The Farmers Club Issue 281

9 Farmers HARVEST 2019 • ISSUE 281

Club

www.thefarmersclub.com

INSIDE Event reports p4 Jerez tour p8 James Naish obit p10 AGM report p11 Rural innovation p12 Terrace update p13 Inspiring advice p14 Live well/farm well p16 Ag pre-EU p18 Chef’s apples p19 Under 30s farm walk p20

INSERTS Herefordshire Tour Da Vinci exhibition Harvest Festival New Year’s Eve Dinner

Minister visits Robert Goodwill MP delivers enthusiastic AGM lunch talk p6

www.thefarmersclub.com for the latest Club news

Farmers Club Serving the farming industry for 175 years 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

Contents

FRONT COVER This year’s guest speaker at the Club’s AGM luncheon was Rt Hon Robert Goodwill MP, Minister of State at Defra – who delivered a fascinating talk and fielded a wide range of questions.

Photography: Minna Rossi www.minnarossi.com 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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3

Mission impossible? Not for our intrepid Club Chairman

Chairman’s Comments

4

Summer is here and the Club is a hive of activity

Club News

6 Defra Minister outlines farming’s future

AGM Lunch speaker Robert Goodwill was in fine form 8 Sherr y, sunshine, culture and bulls in Jerez

The Chairman’s Tour to the south of Spain enjoyed fabulous weather and some great visits – and a glass or two of sherry

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10 James Naish obituar y Tribute to former Club Chairman and horticulturalist

11 Annual General Meeting report

Scotland provides 2020 Chairman and Vice-Chairman 12 Rural innovation

£30,000 is on offer for a regenerative rural project 13 Terrace made even more welcoming

Table heaters, parasols, cushions and blankets – all designed

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to make your outdoor room at the Club even comfier

14 Management pointers

Top tips from an inspirational farm conference in Australia 16 Live well, farm well

A better balance for family, leisure and business demands 18 Before we joined Europe

Key stats contrast farming pre-Europe and now 18 Charitable Trust

Who secured this year’s Agricultural Educator Awards

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19 Chef ’s page

Apples from Dorset – made into many and varied delicacies 20 Under 30s member profile

A passion for sourcing ingredients and promoting farming 21 Under 30s Hampshire farm walk

Leckford Estate, Vitacress and a very impressive AD facility 22 Club Information and Contacts

02 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Chairman’s Comments • Nick Helme up with a Farmers Club label; I think they were concerned we had booked it for shipping!

The highlight of the trip was probably visiting a bull breeding estate to witness the exercising of bulls that will run at Pamplona. Sitting on a garden bench on the back of a pickup truck, right in the middle of it all, the sight, sound and smell of forty bulls careering down a prepared gallop track was truly awesome!

Ash Dieback advancing My walks in the woods have been tinged with sadness this year. It has finally become evident that the old saying “oak before ash” or “ash before oak” just isn’t going to be relevant anymore. Not that I was ever convinced it had any ability to predict whether we got a “splash” or a “soak”; but it was always fun to pretend a degree of country wisdom. The oak has won the race for five years on the trot, regardless of the weather, and it’s time to recognise Ash Dieback is affecting all our ash.

Chairman’s Comments “Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to attend this show, a drinks reception, a lunch and then on to the next one…!”

WITH the show season in full swing, every week we receive our briefing notes. We have termed it ‘Mission Impossible’: “your task, should you choose to accept it, is to attend this show, a drinks reception, a lunch and then on to the next one…!”

The whole idea of visiting members at their local shows is a crucial part of Club activities. We anticipate seeing well over 5% of the membership and have enjoyed every minute. Starting with the Balmoral show, a proper farming show with great people, then Cornwall, probably the most spectacular site and another great show. Our local Three Counties Show was a great place to meet old friends and make new ones, just a shame we managed to bring the rain back from Cornwall!

Cheshire Show was a new one for Donna and me, with a huge marquee designated for just cheese, and the most incredible array of cups and trophies on display. The Highland Show was another great visit, over 90 people attended the pre-show dinner at the New Club and we had a great day at the show, including a brief masterclass in cattle judging from next year’s Club Vice-Chairman Keith Redpath! Our congratulations go to Keith on winning the inter-breed Champion Bull class at the show.

Running the bulls Donna and I have recently come back from a truly splendid Club trip to Jerez in Spain, all very well organised and great company. Needless to say, a lot of sherry was tested and approved! The Club management were somewhat alarmed when we sent back a photo of a barrel of Manzanilla chalked

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A very experienced forester told me we need to face up to the fact that our ash trees will all go; it’s just a matter of time. His advice was to bite the bullet and start felling and replacing. Leaving diseased trees to shed spores is just accelerating the overall decline.

Jackdaw cacophony Late June is a noisy affair here at Wharton!

We have always had jackdaws nesting around the farm-yard and as they hatch and fledge the roof tops are filled with scores of them. Very social birds, they seem to form up into wider family groups. The noise is incredible, a cacophony of jeering, laughing and shouting school kids, with the exasperated adults trying to call them back into line. There have always been jackdaws here and somehow the place wouldn’t seem or sound the same without them.

This year we have also had house martins for the first time in many years. Out of the blue, on 9th June, I spotted lumps of mud stuck beneath the eaves. Over the next week these transformed into two new nests and we now have two sitting birds peering over the edge of their little pebble dashed homes. Late, but they should stand a chance of at least one good hatch.

On the farm that much needed rain has worked its miracle. The later planted crops are doing their thing, potatoes planted well into May managed to achieve my desired milestone of “shut row” by the longest day and maize planted almost at the end of May is now romping away. Far too frequently have I rushed in to plant, and seen potatoes and maize struggle to emerge and then seem to sit still, struggle and shiver for weeks – only to be overtaken by crops planted weeks later but into warm soil that allowed them to do what they want to do; grow like mad!

@thefarmersclub

The Farmers Club Page

www.thefarmersclub.com • 03

Andrei Spence • Club News

Club News Busy Club as Summer swings into action

and dinner events the length and breadth of the UK. On the eve of the Royal Balmoral Show our pre-show dinner was attended by 50 members and guests. This was followed by a reception at the Royal Cornwall Show where 37 members heard from Johnathan Jones, Managing Director, Trading, at Tregothnan Estates.

Three Counties Show From Cornwall, we moved to the Chairman’s home show, the Royal Three Counties at Malvern, with the lead county being Herefordshire this year (also the Chairman’s home county). The Countess of Mar delivered a very thoughtful speech to 27 hardy souls in less than ideal weather conditions.

With only a weekend in between, we moved to the Royal Cheshire Show at Knutsford for a Club breakfast for 25 members. Speaker Keith Siddorn gave us a fascinating insight into his farming operation at Broxton, covering conservation, rare breeds and educational outreach to the community.

As the Summer period started in earnest the Club geared up to deliver a wide range of activities in the Club, in London, and all around the UK and beyond, writes Club Secretary & Chief Executive Andrei Spence.

Club to the Country A very important element is the ‘club to country’ events, using the agricultural shows and their infrastructure to reach

out from our London base to connect with members across the country. These events are attended by the Chairman and myself and we usually secure the speaking services of prominent local (sometimes national) speakers, before I give an update on what is happening down here in town.

Balmoral Show This year we planned to visit eight showgrounds, with breakfast, reception

Committee Matters In early July we had the summer round of Sub-Committee and General Committee meetings where I reported on general Club matters including an update on Project SPIRIT, the Club’s new IT system, of particular interest to the Communications sub-committee, which is progressing well to date bearing in mind the complexity of the project, and also an update on the forthcoming refurbishment works to bedrooms on the Upper Ground floor which start in August. Membership numbers look healthy and whilst we inevitably lose some members every year for a variety of reasons, we have sufficient new applications, which the Membership sub-committee scrutinises to ensure we maintain the correct ratio of farming membership. After the Committee meetings, we held the Club’s Annual General Meeting in the Farmers Suite (p11), followed by the AGM lunch, when we were fortunate, at short notice, to welcome as our guest and speaker, Rt Hon Robert Goodwill, Minister of State at DEFRA and Club member (p6).

04 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Royal Highland Show The last show we visited in this half of the show season was the Royal Highland Show, where we held a pre-show dinner at the New Club in Edinburgh, one of our reciprocal clubs. It was a great evening with 92 members enjoying a memorable talk from Professor Heather McGregor, Executive Dean of the Edinburgh Business School – a very different and humorous speech covering her business life and the broader business outlook in these uncertain times.

It has been a real pleasure meeting so many Club members during this time and we look forward to meeting many more at the remaining shows we are covering this year (Kent County, Great Yorkshire and Royal Welsh shows).

Honorary Vice-President After many years of sterling service to the Club, as Chairman, Trustee, Chair of Trustees and Vice-President, Sir Mark Hudson has been made an Honorary Vice-President.

STOP PRESS!!!

Please remember the club is FULLY open throughout the Summer. We look forward to seeing you here.

Club News • Andrei Spence

Club Calendar Diary Dates

See back cover for Calendar of Club events

Superb range of events!

Eltham Palace & Gardens visit “Eltham Palace was fascinating, while both meals at the Club were superb. The whole day went far too quickly,” Robert and Carlita Adams “Thank you for organising a thoroughly enjoyable day, a great success.”

Judy Underwood

The Club has had a wonderful range of events over recent months, including the Chelsea Flower Show in late May, when 80 members and guests enjoyed a superb lunch in the Farmers Suite, entertained once again by the irrepressible Peter Seabrook MBE, horticultural journalist and Club member, whose enthusiastic talk guided members towards some of the ‘must see’ exhibits.

At the end of May, the Under 30s embarked on their Spring Farm Walk weekend, in Hampshire (p21), where a good time was had by all.

Chelsea Flower Show “Just wanted to drop you a quick email to say how much we enjoyed yesterday’s visit to the Chelsea Flower Show and to thank you also for all your hard work in making the whole event run so smoothly.”

Amanda and Thomas Beazley

Committee Nominations Committee elections will take place later this year, the nomination papers for which were contained as an insert in the last Journal (Summer 2019) for any member to put themselves forward for election to the General Committee (details on the nomination paper) with appropriate proposer and seconder. There are a number of potential places available for the year commencing January 2020.

Once we have sufficient nominations ballot papers will be issued as an insert in the Autumn Journal (September 2019). NOMINATIONS MUST BE WITH THE SECRETARY BY 13TH AUGUST 2019.

If you require a nomination form contact the Secretary asap.

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The beginning of June is a time of pageantry in London and Club Administrator Anita did a great job in securing a decent number of tickets for Beating Retreat at Horse Guards Parade, preceded by dinner at the Club. A great evening ensued drawing high praise from the 35 members who attended.

Glorious Jerez June also marked the first of the ‘Chairman’s Tours’, with Nick and Donna Helme leading a party of 20 Club members on a three-day visit to the Jerez region of Spain, which was exceptionally well received (p8).

The end of the month saw the Club enjoy a visit to Eltham Palace in Southeast London, former home to a young Henry VIII and latterly the famous materials family, the Courtaulds. The mixture of Medieval and Art deco architecture was fascinating. Members enjoyed lunch at the Club beforehand, including the asparagus ice cream and lemon/white cocoa tart, which caused much debate and plaudits.

Early July saw visits to Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and Henley Royal Regatta – both enjoyed in superb summer weather. Reports in next Journal.

Entrance Lobby Works Work in the entrance/lobby area of No.3 Whitehall Court continues apace. Looking through one of the windows to the affected area reveals a great deal of work done already, and I am told a number of original aspects and decorations have been revealed by this initial work. I am not aware of any particular problems thus far with members navigating around the Club from the current No. 4 entrance and I think we are all becoming more used to it! @thefarmersclub

The Farmers Club Page

www.thefarmersclub.com • 05

Charles Abel • Farm policy

Goodwill’s farming insight DEFRA Minister of State and Club member Robert Goodwill MP spoke eloquently to Farmers Club members and guests at the Club’s AGM Luncheon earlier this month.

Charles Abel reports

YOUR VOICE What do you think? Send letters for publication to editor@ thefarmersclub. com or post to 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

DEFRA Minister Robert Goodwill gave Farmers Club members an exclusive insight into UK agriculture’s prospects before fielding a wide range of questions in the fine surroundings of the Club’s Farmers Suite overlooking the River Thames on a glorious mid-summer’s day in early July.

Introducing the speaker Club Chairman Nick Helme noted Mr Goodwill had been a member of the Club for over 20 years, treating it as home for 10 months during his early years in Government.

“I have been very pleased to have this oasis, free from mobile phones, and where standards continue to be upheld,” he enthused to warm applause from the listening members.

06 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

More to the point the industry had welcomed his appointment, feeling that with an agricultural degree from the University of Newcastle and a farm in Yorkshire, where the family had been “hefted to the land” since the 1700s, he would know “where the bodies were buried” and would not allow “civil servants to run rings” around the key issues.

Indeed, moving to Defra had been like “taking an old jacket from the back of the wardrobe – it seemed to fit just right,” Mr Goodwill commented.

Technological future Focusing on the past, present and future of UK farming, he argued forcefully for a negotiated Brexit, which would open new opportunities for

Farm policy • Charles Abel agriculture. He noted just how dependent on technology the industry was, highlighting the need to be at the cutting edge of innovation once out of Europe.

When his father had bought the family farm in 1963, for £70/acre, another farm had been available at High Mowthorpe, rent free. But it was “yellow with runch, and what wasn’t yellow was being grazed by rabbits.” Only the advent of MCPA herbicide (and the arrival of myxomatoses) helped it become viable, with subsequent innovations helping make farming what it is today.

So unfounded concerns around technologies, such as gene editing, must not thwart progress, he argued. There needed to be more heed of the law of unintended consequences too. Whilst neonicotinoids had been banned for the best scientific reasons, oilseed rape growers were now having to use contact insecticides up to three times in the autumn, and there was less oilseed rape to provide pollen and nectar for the very bees the ban was designed to protect, he noted.

“For too long the EU has been cut off from genetic technology and when we leave the EU we will have more flexibility to use this key-hole technology,” he felt. Newly approved work on gene-editing potatoes for PCN and blight resistance was a case in point, potentially helping reduce the use of nematicides and blight fungicides.

The precautionary principle was the other enemy. “Whenever the European Parliament lacks evidence the principle seems to get wheeled out. Whilst it does have a role where specific concerns exist, it shouldn’t be used to give in to campaigning, because that’s where we can again see unintended consequences, such as doing more cultivations, burning more diesel, producing more carbon dioxide and impacting the environment if Roundup is restricted.”

Brexit certainty On Brexit he agreed with past Club Chairman Paul Heygate that uncertainty was hitting businesses hard, hampering investment and planning. The risks around a no deal exit were particularly marked for farming. But Defra was best prepared of all Government departments, with 2000 extra staff ensuring suitable measures would be in place. Securing a negotiated deal was the priority, even if it meant further extending the Brexit process, he insisted.

On the issue of delayed environmental payments, raised by Rutland farmer and Committee member Andrew Brown, he pleaded “guilty as charged” and suggested monthly payments, more like a milk cheque, would make better sense in future.

He believed export markets could be developed around the world post-Brexit, and that the situation 100 days into Brexit would be very different to that on day one. Having recently concluded a deal for beef exports to China he felt there was demand there for lamb and pork too, especially given their issues with African swine fever.

Fair trade Past Chairman Richard Butler posed the question: “how can any Government describe the prospect of huge post-Brexit imports of food produced with chemicals we can’t use in the UK as fair trade?” Mr Goodwill agreed. In the rush to strike deals production standards, on environmental issues, welfare and input use, needed to be upheld, as promised by Defra Secretary Michael Gove.

Responding to a question from Under 30s ViceChairman Eleanor Kay about the implementation of agricultural science on-the-ground, he felt entrepreneurship was the key, combined with a regulatory environment that favoured science, which was not the case currently.

Although his visit to the Club had been scheduled for under an hour Mr Goodwill stayed far longer, clearly enjoying the open discussions with such a cross-section of industry expertise.

The industry’s future post-Brexit may be profoundly uncertain, but Mr Goodwill’s warm fellowship with the industry was evident to all.

ROBERT GOODWILL Robert was born in North Yorkshire, educated in York and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He farms 250 acres at Terrington near Malton where his family has farmed since 1850. In 1999 he became a Member of the European Parliament, becoming Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs as well as Environmental Policy spokesman. A staunch Eurosceptic, since 2005 he has been MP for Scarborough and Whitby and has held ministerial positions at the Department for Transport and Department for Education, as well as being Home Office Minister of State for Immigration. He was appointed Minister of State at Defra on 5th March 2019.

From 1986-88 he was chairman of the North Yorkshire National Farmers Union cereals and livestock committee. He takes a keen interest in steam engines and owns several.

In the absence of politically powerful French farmers to support aid payments, he felt environmental land management was the future.

It would help keep taxpayers on side, because it was their money, and if Treasury threatened funding then NGOs could help support lobbying, to safeguard the landscape, environment and public goods.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 07

Anita Kaur & Marjorie Talbot • Club Tour

Jerez extravaganza – hola!

The Chairman’s Tour to Jerez and Seville in Southern Spain provided a stunning insight into the region’s fine sherries, culture, architecture and a passion for bulls! Dr Marjorie Talbot and Anita Kaur report

08 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Club Tour • Anita Kaur & Marjorie Talbot THE focus of our tour was Jerez de la Frontera, Sanlucar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa Maria, three cities in the province of Cadiz forming the Sherry Triangle, the home of sherry fortified wine made from white grapes.

Our tour guide David Martin welcomed the group as we made our way to the Hotel Palacio Garvey in Jerez, a lovely, spacious hotel located in the city centre, in lovely summer weather. Dinner was enjoyed in the wonderful Restaurante Casa Juanito, just a five minute walk from the hotel, where members enjoyed typical Andalucian dishes.

After some rest and an enjoyable breakfast the following morning we made our way to Bodegas Lustau winery, where we learned about the process of aging, storing and bottling sherry wine.

Sherry production Interestingly, the production of sherry is mainly for export to Britain and America, with the variations in style, be it dry, sweet, young or old, determined by vineyard management and control of the temperature and humidity in the 40 metre high ‘Cathedral’ bodega storage areas, which contain Andalucian silica sand, to absorb any moisture, and benefit from the Atlantic ocean breeze.

The group enjoyed tasting some of the bodega’s main wines, guided by the cellar’s expert, before heading to a private family vineyard, where,

for more than 1000 years, they have cultivated white grapes especially for sherry wines. The guide who showed us around this vineyard was very passionate and explained the cultivation system in great depth, before we sampled five types of sherry, followed by lunch at the vineyard.

In the afternoon a local guide walked us through the streets of Jerez, a fascinating stroll through the various architectural styles.

Running with bulls On Wednesday morning we were taken to the Nunez del Cubillo, a 3000 hectare ganaderia (cattle ranch) breeding, raising and training prize winning Simmental bulls for bull fighting. Members of the owning family, Joaquin Nunez Manso, gave us a comprehensive ‘safari’ style tour, during which we witnessed bulls being trained for the world-famous Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, and were introduced to aspects of breeding, husbandry and specialist training in partnership with bullfighters (torredos).

followed by a tasting and dinner at a table beautifully laid out with candles.

In the evening we even had time for a quick visit to the beach, before returning to the hotel.

Spectacular Seville Our final day took us to Seville, where we had a guided walking visit around historic city, including the Alcazar Palace and Paradise Gardens and the gothic Cathedral developed from an earlier mosque. Our very knowledgeable tour guide explained the visits in great detail.

Lunch was taken in Abades restaurant with a spectacular panoramic view over Seville’s Guadalquivir River to the bull ring and opera house.

A truly memorable visit, revealing the secrets of sherry production, the regions food and culture, and a oncein-a-lifetime to the most amazing bull farm.

We then had a lovely lunch outside in the sun, with wine, beer and soft drinks, all prepared by the owners of the farm – a most enjoyable and relaxing time. Later that day we headed to Sanlucar, for a guided private visit of La Gitana Winery (Bodegas Hidalgo)

“ T hank you so much for making the visit such a wonderful success.

We are looking forward to the next trip already..!”

John and Jane Whyman

EVENTS For information about up-coming Club events see page 24, watch out for Club e-Newsletters and check on-line at www/thefarmers club.com/events

www.thefarmersclub.com • 09

Denis Chamberlain • James Naish Obituary

“He was a very enthusiastic Club Chairman, seen regularly about the place – always sporting a fresh buttonhole!” his life-time interest in plants and gardening into a successful business.

From his ¼ acre of glasshouses at Worksop, Nottinghamshire, James supplied bedding plants, hanging baskets, urns, tubs, shrubs and trees for exhibitions and private gardens across the Midlands. The Farmers Club had reason to be well-pleased with James’ skills as a plantsman as he provided the hanging baskets and floral decoration which so enhanced the Club’s stand at the Royal Show for many years up until the Show finally closed its gates in 2009.

James served on the Council of the RASE, the Board of the British Landscape Industry Training Board, on the Court of the Worshipful Company of Farmers and was Chairman of the House Committee of the Farmers Club before becoming chairman. He was an Associate of Royal Agricultural Societies.

James Naish Club Chairman in 1999

JAMES Naish broke new ground when he became Chairman of the Farmers Club back in 1999 – he was the first professional horticulturalist to take the chair since 1935. Having said that, he was from a family with a very strong farming pedigree.

His uncle Lord (Jim) Netherthorpe had been an influential president of the NFU and his brother, David (whose obituary was recorded in the last issue of this journal) had been both NFU President and Chairman of the Club.

Successful horticulturalist But James was very much his own man.

Following a career in the agricultural chemical industry – working for Cyanamid of Great Britain, Horstine Farmery and Union Carbide – James decided to strike out on his own in 1980. He turned 10 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Ministers held to account His time as Chairman of the Club coincided with a very trying period for the British farming industry.

Incomes and profitability were hitting all-time lows and James was keenly aware of the effect that was having on farm business and the wider rural economy. Although broad acre and livestock farming was not his natural constituency, he used the independent debating forum that is 3 Whitehall Court, to hold Ministers of the day to account for the parlous state of farm incomes.

He also used his column in the Journal to highlight the tardiness shown by both EU governments and Whitehall in clearing a path to market for the patently healthy and wholesome beef and lamb produced by British livestock farmers.

James, so very ably supported by his lovely wife Rosemary, worked tirelessly throughout his tenure. He was very proud of the Club and all it represented, and always took a very real interest in all the staff at the Club – a very popular Chairman who was greatly respected by everyone on the team.

This has been a particularly difficult year for the Naish family and for the Club losing two such significant supporters in quick succession. They are in the thoughts of all at 3 Whitehall Court and across the membership.

Denis Chamberlain MBE Club Chairman 2004

AGM Report • Charles Abel THE 177th Annual General Meeting chaired by Club Chairman Nick Helme was held in the Farmers Suite at The Farmers Club on Tuesday 2nd July 2019. The following is a summary of the Minutes, full copies of which can be obtained by email from the Secretary.

Minutes, Club Accounts and Annual Report The Minutes of the 176th Annual General Meeting of the Club were approved and the Report and Audited Accounts of the Club for the year to 31st December 2018 were adopted unanimously.

Club Chairman Nick Helme said 2018 had been a challenging year, with political uncertainty and difficult weather. Nonetheless, a sensible surplus had been achieved for reinvestment.

Election of Club Chairman and Vice-Chairman Proposing the election of Allan Stevenson as Chairman for 2020 Communications SubCommittee Chairman Karen Mercer said Allan was from a family that has been farming in East Lothian for 106 years. During a spell outside farming he took a business and law degree before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and going on to hold a range of director roles in various companies.

AGM elects Scottish Chairman for 2020

In 2001 he returned to Luffness Mains Farm, developing it into a LEAF Marque accredited grower of potatoes, carrots and cereals, continuing a family tradition of growing potatoes that stretches back to the 1800s.

Allan has held non-executive roles in both the public and private sector, most notably as Chair of the Potato Council and director of AHDB, the James Hutton Institute and the rural charity RSABI. He was elected to the Farmers Club’s General Committee in 2014 and has served as Chairman of the Communications Sub-Committee. He is a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Farmers and a Fellow of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society, enjoys travelling, skiing and playing golf, and is a member of the international gastronomy organisation Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

Seconding the proposal past Chairman Tim Bennett commended Allan’s enthusiasm and commitment. The proposal was approved unanimously, to applause. Allan thanked all present for their encouragement and support.

He looked forward to helping make 2020 a fun year for all the membership.

Proposing the election of Keith Redpath as Vice-Chairman for 2020, past Chairman Jimmy McLean said Keith had a background managing a very diverse family business, with garage, retail, haulage and farming enterprises. But it was the farming that drew him to leave school aged 15, and he now ran a successful farm business near Kelso, including 1000 acres of farming, grain storage and pedigree Limousins. He had been involved in government and farming responses to BSE and foot-and-mouth in the 1990s/2000s, especially through the National Beef Association.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and has a passion for supporting young people

2020 Chairman Allan Stevenson (left) and Vice-Chairman Keith Redpath

into the industry though LANTRA. He currently chairs the Club’s Membership Sub-Committee.

Seconding the proposal, Trustee Barclay Forrest said Keith was very much a doer and giver, not a taker. The proposal was approved unanimously, to applause. Keith said it was an honour to be made Vice-Chairman and he looked forward to maintaining the Club’s progress.

Honorary Treasurer House Sub-Committee Chairman John Lee proposed the re-election of Richard Maunder as 2020 Honorary Treasurer, which was seconded

by Allan Stevenson and approved unanimously, to applause.

“I’m looking forward to helping make 2020 a fun year for all the membership.”

Allan Stevenson, 2020 Club Chairman

Auditors The Chairman and Committee recommended that haysmacintyre continue in office, which was agreed unanimously, to applause.

There being no further business the Chairman concluded the Annual General Meeting. www.thefarmersclub.com • 11

Jonathan Raymond • Rural Innovation

Rural innovation

BOOST

How would you improve your local area if £30,000 of support was on offer? Club member Jonathan Raymond introduces a new funding programme

I’VE always loved the countryside having grown up on a farm in Pembrokeshire. Now I live in Berkshire, I try to get back as often as possible, and although I might try to relax during my trips back, the family often has other ideas, and I find myself helping sort lambs or doing a stint on the tractor!

Jonathan Raymond of investment management firm Quilter Cheviot

Although the investment management business I work for has a lot of clients in rural areas, I never thought I’d have an opportunity to combine my work with my love for the countryside. Happily though, I have been proven wrong. This year Quilter Cheviot has launched its Rural Innovation Programme, giving away £30,000 worth of funding to an individual or organisation with an innovative idea to help rural communities.

There are plenty of big issues to address.

Brexit could lead to a radically different operating environment for the farming industry, for example.

We have also seen concerns in recent weeks about the risks from volatile weather in the UK. Wide ranging issues Our competition is not just about those kinds of farming issues though. We are open to a range

£30,000 is on offer to help boost rural communities

of ideas, including community organisations trying to bring people together and tackle social issues like rural isolation or loneliness.

What makes this programme so exciting for me is the calibre of our judges. We have Lewis Steer, founder of the Dartmoor Shepherd, who is the only one to farm all three of Dartmoor’s local sheep. We also have David Llewellyn, Vice-Chancellor of Harper Adams University, which has innovative research like Hands Free Hectare, looking at how machines can grow arable crops remotely, without people on the ground.

Our programme aims to put ourselves out there a bit, highlighting issues that don’t get enough attention. As our CEO, Andy McGlone, said: “the countryside is hugely important to us all, and we need to preserve and nurture it.”

This isn’t some City-based company trying to tell the countryside how it should run its affairs. Quite the opposite. We want your thoughts, your ideas, and your suggestions on how to combat a rural issue. If it catches the eye of our judges, you might just have the chance to make it happen.

RURAL INNOVATION PROGRAMME £30,000 for individual or organisation whose idea, product or organisation will benefit rural communities and ensure they keep performing for generations to come.

Search ‘Quilter Cheviot Rural Innovation Programme’ Closing date Friday 6 September 2019 Quilter Cheviot’s parent company, Quilter plc, is title sponsor of BBC Countryfile Live at Blenheim Palace (1-4 August) and Castle Howard (15-18 August).

12 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Club Facilities • Virginia Masser

FOOD AT THE FARMERS CLUB The first ever Farmers Club Food book is on the way…

THE FARMERS CLUB TERRACE

Your Outside Room…

Summer is here and with it some further great improvements on the Terrace.

AS you know the Terrace fire pit tables have proved, as expected, a roaring success, allowing members to enjoy the space even through the colder months of the year.

Courtesy of the Jill Willows Legacy, new parasols have now arrived, specifically designed for your Terrace and manufactured in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. They are easier for the team to put up and down and high enough to use when the fire pit tables are lit.

As you may recall Jill wished her legacy to be used to enhance Club facilities, so we thank her for enabling us to purchase the highly-praised tables and now the parasols.

As we all know British weather does not always produce high temperatures throughout the seasons, so there are days and evenings when the Terrace experiences an unwelcome chill and

Eat your way through the seasons of the simply cooked, seasonal, quality British food created and served in the Club by our Director of Food & Head Chef, Paul Hogben and his team.

members have been known to ask for a blanket.

Greg, our Maintenance Manager has now sourced great ponchos that double up as blankets, made in the UK from 100% lambswool.

If you would like to use one please ask the team and they will bring one to you. In conjunction with the warm glow of the fire pit tables these will ensure the chillier moments are catered for.

And finally, seat cushions have been purchased for additional comfort. Whilst I’m told that the seats are very comfortable, as they have a certain degree of give based on the material from which they are made, they may not be high enough for all, especially when dining al fresco.

The Farmers Club Terrace… fit to use for longer periods during the year and more hours each day…consider it your “outside” room at the Club.

Virginia Masser General Manager

The book has a collection of some popular recipes that have appeared on the menu and seasonal provenance stories.

It also details some of the suppliers who have provided the great British produce that we use here in the Club and who have supported the creation of the book.

Laced throughout is mouth-watering photography taken by our Food Photographer and Farmers Club member Jonathan Pollock.

The book will be ready for your Christmas present list… further details to be released soon.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 13

Anita Kaur • Club Visit

T-shaped pe Club visit to polo in the park IT doesn’t get much better than Chesterton’s Polo in the Park – the only annual polo tournament in the heart of London.

Our members enjoyed an exclusive table in a private area (Cowdray Suite) for a drinks reception, lunch, and afternoon tea, with matches played throughout the day.

The tournament has delighted crowds at Hurlingham Park in Fulham since 2009, with teams representing six different cities from around the world competing over the three days.

There was inspirational advice aplenty at the 2019 International Farm Management Congress in Australia. Farmers Club General Committee member Andrew Brown reports AS a member of the Institute of Agricultural Management I was able to attend the International Farm Management Congress in Australia earlier this year. It provided some fascinating insights into how on-farm thinking needs to change.

Leaving home on a grey cold Thursday afternoon I finally arrived in Launceston, Tasmania on Saturday morning to be greeted by beautiful blue skies and 35 degrees of heat. The Deputy Premier of Tasmania opened the congress with a speech highlighting the importance of agriculture to the island state – which uses just 8% of the land to grow crops and has 48% of all land in conservation areas.

The 350 delegates came from a variety of southern hemisphere countries with a large number from New Zealand.

I have to say they were the most positive, go-getting and commercial of them all. They never stopped talking about solutions to problems and how problems are challenges to overcome.

Government leadership An interesting part of the congress was the role of government and the leadership it can give. Nichola Morris, a Tasmanian agri-business consultant, outlined the way governments should provide the bones on which to build an industry. She said it is their role to help with biosecurity, skills development, export facilitation, infrastructure growth, regional support and cross-sector R&D, and to support rural communities, provide safety initiatives, help develop brands, formulate trade strategy, manage water resources and remove barriers to trade.

This will then give a competitive edge to developing brands.

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

“Thank you for organising a lovely day at the Polo on Saturday, the lunch was exceptionally good and we both thoroughly enjoyed the day.” Roy & Karen Boreham 14 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

As a farmer who has attended several leadership courses I can vouch for the power of networking. A good friend of mine from New Zealand, who I met on the Institute of Agricultural Management Leadership Development Programme, was also a delegate in Tasmania. After the conference my wife and I visited Kangaroo Island south of Adelaide and stayed with another friend who I met on the Worshipful Company of Farmers Challenge of Rural Leadership Course. Talking to locals and seeing the agriculture of another country is an invaluable experience and anyone who gets the opportunity to attend a conference or go on a trip where they do this should grab it with both hands.

Management pointers • Andrew Brown

eople down under

Most people crave leadership, but push back against it at the same time. Great vision precedes great accomplishment, but there has to be farmer engagement too. The UK Government has written its food strategy for the next 25 years, but I would argue this may not be long enough, even though it will span the majority of the career of a young farmer who is just starting out in the industry.

We heard that the factors driving success are investment in capital, investment in people and investment in innovation. Agriculture needs leaders who can drive these initiatives forwards and the Next Generation programme at the conference gave me the confidence that those young people are out there. But we do need to nurture and look after them, just as we do our crops and livestock, to allow them to reach their potential.

T-shaped people Fascinatingly, we need T-shaped people, who are specialists (the vertical part of the T), but who also have a broad knowledge (the horizontal part of the T). We should all have a strategic plan, and we need to share knowledge, create capability and build connections – and those connections can only be built by attending meetings and conferences where people from outside our industry share their experiences and knowhow.

I was shocked to hear that every farmer in Western Australia is on anti-depressants! It was also worrying to learn that many farmers think climate change may not be happening, and a lot of myths are perpetuated, because so many farmers only talk to other farmers.

FASCINATING FACTS Structural change needed The CEO of Elders the biggest agricultural company in Australia told us that structural change is needed for growth and “you must control what you can control”, such as cost of production, efficiency and use of new technology.

Farmers buy everything retail, sell everything wholesale and pay freight both ways – this must change. The power of knowing the cost of things and measuring inputs and outputs is vital because what gets measured gets managed.

There is much to learn from farmers across the world – just some of the buzz words I picked up were: attract, stimulate, engage, motivate. But my lasting memory was that if farmers in the UK think the going is tough here, try farming in Australia, with droughts, floods, wild-fires and pest plagues on a truly epic scale.

A former newspaper editor gave a brilliant presentation about the stark facts facing the human race. For example, each person in developed counties now consumes 35,000 more meals in their lifetime, due to increases in longevity. And of the 29,500 edible plants in the world we only eat 200. The most startling fact was that humans and their livestock make up 96% of all vertebrates on the earth.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 15

Philip Wynn • Farming well-being

“Wide media coverage and the multitude of apps on physical and mental health show a sea change in people’s willingness to engage with ways to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.”

AFTER a career of 45 years working and advising in many areas of farming and food production, I thought I understood our industry. But in my year as Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, as I met many of our aspiring future leaders, I realised there was an urgent need to improve ‘health and wellbeing’ within our sector if we wanted to retain the energy, talent and innovation these young people had to offer.

Back in 2016, mental health did not have the profile it enjoys today. Gathering together many of the Rural Support Groups brought home to me the range and scale of the issues, as well as the lack of funding which was limiting the help that could be offered. The sad truth was, and continues to be, that many of these groups must spend a disproportionate amount of time raising funds, rather than delivering support and services.

It became evident that to attract more funding we needed to come together, for a higher profile and more credibility. Whilst individual case studies provide good illustration, we needed hard data to raise awareness at all levels, from Government down, of the unique combination of stressors agricultural businesses face.

Statistical validation Our livery company commissioned a report from Rose Regeneration and the University of Lincoln which was published this April. The information is not new, but it was the first time a research team had consulted across the industry and analysed the statistics.

in this and we should be enormously proud of the adaptability and resilience of our industry.

Yet it is this unpredictability that creates the ‘stressors’. Add to this the still unresolved issues of Brexit and future policy and the urgency to ensure well-funded support is in place is clear.

Stoic attitudes Social and cultural factors affect behaviour too.

Stoic attitudes may make it more likely for people to deny health problems or postpone seeking help until it is critical. Sometimes the barrier is simply the pressure of maintaining the legacy of the family farm and living in a small community. The reduction in rural public services only exacerbates the problem.

While workplace pressure is common across many industries, agriculture has a unique combination of stressors that leaves few untouched. In a recent Farmers Weekly survey two thirds of young farmers reported good physical health, but rated their mental health as only average, with 40% seeking a better work-life balance.

Furthermore, there is a proven correlation between stress and accidents, with one in five respondents of a recent survey revealing they had been involved in an accident within the past 12 months.

Agriculture is a vital part of our economy and custodian of the rich landscape that makes our

Farming has always been an industry of uncertainty and risk. Unpredictable weather, volatile markets, retailer price pressure and constantly changing policy has necessitated a huge amount of diversification. Farmers have been hugely successful

Live well, farm well Club member Philip Wynn takes a closer look at the Worshipful Company of Farmers’ efforts to improve rural well-being

16 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Club Visit • Anita Kaur country so special. In a time of such unprecedented change, there is an urgent need for a holistic approach to improve the health and wellbeing of all those who work in the sector, if it is to thrive.

The Health & Wellbeing Forum, created back in 2016, now under the stewardship of Gordon Gatward, will continue to act as a catalyst for change and engage with all rural support organisations to share experiences and find innovative solutions to improve delivery. It will also help them develop a matrix to demonstrate the social impact and financial return of their work, to support the fundraising needed to address increasing demands.

But this can only be a part of the solution and we have little time to develop a more integrated approach. While politicians are beginning to understand the social consequences of future changes in agricultural policy, they urgently need to put this in the context of today’s already pressured industry.

New Zealand example There are examples from elsewhere in the world where nationwide initiatives have successfully promoted and improved the health and wellbeing among farmers and farming communities. Farm Strong in New Zealand provides on-line tools and workshops to help people ‘live well, farm well’.

There has never been a more important time to help farming communities cope better with the pressure of uncertainty and change. I aspire to see a similar platform launched in the UK, allowing easy access for all to learn how to deal with stress and burnout and enable them to build greater resilience.

Philip Wynn FRAgS, Farmers Club member, 2016/17 Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, LEAF Chairman, Henry Plumb Foundation Trustee, director of various food and farming organisations.

Health and Wellbeing report: www.farmerslivery. org.uk/healthwellbeing

Beating Retreat In early June 35 members and guests enjoyed dinner in the Club and special tickets for this wonderful event on Horse Guards Parade. An impressive programme of rousing military and contemporary music was performed by musicians of the Massed Bands of the Guards and the Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra, against the magnificent backdrop of St James’s Park.

“Thank you for organising such a delightful evening.

My party and I really enjoyed the dinner, the company, the amazing show that was Beating Retreat” David Flanders www.thefarmersclub.com • 17

Charles Abel • Charitable Trust

Farming Figures A look at… How UK farming changed whilst in the EU… told through some key statistics (1973 to 2017, latest data)

Almost halved

Profit from farming down 43%, from 1973’s £10.1bn to £5.8bn in 2017 (£4.7bn 2018)

£41.9bn

Farming output in 1973; £26.3bn in 2017

186% increase Surge in value of agri-food exports

50% higher Rise in agri-food imports

£10,660

Farmland cost/acre, nearly 2x 1973’s £5650

Half

Share of household income spent on food, 13% now compared with 24% then

0.3 million

Farm workers 1973; under 180,000 now

264,000 farmers Today under 141,000, a drop of 52%

6 years older Average farmer age, up from 54 to 60

164hp

Average new tractor size now; 81hp then

14.8bn litres Milk output (2017) 8% up since 1973, despite dairy cow numbers down 45%

23m tonnes Cereal output up 50%, from 15% fewer hectares

Sources: Andersons, Defra Ag in UK, Farmers Weekly.

Data in real terms at 2017 prices.

18 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

FCCT Educator Awards THREE UK farming educators have been selected to receive special support from the Farmers Club Charitable Trust in 2019 to undertake innovative studies into robotic milking, re-wilding and remote apprenticeship training.

Prof Quintin McKellar CBE chaired the FCCT Educator Awards selection panel, which also included 2019 Farmers Club Chairman Nick Helme, FCCT Trustees Vic Croxson, James Cross and Des Lambert OBE and Farmers Club Journal Editor Charles Abel.

Full reports will be available on the Farmers Club website within 12 months: www.thefarmersclub.com/the-charitable-trust

Christopher Taylor, Wiltshire College (Lackham Campus), Wiltshire – visiting farms in UK, Netherlands and Denmark/Sweden to pinpoint just how robotic milking systems can change dairy herd performance, creating opportunities for the next generation of farmers to adapt a different approach to dairy farm management. The project ties in with college plans for a new £2.4m dairy to showcase robotic milking and underpin new dairy courses.

FCCT Educator Awards Selection Panel Chairman Prof Quintin McKellar – Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hertfordshire, Non-Executive Director of CIEL, Chair of the University Vocational Awards Council, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Pirbright Institute, co-chair of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) Food Economy Task Force, and former Scientific Director and Chief Executive of Moredun Research Institute and Principal of the Royal Veterinary College of the University of London.

Peter Reed, Bicton College, Devon – travelling to Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia in Canada to look at the pros and cons of the ways educators there use modern communication technologies (eg Skype, video + voice recording) to improve agricultural business management apprenticeship training in remote areas.

The main focus will be on improving access to learning, enhancing efficiency of educators and giving modern communication skills to ag students.

Geoffrey Guy, Hartpury College, Gloucestershire – travelling to Netherlands, southern Sweden and China to investigate difficult intersection between re-wilding programmes for species such as deer, wolves, lynx, beavers and wild boar, and other land uses, especially farming. Main focus on gathering case studies, to improve student and industry understanding of issues, so projects can be planned better, and investigate practical techniques for managing overlaps more successfully.

Head Chef & Director of Food • Paul Hogben

LIBERTY FIELDS

“ Exploring the Taste of Apples” ON a lovely May morning l set off from the “Garden of England” to visit an artisan producer in Dorset with a small development creating some wonderful apple-based products, all hand made in small batches.

In 2009 Bob had developed a method of making apple balsamic vinegar and approached Pete who owned the land, with a plan. With their wives, Ali and Vicky, they set about planting various varieties of cider apple trees that could be used to produce some very distinctive products.

Philanthropic free-thinker The two orchards of Liberty Fields were once part of the larger farm, Liberty Farm. In the eighteenth century, Thomas Hollis a philosopher, philanthropist and free-thinker, inherited estates in and around Halstock, including Liberty Farm which has survived to this day. He named the farms after his heroes, his ideals or his interests, hence the orchards at Liberty Fields are called Cicero and Pythagoras.

In 2010 phase one of planting took place with two hundred and fifty trees and in 2011 another thousand. 2012 saw them blossom and after having renovated some farm buildings in 2013 the first production and sale of Apple Balsamic Vinegar for local shops and shows took place.

2014 saw the launch of their second orchard product Dessert Cider, produced along the same lines as Port with a lovely rich lingering flavour.

Dorset’s answer to maple syrup 2016 Porter’s Perfection Vodka came along and in 2017 Apple Syrup was introduced to the collection – Dorset’s answer to maple syrup, but British, and a Gold Star winner in the 2018 Great Taste Awards.

The planting that has taken place was planned in such a way that the trees blossomed at times that would stagger the ripening of the fruits, so no mass of apples require storage during a short harvest season. On the day I visited this staggering was plain to see, with some trees in blossom, some not. This means that when the apples are ready, they can be hand-processed at a slower rate, creating the products that we are now using at the Club in Whitehall Court.

What l loved about my short trip to the lovely county of Dorset was how in touch these four people were with the heritage of the land around them, its history with cider making and the diverse products that they now create from this classic British fruit. Bob is even looking to create an Apple Blossom Gin! With their good quality cracking varieties of apple anything can happen…

Enjoy!

Chef

“Liberty Fields specialises in unique applebased products, all made by hand in small batches in West Dorset, using the apples grown in the orchards we began planting eight years ago.”

LIBERTY FIELDS Halstock, Dorset www.libertyfields. co.uk libertyorchard @gmail.com Twitter: @LibertyFields Facebook: @LibertyFieldsDorset

www.thefarmersclub.com • 19

Scott Hayles, Chairman; Eleanor Kay, Vice Chairman; Anita Kaur, Secretary • Under 30s

Chairman’s Jottings

WELL the tables have turned since my last jottings when I was hoping for rain! We clocked 131mm in three days at home, leaving crops looking well.

Harvest will soon be upon us; fingers crossed for a smooth one.

It was great to see so many Club members at a very muddy Cereals Event, just after our very successful Under 30s Spring Farm Walk in Hampshire, which included the traditional but diverse Leckford estate, Under 30s member Ed Du Val’s AD plant and Vitacress (story right). Thank you to all who attended and especially our organisers.

I am pleased to say Under 30s membership is 6% up on last year, at 506 members (including Under 35s). I urge you all to join us at one of our many events; key dates, photos and fantastic Interclub event information is all on our The Farmers Club U30s Facebook page.

As I write our next event is the ever popular Cocktails Evening on 19 July on the Club’s wonderful Terrace, with Harper Adams alumni Tom Warner of Warner’s Distillery talking all things spirits. Then on 6 September the Club hosts our annual Autumn Dining Evening – watch out for tickets.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Tom Rouse on receiving the Suffolk Show Rising Star Scholarship, organised by Suffolk Agricultural Association and supported by Fram Farmers. As part of the award Tom receives a year’s Under 30s subscription. I look forward to welcoming him to the Club.

Once again, good luck to all those who are heading into harvest!

Contact Scott for more information: Scott Hayles Under 30s Chairman 2019/20 07887 834159 scott.hayles@corteva.com

20 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

Tried and Supplied founder backs story telling UNDER 30s Committee Member Georgina Knock speaks with Domini Hogg, founder of London-based Tried and Supplied, as part of the Meet the Member initiative to improve the public face of farming.

“My love of food, which started with my Mum’s seemingly endless collection of recipes, grew through my work training tea sommeliers in London’s top afternoon tea places,” says Domini, whose family farms near Andover, Hampshire, where chalk streams facilitate fishing alongside a working stables, bullocks and grazing sheep.

The Tried and Supplied search and ordering platform helps connect hotels and restaurants with local food and drink producers. “We are trying to shorten the supply chain and enable chefs to build long-term partnerships with all the amazing producers right on their doorstep.

Our search is optimised to find the unusual and the sustainablyproduced. Imagine Amazon tailormade for chefs.

“For me, what’s so incredible about working in farming is the joy it produces. Mealtimes are often the happiest times; the times people look forward to. It makes such a big difference to be working in an industry that has such a positive impact on people’s lives.

“It’s not all a rosy picture, though.

I see a lot of misconceptions around farming, and that can be quite uncomfortable, especially when it comes to what we should or should

not eat. There’s often very little tolerance, on both sides.

“The UK farming industry has nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a fantastic industry, but it’s not telling its story well enough. The role of communicating and educating people on how farming works, and why it’s done in certain ways in different areas, is so important.”

She is an advocate of education in schools and schemes like Facetime a Farmer, and wonders whether the concept could be expanded to non-school audiences, such as nutritionists.

Domini Hogg www.triedandsupplied.com domini.hogg@triedandsupplied.com @Tried_Supplied / @DominiHogg Georgina Knock Under 30s Committee Member georgina@sunnysuffolk.co.uk

Under 30s • Scott Hayles, Chairman; Eleanor Kay, Vice Chairman; Anita Kaur, Secretary

Hampshire highlights

The Under 30s Spring Farm Walk saw over 20 members visit Hampshire for a very educational weekend

In the 500-cow dairy work is looking to improve airflow and ventilation to improve herd health and cell counts. Paddock grazing is available, but cows are brought in during peak heat to improve welfare and efficiency. Data collection supports benchmarking and sustainability measurements.

Waitrose doesn’t allow soya in livestock feed, so we heard how the estate grows its own protein including lucerne, maize, silage and beans (for pig rations).

After lunch at Leckford Abbas, the exclusive boutique hotel for John Lewis partners, we saw how rapeseed is cold pressed to create premium golden vegetable oil, with waste pelleted into livestock feed.

Apsley Estate At Apsley Estate, home of the du Val family, Under 30s member Edward du Val gave a fascinating insight into their anaerobic digester business, based on the predominately arable 465ha estate, which alongside the contracting business provides inputs to produce electricity, gas, fertiliser and CO2.

The farm has four types of biodigester, including a lagoon style system designed and built in-house.

WITH members travelling from far and wide we opted for a late Friday evening dinner at Cote Brasserie in the picturesque cathedral city of Winchester, our base for the weekend.

Leckford Estate Saturday brought an early start as the group headed to Leckford Estate, the Waitrose & Partners farm, which Farming Manager Andrew Ferguson very generously gave up his Saturday to show us round.

Eleanor Kay Under 30s Vice-Chairman Policy Adviser (Agriculture & Forestry) Scottish Land & Estates e-mail: eleanorkay@ live.co.uk

The estate must run as a successful business in its own right and it was fascinating to hear about Andrew’s focus on productivity, efficiency and sustainability, including soil health and biodiversity.

With over 40 miles of hedgerows, 100 acres of wild bird mix, water meadow restoration and LEAF Marque accreditation it’s clear biodiversity and nature play a starring role on the estate.

At the mushroom farm we learnt about adding value over commodity production, the need for skilled workers and the drive to find alternatives to peat as a growing medium, as the business recognises changing public perceptions.

Some biogas is cleaned and exported to the natural gas grid, via a nearby pipeline. The rest goes through a CHP engine to produce electricity and heat, with liquid and solid digestate used as fertiliser, while CO2 removed before gas goes to the grid is sold as a food standard gas.

A thoroughly educational day ended with dinner at The Ivy in Winchester.

Vitacress Sunday took us to Vitacress Group’s Vitacress Salads, which grows watercress in chalk beds, emulating traditional chalk streams, with sustainability and watercourse management as priorities.

We were treated to a watercress feast, during which we learned that whilst spinach has seen a boom in popularity, the same cannot be said for watercress, which is struggling to tap into the younger demographic. Research with Hull University and others is exploring health benefits – could it be the next superfood?

Thanks to all who came along, gave up their time to show us round and answer our many questions – and to those who helped organise the weekend.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 21

The Farmers Club • Club Information

Club Information 020 7930 3557 • www.thefarmersclub.com @thefarmersclub The Farmers Club Page

Office Holders

Patron – Her Majesty The Queen HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS Sir Mark Hudson, Peter Jackson CBE, Roddy Loder-Symonds, John Parker, Norman Shaw CBE THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB 2019 VICE PRESIDENTS Barclay Forrest OBE, Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE, Paul Heygate PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN Nick Helme TRUSTEES Jimmy McLean, Mrs Nicki Quayle, Julian Sayers (Chairman), Tim Bennett VICE-CHAIRMAN Allan Stevenson HONORARY TREASURER Richard Maunder IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Peter Jinman OBE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND SECRETARY Andrei Spence CLUB CHAPLAIN The Reverend Dr Sam Wells COMMITTEE Elected 2016: Nick Helme, Peter Jinman OBE Elected 2017: Kevin Beaty, John Lee OBE (House SubCommittee Chairman), Karen Mercer (Communications Sub-Committee Chairman), Keith Redpath (Membership Sub-Committee Chairman), Christopher Riddle, Allan Stevenson, Campbell Tweed OBE Elected 2018: Ian Bell OBE, Matt Dempsey and Gerald Osborne Elected 2019: Ms Fiona Fell, Meurig Raymond CBE, John Hardman, Andrew Brown (re-elected) Co-opted: Scott Hayles (Chairman Under 30s), Eleanor Kay (Vice Chairman Under 30s) THE FARMERS CLUB CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES Stephen Fletcher (Chairman), James Cross, Vic Croxson DL, Meryl Ward MBE, Des Lambert OBE, Nick Green, The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Club (ex officio).

Patron Mrs Stella Muddiman

HEREFORDSHIRE TOUR WEDNESDAY 16TH - FRIDAY 18TH OCTOBER Herefordshire is the destination for our Chairman’s Autumn Tour, based at the lovely Feathers Hotel in Ledbury.

The outline programme includes: Visit to S&A Produce, to have a tour of their Brierley Farm with John & Debra Davies (Farmers Club members). Leading growers of strawberries, as well as other seasonal berries and asparagus.

Global enterprise with farms in Spain, South America and China.

Lunch at Verzonhouse Restaurant Chase Distillery: private tour and tasting Corbetts Farm: Club members Richard & Penny Corbett, arable, blackcurrant for Ribena, cider apples for Bulmers, broiler breeders for Avara, and anaerobic digester Leen Farm: Richard Norman, dairy farm and probably the world’s oldest herd of Hereford Cattle Oliver’s Cider and Perry: tour and tasting Hampton Court Castle: private guided tour and lunch This event is limited to 20 places. Cost £445 per person (sharing double/twin occupancy room); single occupancy supplement £125.

Register on-line at www.thefarmersclub.com or complete the booking form enclosed with this Journal.

LEONARDO DA VINCI: A LIFE IN DRAWING FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, this Queen’s Gallery exhibition brings together more than 200 of the Renaissance master’s greatest drawings from the Royal Collection. Outline programme starts at 12.00pm with private talk by Anne Haworth in the Club, before a two-course lunch with wine from 1pm and coach transfer at 2pm. Members make their own way home.

This event is limited to 40 places.

Cost £63 per person.

Register interest on-line at www.thefarmersclub.com or complete the application form enclosed with this Journal.

HARVEST FESTIVAL SERVICE & SUPPER

NEXT ISSUE The Autumn issue of the Farmers Club Journal, due with members in late September, is due to include reports on the Club’s joint seminar with the BCPC, a look at farm succession planning, and reports on further “Club-to-theCountry” Summer Show Receptions and Summer Events.

22 • The Farmers Club Harvest 2019

TUESDAY 8TH OCTOBER Join us for The Farmers Club Annual Harvest Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, with our Harvest Festival Supper back at the Club afterwards, highlighting a wonderful array of British produce.

Cost £52 per person.

Please book online at www.thefarmersclub.com or complete the application form enclosed with this Journal.

Club Information • The Farmers Club New Members The following were elected: UK Members Mr N Allam Mr N Baker Mr W Banks Mr H Brooksbank Mr N Chiaranda Mrs A Chivers Mr A Dyter Mr A Genillard Mrs C Giles Mr T Halfhide Mrs B Hill Mr P Houlbrooke Mrs P Idelson Smith Mr R Mackay Miss T Manuel Mr I McEwen Mr J Murray Wells OBE Mr H Nicholson Mr I Northern Mr M Pryor Mr H Raines Mr H Simpson Mr P Waldock Mrs S Webster Mr S Wilson

Herefordshire Cornwall Worcestershire Gloucestershire London Oxfordshire Norfolk Surrey Sussex Essex Oxfordshire Worcestershire Cornwall Essex London Nottinghamshire Gloucestershire Wiltshire Bedfordshire Essex Yorkshire Yorkshire Sussex Buckinghamshire Hampshire

Dress code • Smart casual dress is permitted every morning, Monday to Sunday inclusive until 10am. (This includes smart denim jeans and trainers).

Thereafter, gentlemen should wear formal jackets and ties in all public areas of the Club. Ladies should be dressed in accordance with this.

• Smart casual dress is allowed from 6pm on Friday and throughout the weekend until 10am on Monday morning.

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

• Members are responsible for ensuring their guests abide by the dress code.

• Reception has an emergency stock of jackets and ties if required.

• On occasions when temperatures reach 30˚C the Chief Executive may make the decision to allow jackets to be removed on that day only.

A sign will be placed at Reception to communicate this message.

• The only exception to the application of the dress code is during the month of August.

1st - 31st August inclusive, the dress code throughout the entirety of the Club is smart casual for all.

Overseas Mr B Mullan Mrs C Roosevelt

Australia France

Under 30s Mr M Amariei Mr J Bright Miss K Burrows Miss H Farr Mr J Gardner Mr H Martin Mr T Rouse

Essex Herefordshire London Northumberland Devon London Suffolk

Deaths It is with regret that we announce the death of the following members: Mr R Beale Wiltshire Mr R Hair Essex Mrs R Inglis Berkshire Mr R Mackinnon Surrey Mr J Naish Nottinghamshire Mrs C Veall Kent Honours and awards The Chairman and Members of the Club congratulate the following members whose names appeared in the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List: OBE Dr Ian Frood Essex Cllr John Fuller Norfolk

Doing our bit for the environment The Club team continues to do its bit for the environment, whether it be by recycling, upcycling or energy saving initiatives, writes General Manager Virginia Masser.

In a shared building we can be challenged on a daily basis regarding recycling but we continually investigate new ways to improve.

And so, to list but a few we…

• have recyclable water bottles in bedrooms • have paper straws in the Bar • recycle banqueting glass juice bottles for serving milk at breakfast • have confidential papers shredded and collected • have our kitchen cooking oil collected and recycled to make bio-fuels for London taxis • recycle mini jam jars as herb pots for tables and to serve chutneys • use energy saving lightbulbs throughout • recycle all printer related items such as cartridges • recycle all batteries • recycle all fluorescent tubes and LED lamps • recycle scrap metal • have lights on sensors in some Club areas • use paper cups or our own mugs or water bottles in team areas

Club Contacts THE FARMERS CLUB

Serving the farming industry for 175 years 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

Chairman 2019: Nick Helme

Chief Executive and Secretary: Andrei Spence

Club Number 020 7930 3557 Reception reception@thefarmersclub.com Bedroom Reservations reservations@thefarmersclub.com Restaurant Reservations Option 3 restaurant@thefarmersclub.com Conference & Banqueting Sales Manager Liza Keoshgerian direct line: 020 7925 7100 functions@thefarmersclub.com Administrator & Under 30s Secretary Anita Kaur direct line 020 7930 3751 administrator@thefarmersclub.com General Manager Virginia Masser direct line 020 7930 3751 generalmanager@thefarmersclub.com Head Chef Paul Hogben direct line: 020 7925 7103 chef@thefarmersclub.com Financial Controller Zarreena Neeson direct line: 020 7925 7101 financialcontroller@thefarmersclub.com Membership Mark Fairbairn direct line: 020 7925 7102 membership@thefarmersclub.com PA to Secretary Claire White 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 @thefarmersclub The Farmers Club Page 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 No film or film processing chemicals were used.

Printed on Lumi Silk which is ISO 14001 certified manufacturer. FSC® Mix Credit. Elemental chlorine free (ECF) fibre sourced from well managed forests

www.thefarmersclub.com • 23

2019

Club Calendar DIARY DATES 2019

Here are just some of the Club events planned for the coming months. More event details can be found at www.thefarmersclub.com/events, in Club e-newsletters, or from Club Administrator Anita Kaur (020 7930 3751 extn 216) e-mail: administrator@thefarmersclub.com AUGUST

OCTOBER

The EY Exhibition Van Gogh Britain FULL Thursday 1st August

Harvest Festival Service & Supper at Club Tuesday 8th October Application form in this Journal

Van Gogh Britain

Lunch at The Club & private Tour of the Postal Museum & Thames tea cruise FULL Friday 9th August

Harvest Festival Service & Supper

Under 30s Autumn Farm Walk Friday 11th - Sunday 13th October Details to follow

Postal Museum & Thames tea cruise

Canal Cruise & Gin Distillery Tour & Tasting Last few places available Friday 16th August

Under 30s Autumn Farm Walk

Visit to Herefordshire Wednesday 16th - Friday 18th October

Book online at www.thefarmerclub.com/events Canal Cruise & Gin Distillery

Private Tour of Greenwich & Meantime Brewery Tour & Tasting FULL Friday 23rd August

Application form in this Journal

Visit to Herefordshire

NOVEMBER

Greenwich & Meantime Brewery

Monday Evening Lecture Monday 4th November Details to follow

SEPTEMBER

Under 30s Autumn Dining Evening Friday 6th September

Monday Evening Lecture

Dinner at the Club Under 30s Dinner

DECEMBER

New Year’s Eve Black Tie Dinner Tuesday 31st December

Club Tour to California FULL

Thursday 12th Friday 27th September

Application form in this Journal

New Year’s Eve Dinner

Club Tour to California

Macmillan Coffee Morning Friday 13th September Fund raising cake sale in Club – all welcome

CHRISTMAS IS COMING…

Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition Friday 13th September

We know you’ll think it premature, but it’s never too early to start thinking about your Christmas Party in the Club. Call Liza on 020 7925 7100 to enquire about hosting your Christmas lunch, dinner or cocktail party.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

Exhibition at Queen’s Gallery, London Application form in this Journal Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition

Book your Christmas Function at the Club now!