLean before addressing the Club

are at the front of the queue and we’re already some way behind.”

He wanted more sharing of expertise between sectors, with individuals working co-operatively to produce co-ordinated messages for levy-payers. “We want to get the right bangs for our bucks, and there is enormous potential for that, if we work together more co-operatively.”

Furthermore, whilst AHDB must not and will not lobby, it certainly needed to provide trade organisations with the information required to put the farming case.

This NFU past-president may have stepped out of the political limelight, but his impact on the farming industry is clearly far from over.

Club debate What topics do you want to have debated at The Farmers Club?

Visit the new website www.thefarmersclub.com to have your say

It was a shame AHDB did not have a more dynamic name, like Denmark’s Knowledge Centre for Agriculture (AHDB’s current name was laid down by Statutory Instrument). “We want to provide a onestop-shop to help farmers grow their businesses, so it would be much better if our name reflected that.”

Peter Kendall

Mr Kendall felt government was behind farming.

“Defra has been working hard trying to open up market opportunities across the world. I don’t think this is a government that doesn’t want to drive farming forwards.”

• Farms in east Bedfordshire with brother Richard – 700ha arable farm and 1500ha contract farming.

• NFU President 2006-2014 • President of World Farmers’ Organisation, representing millions of farmers worldwide through over 50 producer organisations and agricultural co-operatives.

• Degree in Agricultural Economics, University of Nottingham

www.thefarmersclub.com • 05

Sara Gregson • Grasslands

Putting grasslands to work Livestock farmers and ranchers from across the globe gathered in London to discuss how restoring badly degraded grasslands can benefit food producers, the environment and mankind.

Sara Gregson reports

PUTTING grasslands to work’ was the second international conference of the American-based Savory Institute, which encourages farmers and landowners across the world to regenerate wornout soils by practicing ‘Holistic Management’.

At its very simplest, this is a six-step decisionmaking process that supports a whole-farm approach to managing resources such as soil, water, time and labour.

Farmers are encouraged to set outcome goals, to constantly test their decisions and pro-actively monitor the results of their actions until all objectives have been achieved. The primary outcome is the rejuvenation of soils to a point where they can once again sustain families and communities, animals and wildlife, while providing essential ecosystem services such as water capture and carbon storage.

“Humans require half a tonne of food a year to be healthy. But at present there are roughly ten tonnes of eroding soil for every human alive. We are producing 20 times more dead soil than the food we need.”

The Institute offers a ‘tool-kit’ to do this – but the two essential, and perhaps surprising elements, are growing pasture and then grazing it in a controlled manner with ruminants. Their transitory eating, trampling and manuring over a very short time, provides ideal conditions for soil organisms to rebuild and flourish in partnership with the pasture plants and their roots.

The conference saw many examples where this approach has generated positive ecological, economic and social/cultural impacts. I saw it in action on my Nuffield Farming Scholarship, where managed grazing had transformed suckler cow/calf operations in Canada – doubling pasture and animal output and boosting biodiversity, by delivering biologically-active soil.

Wider implications Holistic Management was developed 50 years ago by Allan Savory, a Zimbabwean biologist and farmer, while searching for ways to save the savannah and its wildlife in southern Africa.

06 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Now, as he sits, as he says, in ‘life’s departure lounge’, he seeks further wide-scale acknowledgement from policy-makers, citydwellers, investors, entrepreneurs, economists and governments, that this approach offers one of very few practical solutions on the table for securing global food supplies and tackling climate change.

In his opening address he outlined a dream of a healthy planet teeming with life – not just on farms but in the lakes, forests and oceans too. But for this to happen the earth needs to have much more healthy, living soil.

“Humans require half a tonne of food a year to be healthy,” he explained. “But at present there are 75 billion tonnes of eroding soil across the world, roughly ten tonnes for every human alive. We are producing 20 times as much dead soil as the food that we need. Soil is a diminishing resource and we have to do something to reverse this.”

Spreading the word Around the world there are 10,000 Holistic Management practitioners – farmers and ranchers restoring more than 16 million hectares of grasslands.

The Savory Institute has set a goal for 2025 of raising this to 1 billion hectares – around one fifth of the world’s grasslands – by establishing 100 self-sustaining Savory hubs across all continents; empowering local people to use properly managed livestock to heal degraded land.

At the conference ten new hubs were announced, including ones in Sweden, Zimbabwe and Chile. The Institute is keen to set a hub up in the UK and is seeking producers who might take this forward. Visit www.savoryinstitute.com for more information.

Grasslands • Sara Gregson

Herbal leys are helping revitalise tired arable fields on Tim May’s Hants farm

Tim May's herbal ley growing up through arable stubble

Using herbal leys to rescue soils It is easy to see the potential for restoring grasslands on the vast American plains, African savannah or Australian outback – but does planned grazing have a place in the UK? Tim May, managing director of the 1,000ha (2,470 acre) Kingsclere Estate in North Hampshire believes so.

He has sown 370ha (913 acres) with mixtures containing ryegrasses, festulolium, timothy, cocksfoot, chicory, sainfoin, yarrow, burnet and red and white clovers. These will be down for four years before the fields go back into a rape, barley, rape, barley undersown with grass, rotation.

He told the conference he is turning to herbal leys and livestock – sheep now, cattle later – to improve the depth and nutrient content of his soils.

“The motivation for taking such drastic action is to get the soils right, so we can halt our ever-declining arable yields,” said Tim. “By growing grasses, legumes and deep-rooting herbs we can increase soil structure, chemistry and biology.

“We need the animals to eat the grass, and trample some of it into the soil to build organic matter, while adding their manure. Grazed grass could become the most essential arable crop on our farm.

Controlled grazing – just part of an holistic plan to help grassland deliver more and avoid environmental degradation, says Allan Savory (inset)

“Pasture-fed meat will be a useful by-product of the system, and I believe the vastly improved soils will produce more grain from less external inputs.”

www.thefarmersclub.com • 07

Bob Kennard • Meat

Much Ado About Mutton

By Club member Bob Kennard well hung, and slowly cooked is beautifully succulent and has a superb depth and complexity of flavour, like no other meat. Recent research in Australia has also shown potential health benefits, with mutton having the best Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio of any meat.

After 10 years working in African agriculture I returned to the UK in the mid-1980s to find the flavour of meat had diminished noticeably. I was also concerned at the intensity of some meat production.

Bob Kennard – author of Much Ado About Mutton

“Mutton was eaten at the last dinner served on the Titanic, and was Captain Robert Scott’s last birthday dinner en-route to the South Pole”

IT is difficult today to imagine just how ubiquitous mutton once was. According to Mrs Beeton in 1861 “Mutton is undoubtedly the meat most generally used in families.” Many Victorians thought lamb to be too immature, and lacking flavour.

In 1906, John Galsworthy wrote in The Forsyte Saga “No Forsyte has given a dinner without providing a saddle of mutton. There is something in its succulent solidity which makes it suitable to people ‘of a certain position’. It is nourishing and tasty; the sort of thing a man remembers eating.

It has a past and a future, like a deposit paid into a bank; and it is something that can be argued about.”

The fall from grace of this once great icon of British cuisine has been almost complete over the past 50 years. Changed farming practices, including the collapse of the wool price and cheaper lamb imports, modern lifestyles and bad wartime experiences all contributed to its demise.

In turning our backs on mutton, does the modern consumer know what we have lost? Quality mutton,

Much Ado About Mutton from Merlin Unwin Books (ISBN 9781906122614) is available from all good bookshops or www.merlinunwin.co.uk from 4th September priced £20. www.aboutmutton.com Twitter: @aboutmutton 08 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

In 1988 my wife and I established Graig Farm Organics in mid-Wales, to offer consumers a real choice of traditionally reared meat, with a taste which one customer wrote to say was just as she remembered it when serving it in the Women’s Land Army in 1942.

Whilst researching traditional butchery methods I became fascinated with the potential for putting mutton on the menu again. Furthermore, with the vagaries of the meat market, it seemed important that we established a quality market for mutton to enhance the income of struggling hill farmers in particular. After some experimentation, we produced a quality meat which sold well, and won us a number of awards.

In 2004, the Prince of Wales started the Mutton Renaissance, which shone the spotlight on this underrated meat.

Now, in Much Ado About Mutton, I have recorded for the first time the fascinating story of mutton, including the profound impact it had on our landscape, history and culture, why it declined, and importantly, how we can enjoy quality mutton today.

The book has the support of the National Sheep Association and a foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales and includes advice on cooking, a recipe section, and directories of mutton suppliers and sheep breeds.

I hope it will help popularise mutton again, as more people realise what a national culinary gem we have all but lost.

Water • Charles Abel

Farming’s water crisis WATER has dominated farming and national headlines over recent years and is set to do so even more with predictions pointing to increasingly drastic variations in rainfall. So what can be done to make farming more resilient?

Such was the focus of a conference session organised by the Oxford Farming Conference at this year’s Cereals Event, which was chaired by Oxford director, Farmers Club member and Rutland farmer Andrew Brown.

“Water is a precious resource, not a throwaway commodity, and it needs a long term strategy,” he noted. But with forecast investment in water infrastructure of £96bn needed by 2030, and just £4bn/year being invested currently, there was clearly huge under-investment.

The tension with non-farming uses was particularly evident in East Anglia, where water provision for new housing for a growing population was sorely lacking. Abstraction cuts in 2011 had forced drastic cropping decisions, noted Euston Estate director Andrew Blenkiron. “We can’t sustain that.

We need a fair share of water for livelihoods.”

Further legislation through the EU’s Water Framework Directive posed ‘grave dangers’ to those farming on certain rivers and ground-waters, he added.

Faster and more flexible planning decisions were needed. In the previous six years the estate had invested £2m in water storage and would spend a further £0.5m on reservoirs and piping next year.

But decisions often took far too long.

Thames valley farmer John Hook, who had 1200ha (3,000 acres) of crops flooded last winter, agreed that policies needed to change. Water was

held back to protect housing and benefit wildlife.

“I want it stopped, not compensation.”

Ian Johnson from the Environment Agency said farming needed to take greater account of climate volatility. “We can’t control these extreme events.”

He acknowledged the Oxfordshire floods had protected 4.1m homes, and on the abstraction side urged producers to pool licences and ensure they made the most of the water available to them.

“That is critical.”

Water – too much or too little – is putting farming under increasing pressure

New Met Office/Newcastle University data showed more intense summer rainfall, with even more localised extremes, was likely, said the Met Office’s Sarah Jackson. So, while summers would get hotter and drier, and winters wetter, as a national average, there could be huge variations from year to year, particularly at farm level More localised forecasting would help, with 7,000 local weather stations and crowd-sourcing from private recording devices set to improve accuracy.

That could help timeliness of operations, a priority for Lincs farmer Andrew Ward. “On our heavy land we get one chance to cultivate, as soon as possible after harvest. If we leave it the soil never forgets how it has been cultivated.”

Dr Nigel Davies, sustainability director at maltster Muntons, said organic matter applications could help boost water resilience. In Yorkshire malting barley trials applications had lifted yield 12% in a drought year.

Clearly, farming can work to be more resilient.

But investment and national policies must keep pace. Currently, they seem not be – and farming is suffering.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 09

Charles Abel • Insurance

Renewable energy risks Bluefin is one of the UK’s leading insurance brokers with over 1400 staff in over 40 offices providing independent advice and insurer recommendations.

It places over £500 million of insurance premium annually, and is backed by AXA UK, part of one of the world’s largest financial services companies.

David Wilson of Bluefin

RECENT research by NatWest bank and the National Farmers Union found that renewable energy is set to overtake rural tourism as the second most lucrative income for the agricultural sector.

Renewable energy has proved a popular way for farmers to generate additional revenue while facing mounting financial pressures in recent years.

Two of the most popular choices have been wind farms and anaerobic digestion plants. However, while hoping to capitalise on the growing demand for renewable energy, farmers face a range of challenges in managing the associated risks.

Obtaining specialist advice is essential and having the right risk management and insurance in place is important to avoid delays, contain the risks and protect assets and revenue, says David Wilson, renewable energy specialist and Stockton Branch Manager at Bluefin, an insurance broker with over 50 years of experience in the agricultural market.

By 2020, the UK Government has set a target for 15% of the country’s energy to be generated by renewable sources, with support being offered to farmers who wish to set up wind or solar farms and anaerobic digestion plants.

Lost profit When entering into these ventures farmers often rely solely on the Erection All Risks insurance provided by the contractor. However, the definition of what is covered by this policy is usually limited to the power generation infrastructure being installed, warns Mr Wilson.

Policies that will provide cover for the anticipated loss of profits in the event of an incident are available, but are far less common. Given the specialist nature of these projects, plus the involvement of investors that fund them, it is advisable to obtain cover to protect the interests of all concerned, he comments.

10 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Farmers are being urged to consider the risks and associated insurance cover for their renewable energy enterprises

Safety issues Anaerobic digestion (AD) is attractive to farmers as the biogas it produces can generate renewable heat, power and income from the natural gas grid.

The second product, digestate, is full of nutrients which makes an excellent fertiliser.

However, insurance claims from AD plants have highlighted the need for safe installation and safe operating protocols once commissioned. Explosions have been reported as a result of the pressure release value failing to operate, and there have been reports of plant break-downs, both potentially stemming from poor maintenance regimes. Pollution is a serious risk too. Without proper measures in place digestate could leak into water courses, says Mr Wilson.

Having the correct insurance should be a priority and part of a wider package of safeguards for farmers as they venture into these relatively new forms of energy generation. This will help to ensure that protection is in place for the physical infrastructure itself and also the revenue that farmers seek to derive from renewable energy.

Farming industry • Charles Abel

Food in focus The UK’s £6m pavilion, Hive, designed by Wolfgang Buttress, will allow visitors to Expo 2015 to walk through an orchard and a natural meadow of wild flowers to an imposing central structure in the shape of a golden sphere, made entirely of steel, which will pulsate and buzz with the sound of a real bee colony. Could be well worth experiencing!

FEEDING the Planet, Energy for Life is the theme of the 2015 World Expo in Milan, where over 20 million visitors are expected to participate in an extravaganza dedicated to the food and farming sectors.

From May 1 to October 31 over 140 participating countries and organisations will take visitors on a trip around the world, sampling national foods and investigating new food systems and technologies.

Dramatic pavilions housing lavish exhibits will focus the world’s attention on the challenge of delivering healthy, secure and sufficient food for the whole world population.

Sub-themes on show include: • Technology for agriculture and biodiversity • Science for food safety, security and quality • Innovation in the agro food supply chain • Food for better lifestyles • Dietary education • Food in the world’s cultures and ethnic groups • Solidarity and cooperation on food This latest World Expo builds on the themes of earlier Expos, including Water (Expo 2008, Zaragoza, Spain), Better City – Better Life (Expo 2010, Shanghai, China) and Living Oceans and Coasts (Expo 2012, Yeosu, Korea). One of the earliest World Expo events was The Great Exhibition held in The Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London in 1851.

Expo 2015 is being developed on a prodigious scale, investing around £1bn (Euro 1.3bn) of public funds, £238m (Euro 300m) from the private sector and £800m (Euro 1bn) from official participants.

Italy anticipates a £4bn (Euro 5bn) boost to its tourism sector.

Pavilion Zero, developed with the support of the United Nations, launches the overall event topic – whether it is possible to guarantee sufficient, healthy and sustainable food for all humanity. The Future Food District, in collaboration with MIT, will help visitors understand how conservation, distribution, purchase and consumption of food will evolve.

Exhibits will outline the excellence of methods, techniques and regulations of food production, the strategies to combine production and energy saving, the use of renewable energy sources, and the protection of natural resources, including water – the primary food of both humans and Earth.

Having fed humans for millennia planet Earth now needs ‘nourishment’ itself, through respect, sustainable attitudes, use of advanced technologies and political visions reflecting a new and different balance between resources and consumption, Expo’s organisers explain.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 11

Anya Westland • FCCT BEEF

Sustainable suckler beef – the Canadian way Anya Westland of Myerscough College used a Farmers Club Charitable Trust Agricultural Educator Award to seek ideas to help beef production become more sustainable

For spring born calves, weaned in mid-Oct, producers in Saskatchewan have three options: 1. Continental crosses go for feedlot finishing at 12-14 months old.

2. Aberdeen Angus crosses go either to the feedlot or into the ‘background’ system to be ‘stored’ over winter with the aim of hitting 1kg daily liveweight gain (DLWG) from a 250kg weaning weight to 400Kg after 140 days. Calves are then sold to feedlots to finish at 650kg at around 18-20 months old.

Saskatchewan farmers have developed novel ways to cut beef production costs.

BEEF operations in the UK face many challenges, requiring the next generation to find ways of making production more sustainable, in terms of environmental, economic and social impacts.

Travelling to Saskatchewan in the heart of the Canadian Prairies it was fascinating to find such large farms run by so few people, typically 480ha (1200 acres) with two people, and with such a strong focus on creating profitable systems that fit the natural environment.

Anya Westland HE Assistant Head of Agriculture & Countryside, Myerscough College, Lancashire 01995 642191 awestland@ myerscough.ac.uk www.myerscough. ac.uk

Saskatchewan’s beef industry is shrinking, down 20% in the past four years to 1.2 million head, with feedlot capacity down more than a third since 2009.

Suckler beef farmers – known as ‘backgrounders’ – rely on feedlot capacity to take their yearling and weaned calves for fattening, so store calves are now having to be sold to the US and Alberta instead.

The main drivers of the decline are bankruptcy after the Canadian BSE crisis, rising grain prices and the cost of haulage to feedlots and packers (abattoirs). Saskatchewan has no packers, so all finished cattle are hauled to Alberta or over the border into the US. Further pressure comes from the cost of removing and spreading manure from over-wintering yards, and a shortage of labour, as high wages from Alberta’s oil boom attract young people away from farming.

12 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

3. May-born calves are weaned at 200kg and stored at 0.6-0.7kg DLWG through the winter until mid-May, with compensatory growth and hormones used to finish at 22-24 months.

Lowering costs of production Lowering production costs and reducing labour is a key focus for government and industry funded applied research, as typified by the Western Beef Development Centre near Lanagan, North Saskatchewan. Studies are geared to cow-calf operations (suckler cow systems), addressing breeding, nutrition and animal health in the centre’s 350-400 head pedigree Black Aberdeen Angus herd.

Extended grazing techniques for cows, heifers and calves are a key area, with three new approaches now being widely adopted.

1. Bale grazing • Big bales placed in ring feeders or left on the ground in a grid pattern • Access managed by electric fence • Poorer quality fields used so cattle fertilise and ‘rotovate’ the ground • Access to 10 days of bales initially to avoid wastage or hunger • Supply increased to 15 days and eventually 30 days Bales are either whole-crop barley or haylage, with further labour gains where bales are left in the field in-situ after baling. Reduced manure haulage from wintering yards and increased nitrogen content in the soil are further benefits.

FCCT BEEF • Anya Westland

2. Swath grazing • Barley, oats, triticale and millet sown mid-May to June • Cut late-August to mid-September at softto late-dough stage • Crop left in swath • Crop windrowed and strip grazed behind electric fence from October • Gap between swaths 6-7.5m (20-25ft) to reduce wastage Bale grazing Saskatchewan-style Barley offers the highest digestibility and protein.

Mixing in forage peas, ryegrass, and rye further improves nutrient content, while under-sowing grass in a winter crop provides late summer or autumn grazing. Cows may require additional supplements and minerals.

To avoid acidosis and laminitis from over-eating grain heads rather than straw the system needs careful introduction of cattle to windrows. Three days of grazing is allocated at a time. It is not uncommon for cows to graze through 60cm (2ft) of soft snow.

Over-winter swath grazing saves £191/ha (£79.64/acre), or over 80% of production costs, thanks to reduced labour, fuel, machinery and manure handling costs (see table - adapted from Swath Grazing – Economics, 2004).

Swath v yard Swath grazing barley Grazing costs Assumed losses Total cost Baled silage in feed yard Yardage cost Baling and carting Assumed losses Total cost

£/ha

(£/acre)

46.22 20% 46.22

(19.26)

154.00 83.30 20% 237.36

(64.19) (34.71)

Feed lot systems (below) are being challenged by more extensive approaches (above)

• Beef from beef herds only • 12.275 million cattle and calves • $6.6 (£4) billion industry, contributing 12.2% of total farm income • 271,040 tonnes of beef exported, down 21% in 2 years • 75% of exports to US • Over 500,000 head/year sold to US for feedlot finishing or processing

(19.26)

(98.90)

Source: Agriculture and Agrifood Canada 2013

Research shows considerable environmental benefits from better manure management, with less nutrient loss and a 200kg/ha gain in soil nitrogen over 18 months.

3. Corn Grazing • Standing maize grazed in the field • Controlled access via electric fence aids utilisation of whole plant • Issues with cows eating cob only and maize being prone to frost damage

Trip benefits Favourable climate allows cereal swaths to be left in-situ for winter feeding, through up to 2ft of snow (Source: Alberta Agriculture Food & Rural development 2004)

Such novel concepts may not suit high rainfall areas in the UK. But bale grazing and swath grazing could work if under-sown with grass mixtures so part of a field is baled to give a lie back area.

Canadian farmers are clearly extending overwinter grazing to reduce the cost to gain for weaned calves, as well as improving feed efficiency during finishing, whilst reducing labour, feed inputs and manure handling costs. Maybe their innovative mindset could inspire hard-pressed UK beef producers.

Canadian Beef

Corn grazing is controlled via an electric fence

Whilst in Canada I set up a Facebook page and uploaded photos and comments daily.

Back at home I lectured students, the Myerscough Research conference in November 2013 and have also spoken to students from a number of colleges and farmers to highlight the benefits of seeing ideas from other countries.

We are currently seeking funds to lead a student tour to Saskatchewan in May 2015.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 13

Charles Abel • Annual Meeting

Report on the

2014

Annual General Meeting

Minutes, Club Accounts and Annual Report THE Minutes of the 171st Annual General Meeting of the Club were approved and the Report and Audited Accounts of the Club for the year ended 31st December 2013 were adopted unanimously.

Election of the Club Chairman and the Vice-Chairman Anne Chamberlain and Richard Butler were proposed and unanimously agreed upon as Chairman and Vice-Chairman for 2015.

Proposing the election of Anne Chamberlain as Chairman of the Club, Barclay Forrest, Chairman of the Trustees, said he had known Anne for a very long time, and knew her father for much longer!

Her father was one of the leading breeders of Border Leicester Sheep and was world famous for his Wheatrig herd of Ayrshire cattle.

Anne’s career included positions as Business Editor of Farmers Weekly, Marketing Director of New Farm Crops during a very dynamic breeding period, and Director of Blackshaws Farm Park in Scotland, which welcomes over half a million visitors and children every year.

The 172nd Annual General Meeting chaired by Jimmy McLean was held at The Farmers Club on Tuesday, 8th July 2014. The following is a summary of the Minutes, full copies of which can be obtained by email from the Secretary.

She and husband Denis (a former Chairman of The Farmers Club) set up The Chamberlain Partnership, a very successful company, and she was Vice President of The Consumers Association. Anne was an expert on all things aquaculture and set up the first Fish Farming Magazine. Her expertise had been recognised in the fish farming world and she travelled the globe speaking on that subject.

2015 Chairman Anne Chamberlain

She had advised British Cereal Exports, visiting many countries, including China, Sweden, Spain and Portugal. At the Club she chaired the Journal Committee for three years. Indeed, Barclay felt Anne was probably the most impressive person he had known in communications and he would not have an OBE behind his name without her help.

Anne has two very successful children and four grandchildren.

Peter Jackson seconded the proposal, which was approved unanimously.

Replying, Anne Chamberlain said it was a privilege to be asked to chair The Farmers Club, a fellowship of people who care for agriculture and the countryside and who wish to come together to enhance it. It would be important to get the right blend between maintaining traditions and all that is best in the history of agriculture and also looking forward.

Proposing the election of Richard Butler as Vice Chairman for 2015 Nicki Quayle, Trustee, said Richard joined the Club in 1990 and very successfully chaired its House Committee before becoming Treasurer in 2011.

He had been NFU Council Delegate for Wiltshire and Chairman of the NFU’s National Cereals

14 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Annual Meeting • Charles Abel

2015 Vice Chairman Richard Butler

2015 Honorary Treasurer George Jessel

Committee, a director of NFU Mutual, chairman of the 300 Cow Club and was currently chairman of the Voluntary Initiative on pesticides.

Honorary Vice President John Parker

help it to continue to grow to become both bigger and better.

Auditors Richard runs a very successful business in Wiltshire, comprising arable, contracting, beef fattening and a dairy, all in partnership with his wife Sue and son Richard. In 2008 he won the prestigious Crown Estate Rural Business Award for Farming and Conservation. The farm recently opened a new all-singing-all-dancing diary unit.

He has three daughters and three grandchildren, and another on the way! In his spare time he plays tennis and shoots.

Paul Heygate seconded the proposal, which was approved unanimously.

Honorary Treasurer George Jessel was elected as Honorary Treasurer for 2015. Proposing his election Julian Sayers, Trustee, said after a successful army career and two years at the then Royal Agricultural College he returned to expand and diversify the family business in Kent. It now farmed 1200 acres of arable, beef and sheep, with office units, holiday lets, storage units, a restaurant and livery activities alongside. He had successfully established and then sold The Kent Cheese Company.

George was a Deputy Lieutenant and ambassador of Kent, patron of Hadlow College, chairman of Wye Agricultural Museum and chaired Kent Agricultural Society for six years and was now an honorary life governor. At the Club he recently chaired the Communications Committee as it developed the new website. Married to Vicki he has two children and enjoys ski-ing and shooting.

The Chairman and Committee recommended that haysmacintyre continue in office, which was agreed.

Any Other Business After more than 50 years as an overseas member, Mike Baker of Zambia, gave warm thanks to The Farmers Club, its officers and staff. The Club Journal was of a high standard and was a wonderful means of keeping in touch with British farming, he said. He hoped The Farmers Club would continue to flourish.

Teresa Wickham, asked whether ratio of farmers to ancillary trade members might be eased from two-to-one to one-to-one. The Chairman responded that the membership was continually monitored and 2014 figures showed the membership was continuing to grow and develop, so a change was not necessary. Campbell Tweed, chairman of the Membership Committee encouraged everyone to keep bringing good recruits.

The Chairman noted that the Club year meant that all the good news that had been reported at the AGM reflected the work of 2013 chairman Stewart Houston, whom he thanked.

Barclay Forrest thanked John Parker for all he had done for the Club as he stepped down from his position as Vice President. John, who had been a member for 58 years, Chairman in 1983, a Trustee, Chairman of Trustees and a Vice President, is now an Honorary Vice Present. Responding John Parker said his only concern was that he had never quite been able to put back what he had taken out of the Club!

Susan Kilpatrick seconded the proposal, which was approved.

Peter Jackson, Honorary Vice President, proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman for his excellent chairing of the AGM. His proposal drew hearty support.

Replying George Jessel said the Club was on a very good, sound financial footing and he would

There being no further business the Chairman concluded the Annual General Meeting.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 15

Charles Abel • Farming Art

Champion livestock Angus St Jeronny ovold’s ‘Rosem ’ Aberd een-An ead gus bull

Hard, cold bronze is transformed to convey a truly lifelike impression

‘Dittisham Lady’ from Champion Animals exhibition

ONE of the world’s most sensitive animal sculptors has won high praise from a top pedigree cattle breeder – and with good cause.

No better judge of stock than Angus Stovold, scion of the Surrey farming dynasty and former president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society, has commended sculptor Nick Bibby for his meticulous accuracy and ability to suggest movement in ‘Rosemead Jeronny’ (pictured), a bull from the Rosemead herd of pedigree Aberdeen-Angus cattle based at Lydling Farm, near Godalming in Surrey.

Gerry Farrell, director of the Sladmore Contemporary gallery in London, which exhibits Nick’s work, writes of his remarkable feel for the spirit of the animal. “The veins and muscles seem almost to move under the skin. Bronze, a cold hard metal, is transformed into very real fur, flesh and sinew by his incredible modelling skill.”

Widely acknowledged as one of England’s finest animalier sculptors, Nick renders the form, texture, movement and character of each subject with astonishing attention to detail and a remarkable feel for the spirit of the animal.

16 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Nick Bibby – capturing livestock spirit meticulously

The veins and muscles seem almost to move under the skin. Bronze, a cold hard metal, is transformed into very real flesh and sinew. His recent Champion Animals exhibition drew considerable media interest.

Born in County Durham in 1960, Nick has always been inspired by the natural world. Largely self taught he sold his first artwork aged thirteen and began sculpting commercially at sixteen. His first bronze, a Kingfisher, sold out in weeks in 1992, setting him on the road to artistic success.

More recently he was in the news with the Oxford Street installation of his monumental bronze sculpture, Indomitable, depicting a life-size Kodiak Grizzly Bear. Originally commissioned by Brown University in the USA the 2250kg (5000lbs) 4.5m (15ft) giant involved over 100 skilled workers at Pangolin Editions foundry in Chalford, Gloucestershire, to bring to fruition.

Nick lives and works in rural Devon with his wife and daughter, surrounded by the landscape and subjects that give him such inspiration.

Mr Stovold, a keen collector of cattle sculpture, is now hoping Nick will create a perfect cow as mate for Rosemead Jeronny.

Christmas Card

THE FARMERS CLUB CHRISTMAS CARD 2014

Farming Figures A quick look at… the contribution of country sports… told through some key statistics.

£2.5 billion Money spent by shooters each year on goods and services, predominantly in rural areas

74,000 jobs

‘Northumberland Blackface Ewes near Hadrian’s Wall’

Employment directly connected to shooting

66%

Proportion of rural land managed for shooting

600,000 Number of people shooting live quarry, clay pigeons or targets per year

2 million hectares Area of land managed for conservation as a result of shooting activities

4 million

People involved in fishing – the UK’s largest participation sport

5,000 People hunting with birds of prey in the UK

£3.5 billion Spent by fishing community

100,000 Members of pro-hunting Countryside Alliance

97%

Proportion of convictions under the Hunting Act 2004 which relate to ‘poaching’

Wayne Hutchinson/www.farm-images.co.uk This year’s Farmers Club Christmas Card features an original photograph, “Northumberland Blackface Ewes near Hadrian’s Wall”, taken by Wayne Hutchinson.

The card, which measures 171mm x 121mm (7"x 5"), is printed with the Club crest and the greeting “With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year”.

Surplus on the sale of the cards will be donated to the R.A.B.I. of England, Wales and N. Ireland and the R.S.A.B.I. of Scotland, both of which are dedicated to helping members of the farming community facing hardship.

The card is available in packs of 10 and may be bought at Reception or ordered from the Secretariat using the order form below. The price per pack is £7.50 including VAT and second class postage (UK only). Please place your order promptly to avoid any disappointment.

Members are requested, if possible, to collect their cards in person as it enables the Club to make a larger donation to the chosen charities.

Christmas Card Order Form To: The Secretary, The Farmers Club, 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL. I would like to order ………… packs of Christmas Cards (£7.50 per pack of 10). I will collect the cards from Reception on ………………………… (approximate date if known)/please deliver to the address below* (*delete as necessary) Payment can either be made by cheque payable to The Farmers Club or by Visa, Mastercard or Maestro card. I enclose a cheque for £ ………………. (Add £2.00 postage for orders of 5-10 packs OR £4.00 for over 10 packs).

PLEASE COMPLETE IN BLOCK CAPITALS Surname First Name Card Holder’s Name Card No Start Date

Expiry Date

Security No

Amount £ Signature

16,234

Address

Questionnaires completed to generate the comprehensive “Value of Shooting” report

Post Code

#

Telephone Sources: CLA, Angling Trust, Countryside Alliance, BASC, British Falconers Club

Email

www.thefarmersclub.com • 17

Beth Hockham, Chairman; John Jacques, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary • U30s

U30s Chairman’s Jottings As I write, many of the farmers here in Wiltshire have finished harvest and are ploughing up the fields again ready for next year’s crops. I am gearing up for a few late nights over the next couple of weeks as my Pol Dorset Sheep are due to lamb again.

Thank you to all the U30s who attended the recent U30s Pimm’s & Supper Evening at the Club.

Despite the rain meaning that we could not use the terrace, the staff organised a super reception in the Cumber Room and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. See Anna Bowen’s report (opposite).

The next U30s event is the September Dining Evening to be held on Friday 12th September.

We are fortunate to be joined by guest speaker Tom Rawson from Evolution Farming. We are very much looking forward to finding out about Tom’s experience as a ‘young farmer’ in the dairy industry.

The U30s October Farm Walk in Cirencester will run from 17th-19th October. The highlight of this will be our visit to Duchy Home Farm where we will be shown around by farm manager, David Wilson. Clay shooting has also been arranged and a black tie dinner at the Royal Agricultural College.

The flyer with full details for this event will be released shortly. It is anticipated that this will be a very popular event so if you would like to attend, do book your place early.

Pimm’s in London Rain may have stopped play on the balcony, but the U30s Pimm’s evening and weekend in London earlier this summer was still very much enjoyed by all.

Following drinks in the Cumber Room members and their guests moved through to dinner, which was an interesting menu put together by the new chef. There were a number of both new and potential members present, who were all very warmly welcomed by existing U30s.

The fun continued on Saturday with a trip to the pedalo boats on the Serpentine. Amazingly, nobody fell in (or got pushed in), but a certain person’s boot did end up bobbing on the surface of the water after been captured by a pirate ship and thrown (in the general direction of its owner) by a certain member from the colonies.

No harm was done to the boot and it was fished out and dried in the sun.

Saturday night saw a smaller group head to Brown’s restaurant via Simpson’s at the Savoy. After supper the hardiest of those left made their way to the Port House for cheese and port and some very amusing and competitive punning.

The U30s section of the Farmers Club website is undergoing some exciting changes and I encourage you to visit to see new photos and up to date information on events to be released soon. Watch this space!

After supper everyone moved to the bar for drinks and a few members practiced their ballroom dancing in a side room. Dancing skills of a different sort were required as the majority took the short walk to the notorious local club Opal. For those educated at Cirencester the club brought back fond memories of our own special club, although sadly Opal lacked its pole and cage!

As usual, if you have any questions about the U30s or if you have any suggestions or comments, please do get in touch with me.

U30s Facebook Group

I am honoured to have been asked to carry a basket at the Farmers Club Harvest Festival service at St. Martin in the Fields on 14th October and hope to see lots of U30s faces at this special event.

Contact Beth for more information Beth Hockham U30 Chairman 07773 232264 overcoombe@hotmail.com www.thefarmersclubu30s.com

18 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

All in all, the weekend was, as one attendee put it; “a barrel of laughs.”

Anna Bowen U30s Member

Keep up to date with Under 30s members and all the latest plans for Under 30s meet ups via the Farmers Club U30s Facebook group. It has over 165 members already, but is a closed group for Farmers Club members only, so visit www.facebook.com/groups/farmersclubu30s/ and click on the ‘Join Group’ tab so your request can be approved.

Once in, be sure to scroll down to Emily Mcveigh’s great video of the Wiltshire Farm Walk, featuring cows, pigs, the butchery demo, point-to-point action – and of course Paul Mason and Samuel J Gordon's awesome dancing!

(Also available at www.videofy.me/emcveigh/6332212)

U30s • Beth Hockham, Chairman; John Jacques, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary

Authors invited If any U30s members would be interested in writing an article for the Journal do please get in touch.

Submissions are always very welcome – addressing any topical issue, business venture or farming insight.

Season of mists: the poetry of farming In every bedroom I’ve stayed in at the Club there has been a small book, Our Common Ground, usually hidden among old editions of the Farmers Guardian.

It is a book of poetry, with verse touching on farming, the countryside and the rural way of life.

In some of the rooms the book appears to have been well read, in others it has hardly been touched.

One of the first things I usually do when checking in for the evening, concurrent with making a start on the Shrewsbury biscuits, is to have a quick thumb through the volume and read a poem or two.

I was at the Cheltenham Festival three years ago when Our Common Ground was launched. With a forward by the Prince of Wales, the book is what it says it is on its front cover – a celebration of farming and countryside.

Some of the poets featured in the book are very well known (the dead ones), while others are fairly obscure (the living ones). Many of the poems were written during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when the countryside in general and agriculture in particular was undergoing a profound and prolonged period of change from the medieval to the modern. Indeed, one of the major themes running through most of the poems, like that through farming itself, is the theme of change.

When I was younger I didn’t take much notice of the changing seasons. Summer simply meant seaside holidays in Dorset or Devon, while autumn meant back to school for the long run up to Christmas. Only in the last few years have I really taken notice – and really appreciated – the changing seasons in nature, especially my favourite, that from summer to autumn.

Contact Beth Hockham, Chairman U30s, overcoombe@ hotmail.com or call 07773 232264

With appreciation comes pleasure; as I write these words in the last few days of August, the thin leaves on the poplar trees by the river have already mellowed from a vibrant yellow to a withered brown. Reading the poems of Keats, Gray and Clare (my personal favourites), it is clear that people in the past were just as interested and concerned with change in the countryside as we are today. They celebrated – and condemned – the changes they saw in fine verse.

Next time you have a spare ten minutes in your room at the Club, take up this lovely little book and have a read, even if poetry is not really your thing. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Dominic Kirby

Dominic Kirby Under 30s member and failed poet Our Common Ground is published by Silverdart Publishing in association with the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester.

This anthology is a poetic celebration of the richness and diversity of the British countryside and its farming tradition, comprising over 100 poems from 82 modern and traditional poets, including Brian Patten, Roger McGough, Ted Hughes, Andrew Motion, Seamus Heaney, William Shakespeare and John Keats, providing a diverse and accessible collection of responses to the beauty and power of our common ground.

Available via www.amazon.co.uk Paperback 160 pages ISBN: 978-0955458163

www.thefarmersclub.com • 19

Stephen Skinner • Club News

Club News

Magnificent eighth floor views I am very pleased to report that the redevelopment of the Eighth floor has been completed, and the bedrooms are available for use by members. From what was six single rooms all sharing one bathroom, we now have five super single en-suite bedrooms and a double en-suite as well.

The facilities in the rooms have taken a great leap forward and I hope you

will like what the team has done to ensure that expectations are met.

Of course, what is unique and truly quite stunning about the eighth floor, are the views across London from the four rooms that face south. You really would be hard pressed to improve upon their outlook to be honest! So, with great rooms and great views, I look forward to hearing your comments.

Refurbished kitchen open for business!

To support the drive to improve the food available in the Club we have at long last carried out a significant refurbishment of the kitchen.

A key part of this process was to develop the kitchen facilities so we are better able to provide great food for the restaurant and functions at the same time.

We’ve looked to make better use of the available space and improved some of the key pieces of equipment, including an additional combi-oven, and improved the lighting and air extraction.

This project has taken a lot of effort and careful planning and I would like to thank Virginia, the Club Manager, and our Head Chef, Paul Hogben (above), who have done so much to bring this project to a successful conclusion. Now, come and put us, and the new menu, to the test!

Talking of menus, when I say ‘new menu’ I mean that Paul Hogben has adjusted it to match the new season.

So, for example, we will be serving Pan Fried Partridge with Partridge Sausage Roll and Parsnip Cream, among many other enticing dishes this Autumn.

We also have a new coffee machine, about which I can hear a certain ‘Geordie’ member saying ‘not before time!’ This offers members the opportunity to enjoy the full range of quality coffees so often found today. So, if your thing is an Espresso or a Macchiato or a Cappuccino, then just ask.

Dress Code In line with the Club’s desire to create a more relaxed atmosphere at weekends, smart casual dress may be worn from 6pm Friday to midnight Sunday. Smart clean jeans, polo shirts and trainers are perfectly acceptable. Children should conform with the above guidelines as best they can.

20 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

Club News • Stephen Skinner

Club Events and Shows

Club Calendar

As I write we are approaching the end of an fine Show season, with just the Westmorland Show drinks reception on the 11th September to go.

Diary Dates

We had an excellent gathering at the CLA Game Fair at Blenheim Palace where not only were we able to welcome the key executives of the CLA but also a good number of members (including many U30s).

While the weather was a little against us, all enjoyed the evening, with outstanding canapés and first class Prosecco!

It was great to get back to the Royal Welsh Show too where the weather was seriously hot. The Chairman, his wife Jane and I were honoured to be invited to the President’s lunch and then, after a gentle afternoon of looking at the splendour that is the Royal Welsh, we enjoyed drinks with members and the key Show executives, in the main marquee. Assuming the weather is always as hot at the Royal Welsh, I will arrange ice cream next year too!

Finally, a party of 61 Club members and their guests were enormously fortunate to visit the Edinburgh Tattoo. What an event!

Led by the Chairman and his wife, we were treated to a superb dinner in the splendour of Edinburgh Castle and then the Tattoo itself, which was really quite exceptional.

The colour, the music, the dancing, the excitement, the fireworks all made for a night not to be forgotten. Can I take this opportunity to publicly thank RBS for their generosity and organization that went such a long way to make the evening the success it was.

Please check the dates carefully as they sometimes change and new dates are added for each issue. Details of Club events circulated in the previous issues are available from the Secretariat on 020 7930 3751or email events@thefarmersclub.com

SEPTEMBER Beethoven’s Ninth at Royal Albert Hall – FULL Saturday 27th Supper in the Club and coach transfer to/from the concert

OCTOBER Constable – The making of a Master Constable Exhibition

Friday 10th (also November 14) Luncheon, private talk and Constable show at the Victoria and Albert Museum Application form enclosed with last issue

Harvest Festival Service Tuesday 14th Service with choir at St Martin-in-the-Fields followed

by Buffet Supper at the Club Application form enclosed with last issue Harvest Festival

NOVEMBER Constable – The making of a Master Friday 14th (also October 10th) Luncheon, private talk and Constable exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum Application form enclosed with last issue

St Andrews Day Lunch Friday 28th At RBS HQ, Gogarburn, Edinburgh Application form enclosed with this issue Saltire flag

DECEMBER Statoil Masters Tennis at Royal Albert Hall – FULL Friday 5th Supper in the Club with coach transfer to/from the tennis

Messiah at Royal Albert Hall

Masters tennis

Friday 19th Supper in the Club followed by magnificent Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall Application form enclosed with last issue

New Year’s Eve Party Wednesday 31st Application form enclosed with last issue

JANUARY Oxford Farming Conference Monday 5th - Wednesday 7th For info only – not a Club event

LAMMA Show Magnificent Messiah Edinburgh Tattoo

Wednesday 21st - Thursday 22nd For info only – not a Club event

www.thefarmersclub.com • 21

The Farmers Club • Club Information

Club Information 020 7930 3557 • www.thefarmersclub.com Office Holders Patron – Her Majesty The Queen HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS Peter Jackson CBE, Sir David Naish DL VICE PRESIDENTS Mark Hudson, Roddy Loder-Symonds, John Parker, Norman Shaw CBE, Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB 2014 PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN Jimmy McLean TRUSTEES Barclay Forrest OBE (Chairman), Mrs Nicki Quayle, Julian Sayers, Paul Heygate VICE-CHAIRMAN Anne Chamberlain HONORARY TREASURER Richard Butler IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Stewart Houston CBE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND SECRETARY Stephen Skinner CLUB CHAPLAIN The Reverend Sam Wells COMMITTEE Elected 2009: John Stones Elected 2012: Mrs Ionwen Lewis, Charles Notcutt OBE (Chairman – House Sub-Committee) Elected 2013: Lindsay Hargreaves, Tim Harvey, Nick Helme, George Jessel DL (Chairman – Communications Sub-Committee), Peter Jinman OBE, Mrs Jo Turnbull Elected 2014: Robert Lasseter, Allan Stevenson, Alison Ritchie, Martin Taylor, Campbell Tweed OBE (Chairman – Membership Sub-Committee) Co-opted: Beth Hockham (Chairman Under 30s), John Jacques (Vice Chairman Under 30s), Martin Taylor THE FARMERS CLUB CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES John Kerr MBE JP DL (Chairman), James Cross, Vic Croxson DL, Stephen Fletcher, Mrs Stella Muddiman JP, The Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of the Club (ex officio)

Madam Butterfly The Royal Albert Hall will once again be turned into an enchanting Japanese water garden for the return of the spectacular in-the-round production of Puccini's Madam Butterfly, and The Farmers Club has tickets for the show on Friday 27 February 2015.

No opera can match the tragedy and sorrow of Madam Butterfly. Set in Japan at the turn of the century, this tale of the doomed love of an American naval lieutenant and his young Japanese bride inspired Puccini to write some of his most sublime and beautiful music.

The differences in attitudes and styles of East and West are skilfully woven together in Puccini's ravishing score. The magnificent love duet which closes the first act, and Butterfly's celebrated solo One Fine Day in which she shows her unwavering belief that Pinkerton will return to her, are just two of the greatest moments. And when, after several years, Pinkerton eventually returns with his American wife, Butterfly realises she has been betrayed and the opera moves to its powerful and tragic conclusion.

Madam Butterfly is sung in English using the highly acclaimed translation by Amanda Holden and is directed by renowned opera and theatre director David Freeman. Oliver Gooch conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a distinguished cast with the title role being shared by Nam-young Kim, Hyeseoung Kwon and Myung-Joo Lee. Our programme starts at 5.00pm with a two-course supper in the Club. At 6.30pm the coach departs for the Royal Albert Hall, in time for the start of the Opera at 7.30pm. After the Opera, at 10.15pm (approx) the coach returns to the Club.

The cost per person is £125 including supper at the Club, ticket for the Opera and coach transfers to and from the Royal Albert Hall. All applications should be received by 17th October 2014. This event is limited to 40 places only. If oversubscribed, places will be decided by a ballot.

Register your interest online at www.thefarmersclub.com or complete the booking form enclosed with this issue.

Club Closure NEXT ISSUE Watch out for your Winter issue of the Farmers Club Journal, due out in mid-November, with all the latest Club news, plus reports on a Farmers Club Charitable Trust study of anaerobic digestion in Canada, the rise of farmland values, and profiles of Adam Henson, Duchy Farms and Ludlow Food Centre.

22 • The Farmers Club Autumn Journal 2014

From 12 noon on Tuesday 23 December 2014 to 3.00pm on Friday 2 January 2015. Members may book a bedroom to stay when the Club is closed on the understanding that it is on a room only basis as no other facilities are available.

Club Information • The Farmers Club

Deaths It is with regret that we announce the death of the following members: Mrs G Borner Kent Mr J Crittall Surrey Mr J Gooderham Suffolk Mr R Meyrick Cornwall Mrs M Moult Derbyshire Mr D Oliphant Wiltshire Mr J Osborne Somerset New Members The following were elected: UK Members Mr N Bailey Mr R Barker Mrs W Barnes Mr S Barr Mr M Beckett Mr W Boase Mr D Butler Mr M Corrie Mrs A Doughty Mrs K Farmiloe Mr A Goddard Mr W Horne Mr C James Mr M Jewers Mr J Marks Mr R McEwan Mr J McKenna Mr S Murphy Mr C Oulton Professor W Purcell Dr L Smith Mr J Stebbing Ms V Thirlwell Mr N Tuck Mr D Waller Under 30s Miss A Beazley Mr S Beckett Miss B Bone Miss C Frogley Miss R Gaymer Mr T Lockton

Lincolnshire Suffolk Cheshire Berwickshire Sussex East Lothian Sussex Shropshire Devon Worcestershire Shropshire Cheshire Pembrokeshire Suffolk Hampshire London Midlothian Suffolk Somerset Devon Cambridgeshire Gloucestershire Gloucestershire Devon Berkshire Norfolk Sussex Hertfordshire London Essex London

Reciprocal Clubs UK City Livery Club, London (No bedrooms) Royal Overseas League, Edinburgh Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh The New Club, Edinburgh Northern Counties Club, Newcastle Note: We have informal agreements with the East India and Caledonian Club for bedroom bookings if we are full. Reception also holds a list of hotels within a 15 minute walk that might be considered ‘good value for money’.

OVERSEAS The Western Australian Club, Perth, Australia (Bedrooms not reciprocated) Queensland Club, Brisbane, Australia The Australian Club, Melbourne, Australia

Envelope Sponsorship Mhe Farmers Club acknowledge the support of Agrovista, sponsor of the Journal envelope.

Agrovista is the leading authority on all aspects of crop management advice, with many years of experience backed up with the most advanced and comprehensive range of Agronomy trials in Great Britain. For more information visit www.agrovista.co.uk Mobile Phones, Briefcases and Business Meetings Mobile phones must not be used in the Public Rooms (except the Shaw Room). Briefcases should be left in the Cloakrooms and Business meetings must be conducted in the Shaw Room or designated and pre-booked meeting rooms.

Members should speak with the Meetings Manager, Mrs Lynne Wilson for details on 020 7925 7100 or, meetings@thefarmersclub.com Parking The Club has no private parking at Whitehall Court and metered parking in the immediate area is extremely limited. The nearest public car park, open 24 hours a day, is situated in Spring Gardens off Cockspur Street, approximately 5 minutes walk from the Club. Telephone: 0800 243 348.

The Congestion Charge can be paid at this car park. For more information on parking, see: www.westminster.gov.uk/services/transport andstreets/parking Business Suite The Business Suite provides PCs, WiFi and a mobile phone signal amplifier for members.

Dress Code Members are requested to advise their guests of the following: • Gentlemen must wear formal jackets and ties on weekdays. Polo-neck jerseys, jeans and trainers are not acceptable.

• There are Club jackets and a selection of ties at Reception which may be borrowed in an emergency.

• Ladies should be dressed conventionally.

Trousers are permitted but not jeans or trainers during the week.

• Smart casual dress may be worn by all from 6pm Friday to midnight Sunday; smart clean jeans and trainers are permitted.

• Children should conform, as best they can, with the above guidelines.

• Members must advise their guests of the dress regulations.

Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland (Bedrooms not reciprocated) Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club, Dublin, Ireland The Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi, Kenya The Harare Club, Harare, Zimbabwe The Christchurch Club, Christchurch, New Zealand (operating from The George Hotel www.thegeorge.com and able to offer reciprocal visitors preferred accommodation rates) The Canterbury Club, Christchurch, New Zealand Members wishing to use any of the above Clubs should obtain an introductory card from the Secretariat.

Club Contacts THE FARMERS CLUB Over 170 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

Chairman 2014: Jimmy McLean

Chief Executive and Secretary: Stephen Skinner

Club Number 020 7930 3557 Reception ext: 200/201 reception@thefarmersclub.com Bedroom Reservations ext: 204 reservations@thefarmersclub.com Dining Room Reservations ext: 200/201 reception@thefarmersclub.com Conference & Banqueting ext: 109 or direct line: 020 7925 7100 meetings@thefarmersclub.com Events & U30s ext: 103 events@thefarmersclub.com Club Manager ext: 102 clubmanager@thefarmersclub.com Head Chef ext: 111 or direct line: 020 7925 7103 chef@thefarmersclub.com Accounts ext: 106 or direct line: 020 7925 7101 accounts@thefarmersclub.com Membership ext: 107 or direct line: 020 7925 7102 membership@thefarmersclub.com PA to Secretary ext: 104 or direct line: 020 7930 3751 generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com Bedrooms ext: 3+ [two digit room number] eg. ext 301 for Room1 Whitehall Court Porters 020 7930 3160 Fax 020 7839 7864 Website: www.thefarmersclub.com THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Editor and Advertisement Manager: Charles Abel 07795 420692 E-mail: editor@thefarmersclub.com Designed and produced by: Ingenious, www.ingeniousdesign.co.uk The printing inks are made using vegetable based oils.

No film or film processing chemicals were used.

Printed on Lumi Silk which is ISO 14001 certified manufacturer.

FSC Mixed Credit. Elemental chlorine free (ECF) fibre sourced from well managed forests.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 23

THE FARMERS CLUB

Christmas Card 2014

Members are invited to order this year’s Farmers Club Christmas Card, featuring this striking image “Northumberland Blackface Ewes near Hadrian’s Wall” photographed by Wayne Hutchinson.

The card is printed with the Club crest and the greeting “With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year”.

Available in packs of 10 the cards can be bought at Reception or ordered from the Secretariat using the order form on page 17.

Profits from card sales will support the R.A.B.I. of England, Wales and N. Ireland and the R.S.A.B.I. of Scotland.