Spring 2009

Praise for Club as super venue for family weekend in London WHAT a wonderful venue the Club is for a family weekend in the heart of London.

I organised just such an occasion last September for my extended family of fourteen.

We gathered on the Friday evening and had a delightful supper in the Cumber Room.

Richard Halhea d son-in-law Rich (top right) enjoys Club brea kf ar Parry, grandson d West, son Philip's girlfrie ast with nd Rachel Jack West, na Gabi West, so nny Nina, granddaughter n Philip and da ughter Sara.

Saturday afternoon was a matinee of the Lion King, an early supper and bed for the children, Gabi and Jack. The balcony on a beautiful autumn evening was the ideal place for a few bottles of bubbly and a good catching up with conversation.

Digging up the past at Knock Dhu on Campbell Tweed’s Co Antrim farm (Story and more pictures on page 17)

After a sightseeing day on Sunday, we left for our various destinations… Fulham, Hereford, Aberdeen and Lancashire.

On St Valentine’ s Day this year my step daughter was married in St Bartholomew’ s the Great in Smithfield, so again we booked our rooms at the Club for the weekend and enjoyed another memorable occasion.

The staff, as always, were most friendly and efficient, with my family commenting on the warmth of the welcome they received… and, of course the more informal dress code at weekends pleased the younger generation.

We will, as a family (as well as individuals), most certainly return…

Philip Halhead, girlfriend Rachel Parry and sister Sara West relax in the Club Lounge.

Richard Halhead INSIDE… Application forms for: •RHS Wisley (23 June) hter and d with his daug Richard Halhea ra and Gabi West.

Sa r granddaughte

Philip H a help th lhead and ne emselv es to b phew Jack We reakfas s t cerea t ls.

To book YOUR weekend at the Club, call 020 7930 3557

Dinners/receptions at: •Royal Ulster Show (12 May) •Devon Show (22 May) •Suffolk Show (27 May)

•Cornwall Show (5 June) •Three Counties Show (19 June) •Royal Highland Show (24 June)

Please note your individual Club membership number, printed on your Journal envelope. You will need it to access the members’ section of the Club website at www.thefarmersclub.com

25

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS • John Reynolds

CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS • John Reynolds

THE FARMERS CLUB Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

contents

Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

2 Chairman’s Comments John Reynolds writes about the OFC, the City Food Lecture and the NFU Conference, as well as looking forward to the Club visit to Brazil.

More integrated approach to research would bring greater benefits all round

4 Heritage GeneBank Professor Dianna Bowles explains the work of The Sheep Trust in protecting Britain’s threatened Heritage Breeds, the subject of a Defra-funded report.

believe that a more integrated approach would deliver greater benefits all round.

Consequently, I was particularly impressed by the presentation given by Dr Bruce Lee, Director (what a wonderfully simple job title… DEFRA please note) of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

6 Professional Agriculture Professor John Alliston stresses the importance of ensuring agriculture offers a good career for, in particular, active and well-trained young people.

8 Working with farmers Sainsbury’s Agricultural Manager Annie Graham tells how her company is ensuring a better and sustainable deal for farmer-suppliers.

14 Learning from America Izak Van Heerden used a Club Charitable Trust bursary to visit the United States and investigate what its dairy farmers could teach those in the UK. 16 Upbeat NZ farmers Philip Bolam returned from the RASC annual conference and tour with the distinct impression that NZ farmers are feeling very upbeat about their future.

17 Digging up the past Tom Morrow reports on Channel 4 Time Team’s unearthing of prehistoric secrets at Club Committee member Campbell Tweed’s Co Antrim farm.

18 Chef’s Corner 19 U30 Topic U30s member Russell Corfield urges all young folk to take time off to see a bit of the world before deciding on their future.

20 Under 30s 21 Whitehall Court Ramblings 22 Information and Diary Dates 24 Family Weekend Richard Halhead praises the Club as an ideal family base for spending a weekend in London.

FRONT COVER Time Team archeologist Phil Harding (left) with Club Committee member Campbell Tweed at the Knock Dhu, Co.Antrim, archaeological dig.

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.

2

Stephen Skinner and Carla Colombani celebrated their St Valentine’s Day wedding with a romantic and funfilled reception at a guestpacked Club that same evening, before heading off the next morning to honeymoon in Oman. As well as the wedding vows made that day, another promise from the Club Secretary was that he would complete and email his Journal Ramblings from the Sultanate. Page 21 proves him, as always, to be a man of his word.

Dr Lee’s organisation has targeted nine areas of agriculturally-based research and attached to them specific goals and deliverables. Large scale investment has then enabled teams of multidisciplinary scientists to work together on projects which are designed directly to impact the lifestyle of the consumer.

10 Benefit from compost David Tomkins explains the benefits to the pocket, soil and environment of using compost in place of conventional NPK fertilisers.

12 Send a cow The Rev Gerald Osborne praises Send a Cow, which he chairs, for the happiness and hope it gives to farmers in Uganda

Very best wishes for a long and happy wedded life…

THE OFFICE of Chairman makes many demands and offers many opportunities.

As I approached the draft of my second Chairman’s Comments, I certainly felt a sense of the former. This particular obligation has, however, given me a welcome chance to reflect on my first few weeks in office and to collect my thoughts on what has happened so far.

As soon as we had drained the last of the New Year champagne, I was penciling in my commitments at the 2009 Oxford Farming Conference. Not for the first time, the Club was proud to have one of its members in the Chair. Teresa Wickham’s extensive knowledge of the industry, her efficiency and her good humour ensured that everyone could take full advantage of the opportunities the conference presented and she deserves our thanks and congratulations.

‘Oxford’ makes a fine start to the year, as it provides a varied and thought-provoking menu of presentations and discussion for anyone involved in agriculture. There were many things which registered with me, but I shall pick out just a couple which left me feeling that the world was a better place!

Impressive ethos The first concerns research. During the past few years, my interest in renewables has meant that I have become involved with several projects based at different research facilities. Without doubt, there is a great deal of groundbreaking and useful work being undertaken, but I have come to

Not only is the ethos impressive, the results are beginning to show. The Future Grains Project focuses on the production of ‘highvalue grains’ with properties which address the needs of specific consumers. To give you some examples, cereal grains with high fibre and high resistance starch can help those who suffer from type II diabetes, colon cancers, or heart disease, and new celiac-friendly barleys can be made into a variety of products aimed at those suffering from wheat and gluten intolerance.

Some of these are now in commercial production, a testament to the focus of the project and the Australian Government’s belief that agriculture can make a major contribution to the country’s GDP. Here, in the UK, we shall only acquire really significant amounts of resource for research if we can secure the support of the general public, and this will not come about unless the country trusts both our processes and our commitment. If consumers can see real, achievable benefits – a way of life that is improved by the fruits of research and technology – they will not only smile upon our efforts, but actively support our programmes of research.

However, let us take heart, because a second presentation at the conference enabled me to do just that. IDG, a market research organisation, presented the conference with the results of a survey entitled ‘Consumer Perceptions of British Farmers’.

Seemingly to prepare us for the worst, the speakers first asked the audience to predict the overall findings. Typically pessimistic,

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL New Year 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

we envisaged a grumpy, disillusioned and negative response.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the great British public views farmers in a much more empathic light. People support food security, acknowledge the hard work and discipline involved in farming and want British produce in our shops.

After our initial elation, and over the sustenance of tea and biscuits, we reflected on the fact that, as an industry, we badly undersell ourselves. We cower against criticism that does not exist; we are often on the defensive when we interact with the general public; and we assume that the British consumer swallows without question the scare-mongering and muddled thinking of some who purport to know what is right.

We need to learn to stand tall.

Ombudsman needed

appointment of a food industry ombudsman might be one of the ways to challenge the assumed kingship of the larger supermarkets.

through increased efficiency and technical innovation. A second Task Force, focusing on delivering the NFU’s own vision of 1,000 biogas plants on farms by 2020, reflects the assertion that anaerobic digestion of manure and slurry waste can offer a real alternative to landfill and a reliable source of renewable energy.

Brazil bound By the time you read these Chairman’s Comments, we shall have returned from our Club visit to Brazil. In mid January, most of the 28-strong party gathered at the Club for a briefing given by tour operator, Carolyne Cree, and by Paulo Wrobel, Commercial Attaché from the Brazilian Embassy. Carolyne gave us some excellent hints and ‘steers’ and Paulo made an informative and revealing presentation on Brazilian agriculture.

Best wishes This page features a delightful photograph of our Club Secretary, Stephen Skinner, and his wife Carla on their wedding day.

We were honoured that they chose to hold their reception at the Club and we send them our very best wishes for a long and joyful life together.

Stephen has now completed almost a year with us and we are in great appreciation of his hard work and commitment.

Once again, we need to learn to stand tall.

Coming events Upbeat atmosphere In mid February, I attended the NFU Conference in Birmingham. Here, the atmosphere was pleasingly upbeat, possibly more politically charged, and very committed.

The Minister, the Right Honourable Hilary Benn, addressed the conference and sought to reassure us that food security was high on the Government’s agenda.

There seemed a clear recognition that a strong and diversified agricultural industry will be the key to providing food for a world population which will rise from six to nine billion by 2050.

‘Oxford’ was not my only chance to meet and mingle with farmers and industry members.

The City Food Lecture is sponsored by the seven Livery Companies which relate to food and the food chain, and is an impressive and thought-provoking event.

Farming Minister Jane Kennedy also announced the formation of a Pig Meat Supply Chain Task Force, which will focus primarily on achieving a fair deal for producers and consumers by focusing on ‘best practice’ targets… some clear evidence that we are getting our thinking joined up!

This year, Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco, was the speaker. Most of what he said was, at the very least, predictable, and I was left with the distinct feeling that the

In addition, Mrs Kennedy recognised that the industry can make a significant impact in respect of our energy demands, not only by producing energy crops but also

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL New Year 2009

As I write, Janet and I are looking forward to meeting those attending our St Patrick’s Day Dinner in early March, the St George’s Day Lunch in April, or the visit to Rutland in early May. In this Journal, you will also find invitations to join us at the RHS gardens at Wisley, Surrey, when we do hope you will take the opportunity to share a good day out with other Club Members, and to the events to be held at some of the local Summer shows.

Farm Sunday Finally, as spring approaches, things are starting to show in the fields and our livestock is beginning to multiply. It may be a little way off, but maybe now is the time to put ‘Open Farm Sunday’ in your diaries.

This year, it is 7 June, with LEAF already holding workshops across the country for farmers who would like to take part.

Why not get involved? If you don’t farm, make an effort to take your family and friends to one of the events. Let’s get on the land and remind everyone that agriculture is the heart of Great Britain.

3

HERITAGE GENEBANK • Dianna Bowles

HERITAGE GENEBANK • Dianna Bowles

Club member Professor Dianna Bowles chairs the Trustees of The Sheep Trust. She lives in Nidderdale and has bred Herdwicks for almost 20 years, starting with two and now farming 80-plus. During the foot-andmouth epidemic of 2001 she was asked by Lake District breeders to ‘do something’ as thousands of Herdwicks were being killed every week. She set up Heritage GeneBank with academic colleagues and vets and, together with local vet Amanda Carson, collected germplasm - semen and embryos - from sheep flocks at risk of extinction. After the epidemic, the scientists continued their commitment to Heritage Sheep Breeds and The Sheep Trust was established as a national charity. Here, she writes about its essential work.

Vital work by The Sheep Trust to protect Britain’s Heritage Breeds UK. The results were both surprising and conclusive.

colleagues from the Defra Economics and Statistics Department.

Close collaborations with the breed societies and direct interactions with more than 1,000 individual breeders across the British Isles took place during 2007 and 2008. Flock numbers were collected and analysed and, using the latest GIS mapping technology and statistics, the academic team based at York plotted the distribution of the breeds across the British Isles.

Every flock was put on the map to illustrate the geo-referencing in a very visual way.

Accurate data did not exist previously on the 16 regional breeds analysed in the survey. Numbers and structures of the flocks had only been estimated, and there was no information on their geographical locations.

The results showed that the genetic resources of 13 of the commerciallyfarmed breeds existing in significant numbers are endangered through their geographical isolation.

THE BRITISH ISLES have an immense diversity of native sheep breeds. Most importantly, many of these breeds continue to be commercially farmed, to exist in large numbers and to form a significant part of the national sheep industry. These are not ‘rare breeds’ and, typically, are farmed regionally, where sheep contribute to the local heritage, economy and the rural environment.

It is difficult to imagine that Heritage Sheep Breeds such as these, often existing in numbers of tens of thousands, could be endangered. Certainly, unlike Rare Breeds, which enjoy protection, most Heritage Breeds are not yet considered officially to be at risk. Yet, this is precisely what a new report has recently revealed.

The Sheep Trust, a national charity set up to protect Heritage Sheep Breeds, carried out the first science-led survey of commercially farmed native breeds to determine just how concentrated 16 breeds were to specific regions in the 4

Herdwicks, for example, are thought to have come to the Lake District with the Vikings. Today, 95% of these sheep - some 50,000 animals - are still found within 23km of Coniston. Similarly, 95% of the South Wales Mountain Breed are less than 26km from the Rhondda Valley, while the South Country Cheviot remains concentrated in the Cheviot Hills of the Scottish Borders.

The problem is that Government thinks breeds which exist in large numbers and are commercially farmed do not need protection. Defra, consequently, funded The Sheep Trust to find out the real extent of endangerment… just how concentrated were these regional breeds?

In March this year the Trust presented its report to the National Standing Committee of Farm Animal Genetic Resources, hoping that Government policy would change now that this evidence was available.

Importantly, the report was underpinned by a substantial peer-reviewed paper in an international journal, authored by me and two other Sheep Trust trustees – vet Amanda Carson and well-known sheep expert Agnes Winter– as well as

Given their environmental adaptation, it is reasonable to assume that the distribution of the Heritage Sheep Breeds will not have altered much over recent years. When the map of breed distribution surveyed in 2008 is overlaid with that of the major areas affected in the 2001 FMD epidemic, it is immediately obvious why the geographical concentration of the breeds presents such a huge risk in a disease outbreak.

The maps reproduced here clearly illustrate why there was such a disproportionate impact of the FMD epidemic on those breeds.

A new threat now faces the UK livestock industry… the bluetongue virus.

Vaccination is the only sure way to mitigate the risk to the priceless genetic resources of all of our native breeds.

Of the entire numbers of three regional breeds, 95% of the Herdwick, Rough Fell and Dalesbred sheep lie within the worst affected area, with two further breeds, the South Country Cheviot and Lonks, also having most of their numbers in the same region.

Knowing what we know now from The Sheep Trust report, let's hope that Government will soon recognise that Heritage Breeds are, indeed, also breeds at risk and offer far greater protection in the event of a new disease outbreak.

Maps reproduced by agreement with Livestock Science ref 10.1016/j.livsci.2008.11.026

Huge differences in population structure were found between the breeds. Some, such as the Rough Fell, have sheep dispersed across large numbers of flocks.

Others, such as the Lonk, have most of the breed numbers contained in fewer flocks.

This sort of information is vitally important when designing conservation strategies and had been lacking previously.

The study demonstrated that many of the practices used for analysing Rare Breeds simply cannot be applied to Heritage Breeds. For example, registration is used to determine provenance in rare breeds of sheep. But using numbers of ‘registered females’ of Heritage Breeds is meaningless, given that many breeds societies do not register females and those that do have no stratified practices.

Big mistakes can occur if the methods used to establish conservation priorities for Rare Breeds are just transferred to other breeds.

A 2007 FAO report highlighted that 20% of the world's livestock breeds could be classified at risk. The European region was said to be a particular problem, because of its specialised high-input livestock industry.

Many of the 59 native sheep breeds of the UK have proved very successful in the standardised sheep industry of the British Isles and have become widely distributed.

Others, such as the Heritage Breeds, shown by The Sheep Trust, have remained highly localised and are adapted to their environments such that they can be farmed extensively with low inputs.

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

5

PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE • John Alliston

PROFESSIONAL AGRICULTURE • John Alliston

Club member Professor John Alliston, Dean of Agriculture at the Royal Agriculture College, writes about the importance of ensuring that the farming industry is perceived as offering a good career for, in particular, young, active and well-trained people. He describes some of the opportunities available for receiving professional training.

Putting professionalism back into the agricultural industry First, although young people are aware of the countryside, they probably, in general, know less now about it than at any time in our history. This, undoubtedly, is because the relentless increase in urbanisation has caused schools no longer to include the many facets of agriculture within their curricula.

Consequently, both the agricultural industry and colleges within the industry are doing a great deal to try to engage with school children.

Professor John Alliston.

THERE has been considerable discussion around the professionalism of agriculture, due to the importance of us being perceived as a well trained industry.

Indeed. agriculture will only flourish if it is replenished with young, active and able minds.

An industry that is not perceived to offer rewarding employment will, understandably, be unattractive to the most able people. So what is it about our industry that we undersell?

Additionally, the complexity of the industry needs to be articulated more clearly, so that the many different skills required to be a farmer are understood. If we look at the curricula of the courses that are run for farmers, there is a large range of topics that includes personal developments such as motivation, work/life balance, leadership and succession; business topics such as balance sheets, profit-and-loss accounts; risk reduction measures such as futures and derivatives, sources of finance; the scientific, mechanical, technical knowledge required for individual enterprises; as well as the whole farm management of the estate and its assets.

Marketing is now a vital component of a successful business.

Recently, Harper Adams University College, with the Royal Agricultural College as a partner, has been commissioned to work with the industry to implement a validation process for training programmes. This will allow courses to be tailored to individual companies’ needs, with participants receiving an academic qualification on completion. Over time it may be possible for one person to build up a portfolio of academic learning, which may go part way, or the whole way, towards a formal qualification.

This project is called ‘REEDNet’, and is a way of helping the industry truly to claim that practitioners are well trained and ‘fit for purpose’.

If the true complexity of the tasks that are undertaken by farmers is fully understood and acknowledged, the public can be reassured that the money spent on grants to land managers is going to knowledgeable practitioners. This will help with recruitment, give recognition of a professional industry, and could lead to consideration of chartered status for the farming disciplines.

An article about professionalism would not be complete without acknowledging the huge contribution the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust has made to the internationalisation of individual thinking, as well as the personal development that all recipients of the scholarship have undergone by the time they complete their travelling and reports.

These scholarships are open to anyone in the land-based sector, and, while the selection process is rigorous, the rewards for successful candidates are substantial.

Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester 6

The Institute of Agricultural Management Leadership Course has now been attended by 50 delegates. These delegates have demonstrated, in their subsequent careers, active personal commitment in the industry, such as: THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

• Involvement in a number of committees or industry representative bodies (ie, the taking on of some industry responsibilities).

• Recirculation or reorganisation of a business (ie, the active management of change and the taking of risks, both financial and entrepreneurial).

• Promotion of self profile by public speaking, honorary positions in important organisations or charities, governance of educational or research establishments.

• Creation of a personal knowledge base in a specific area of the industry that then makes the individual an ‘expert’.

• Far more interaction with the media in a way that assists the industry or influences policy flotation The Worshipful Company of Farmers has two courses that it has run successfully for many years.

The Royal Agricultural College is honoured that the Farmers Livery Company has agreed to relocate its Advanced Course in Agricultural Business Management to Cirencester. This highly effective programme has run for almost 50 years and has, therefore, a very substantial alumni that have benefited.

It is a great sadness that Tim Calcutt, who was on the very first course and ensured its continuation after Wye College was closed

by Imperial College, did not live to see the outcome of his detailed organisation.

The programme will reflect the needs of present day business managers, and, as always, much of the learning will be from the exchange of information and thinking between the delegates.

The Worshipful Company of Farmers also runs the Rural Leadership programme with the Duchy College, Cornwall. This programme runs every year in the autumn and is a two-week residential course aimed at enhancing the individual’s personal skills as well as giving an understanding of the role of leadership.

The John Edgar Trust Management Development Programme has also been running since the 1980s and is specifically for young managers from the counties surrounding Hampshire. It is designed to aid young people who have only just taken up a management role and who need to sharpen both their personal skills and improve their business knowledge.

As farming business structures become bigger and more complex, so career opportunities for employees improve. The skills required by those employees are also more numerous. People should never stop learning as they go through life and an open mind is a valuable asset.

• Professor John Alliston can be contacted by emailing john.alliston@rac.ac.uk

Ian Rennie (right) talking to John Edgar Trust participants (from left) David Jones, Oliver Lee and Anne Gow about their case study reports outside the Grosvenor, Stockbridge.

Simon Coveney MRAC, MEP, hosting Leadership Course delegates in the European Parliament, Brussels.

TRAINING PROGRAMME

DELEGATES

AIMS

DATE OF APPLICATION

CONTACT DETAILS

Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust

Predominantly farming Under 45 years of age

International travel.

To develop confidence and expertise

15 November 2009

nuffielddirector@aol.com

Worshipful Company of Farmers

Up to 50 years of age.

Including International Delegates

Strategic management and leadership.

Land-based industry

Applications by mid May 09

Val.ryall@duchy.ac.uk Richard.soffe@duchy.ac.uk

Rural Leadership Course Worshipful Company of Farmers

Course – 8-20 Nov 09

Average age mid 30.

Agricultural business

Business management and farm management for agricultural companies

31 August

rhonda.thompson@rac.ac.uk john.alliston@rac.ac.uk

Institute of Agricultural Management Leadership Programme

Rural industry leaders.

Average age 42

Personal development and leadership for those who have already shown an aptitude

End June 2009

rhonda.thompson@rac.ac.uk john.alliston@rac.ac.uk

John Edgar Trust Management Development Programme

Age 25 - 35 Managers

Business skills and personal development for those who are new into their careers

Next course applications Summer 2010

rhonda.thompson@rac.ac.uk john.alliston@rac.ac.uk

Advanced Course in Agricultural Business Management

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

7

WORKING WITH RETAILERS • Annie Graham

WORKING WITH RETAILERS • Annie Graham

Sainsbury’s Agricultural Manager Annie Graham explains some of the work her company has been undertaking over the past few years to build a closer relationship with its farmer suppliers in order to develop a more sustainable and profitable supply chain, particularly for the dairy and cereals sectors.

Working with farmer suppliers to ensure a better deal all round of working with its steering groups such as the Dairy Development Group. Many of its ideas have come direct from farmer suppliers.

Sainsbury’s believes that by demonstrating the benefits, and taking time to engage with farmers, it can be sure of a longer lasting, sustainable, working relationship.

Its Dairy Development Group was set up in 2006 to get closer to the approximately 325 farmers who supply Sainsbury’s with liquid milk and to better understand the challenges facing them, both now and in the future.

Annie Graham, Sainsbury's Agricultural Manager

AS FARMING has moved from a subsidised to a more market-focused industry, relationships with its customers have become vitally important.

Sainsbury’s Dairy Development Group (SDDG) and its Camgrain initiatives are examples of the company’s commitment to the farming industry.

Previously, there was little direct dialogue between farmers and the big four retailers.

This has now had to change.

Currently, Sainsbury’s has around 1,400 suppliers with their own supply chains, including 4,000 beef farmers, 7,000 lamb farmers, 600 pork farmers and 325 dairy farmers.

Speaking at the Bledisloe Memorial Lecture in November 2008, Justin King, Chief Executive, Sainsbury’s, said: “Support for British farmers is about more than simply stocking their products. It’s all about working with them to raise their capability and skills, so they can develop sustainable businesses which will continue supplying us with the products our customers want to buy”.

8

Sainsbury’s does not treat livestock production systems or categories as individual silos. It believes in developing cohesive policies across species and using cross category working to integrate fresh UK sourcing into its meal solutions.

The company has developed a distinct way

SAINSBURY’S

TESCO

ASDA

MORRISONS

WAITROSE

M&S

Hot & cold pies

ALL BRITISH now

NOT ALL Tesco Finest British only

NOT ALL

NOT ALL Morrisons Best British only

ALL BRITISH

ALL BRITISH

Soup

ALL BRITISH now

NOT ALL No British Chicken in Soups

NOT ALL

NOT ALL

not sure at this stage

ALL BRITISH

Party food

ALL BRITISH now

NOT ALL Source fro Far East

NOT ALL Source from Far East

NOT ALL Source from Far East

All British

NOT ALL Source from Far East

Ready meals

ALL BRITISH now

NOT ALL

NOT ALL

NOT ALL

All British

NOT ALL

The company has been working with the group to look at developing standards in herd health and husbandry, environment and energy, collaborative working and business improvement. Farmers meeting these standards receive a premium price above the processors’ standard price.

To date, Sainsbury’s has invested £15 million in the group, including the largest privately funded herd health initiative of its kind to be undertaken on dairy farms in the UK. This includes payment for milk recording, allowing much earlier intervention to improve individual cow’s or whole-herd health, welfare and performance.

Additionally, visits by consultant vets are funded, as necessary, to work with farmers’ own vets, enabling the SDDG to move forward in terms of animal health and profitability based on collated information and reports.

The SDDG group has developed a carbon footprinting scheme and produced a model - the first for farming to be certified by the Carbon Trust - that helps farmers measure their carbon footprint, with the aim of cutting greenhouse gases by up to 10% annually.

Each SDDG farmer has been individually audited, looking at every aspect of the farm.

These audits - which are carried out independently by White Gold (part of ABAri) and funded by Sainsbury’s – will run for three years. The scheme has two elements… an Environmental Score

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

Card, designed to seek best practice, and a detailed Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions programme.

The Environmental Scorecard is a subjective question-and-answer model that produces a result based on 12 key areas.

This allows the farmer to evaluate his or her own system for GHG emissions and to review current management practices, while considering areas of potential improvement that will deliver cost savings and enhance the future benchmark score.

“We are moving forward with the new trust that Sainsbury’s has in us to supply a quality-assured product. In turn, we have trust in Sainsbury’s to guarantee our profitability in the future, giving us confidence to invest in the industry.”

Ben Jack Committed SDDG farmer For some, the reductions have come from simple things, such as putting sensors on yard lights, so they are not on all night; harvesting rainwater for re-use; or installing plate-coolers as a more energyefficient way of cooling milk than in the bulk tank.

At the same time, farmers have been able to cut their unit cost of production by, for example, achieving higher yields per cow, using feed more efficiently, or managing their fertiliser and manure applications differently. Recycling is being added onto the score card in year two.

The GHG model provides the farm, cow and litre of milk carbon-dioxide-equivalent score. Farmers receive a score card with a set of results specific to their farm. To date, it has found that some of the highestyielding farms are not necessarily the most carbon intensive.

Three other initiatives have also arisen out of the SDDG. First, a scheme to take cull cows into Sainsbury’s beef supply chain. This is a voluntary scheme with prioritisation for SDDG members’ cows and linked into a national network of abattoirs.

Second, to develop the market for UK veal by taking black-and-white calves from SDDG farms with full-herd status.

It is estimated that around 250,000 dairy bull calves are slaughtered in Britain as a by-product of the dairy industry each year.

Sainsbury’s is the first major retailer to

introduce veal which is sourced from its ‘dedicated dairy supply chain and to link it with a dedicated veal rearer and beef processor.

As well as delivering a better return for farmers, the collaboration between SDDG and Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) will ensure that all Sainsbury’s veal is fully traceable. All calves will benefit from fullherd health history, minimal movements and transportation during their lifetime, as well as specialist expertise on rearing.

The calves for Sainsbury’s veal are sourced from SDDG farms in the West Country before making a 30-minute journey to a Freedom Food approved 54-acre farm in North West Dorset, specially designed to rear dairy calves for veal. Once on site, the calves will be reared by farmers who have more than 20 years experience in dealing with veal calves and who work to strict RSPCA standards.

All the veal is Freedom Food accredited and carries its logo under the West Country Veal banner. Only a small percentage of the market is currently involved, but with a great opportunity to grow.

The third initiative is a voluntary scheme to rear SDDG dairy bull calves for Sainsbury’s beef supply chain. This will provide an additional revenue for SDDG farmers, while providing a consistent supply of bull calves to ABP. Farmers will have the option to sell calves, rear to 12 weeks or finish them on their own farms.

Sainsbury’s sources approx 3,100 tonnes of British beef and 6,200 tonnes of British chicken annually, looking at ways to utilise as much of the whole carcass as possible.

By collaborating with fresh meat and poultry buyers across the business, Sainsbury’s has become the first supermarket to move to British meat in all the categories in the illustration shown on the facing page.

Turning to cereals, Sainsbury’s launched its British Flour Development Group in November 2007.

This scheme - run in conjunction with farmer-owned co-operative Camgrain ensures that only quality flour from guaranteed traceable UK farms is used in Sainsbury’s 400 in-store bakeries. Through it, the company has a two-year contract with 300 arable farmers, each of whom has a direct relationship with a specific retailer for in-store bakery bread.

In addition to this, the Group ensures that ‘best practice’ information is shared

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

A ‘Sainsbury’s’ combine at work on a Camgrain member’s farm.

between the retailer, the miller and the 300 wheat farmers belonging to Camgrain. Having representatives from all parties encourages open and transparent communication from farmer to consumer.

The group is also looking at supply chain efficiencies, farm and store protocols, and research and development.

“The relationship has exceeded Camgrain’s expectation from the outset and helped deliver a genuine partnership along the supply chain, right through to the consumer, and we now have a very efficient, transparent and constructive chain.

Our members enjoy knowing where their crops end up, and we look forward to strengthening this relationship with further initiatives as time progresses.”

John Latham Chairman, Camgrain As a result of working in partnership and sourcing selected quality UK wheat, it has been possible to remove Canadian wheat from Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference instore bakery flour, with all the flour now used being produced from Camgrain wheat.

These are just three examples of the ways Sainsbury’s is developing closer working relationships with farmers to improve the whole supply chain. There are similar initiatives within both the poultry and horticultural sectors.

• Annie Graham was appointed Sainsbury’s Agricultural Manager in 2007.

From a Northern Ireland farming family, with a degree in Agriculture and Land Management from Harper Adams and 10 years experience at ABP, her role is integral to Sainsbury’s commitment to working with the farming community. For further information visit www.j-sainsbury.co.uk 9

COMPOSTING • David Tompkins

COMPOSTING • David Tompkins

David Tompkins is Product Manager for the Defra-funded WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Organic Programme. Here, he tells Club members about the benefits to the pocket, the soil and the environment of using compost in place of conventional NPK fertilisers.

Compost brings a wealth of benefits to the environment and farm income QUALITY compost made from garden waste, such as grass cuttings, prunings and leaves, can help farmers balance the need to reduce input costs and increase yields, while also enabling them to work in a more sustainable way.

Scientific trials, sponsored by WRAP and conducted on a range of crops, have found compost improves soil health, structure and fertility. It also reduces the need for inorganic fertilisers, which is a great asset to farmers hit by rising costs.

Nutrient release Compost contains low levels of slow-release nutrients, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous, which complement traditional fertilisers and can help to build natural soil fertility.

The nutrient value varies according to feedstock, but one tonne of green compost typically provides total nutrients of 8kg nitrogen, 6kg potash and 3kg phosphate.

The nitrogen tends not to be available within the first year of application, but the potash is 80% available and phosphate 50% readily available.

With nitrogen content valued at £1/kg, phosphate at £1.40/kg and potash at 93p/kg, compost also makes good sense financially, as the nutrient value equates to approximately £9/t or £270/ha when applied at 30t/ha (January 2009 prices).

Typically, N in compost is released slowly, with only a small amount released in the first year, reducing the possibility of leaching before the growing crop can take it up. In subsequent years, 5 - 10% of the total N provided by compost becomes

available to crops through gradual release (from the same application).

Compost also provides useful amounts of sulphur and magnesium, and has a small liming effect.

Soil benefits

Compost can also support soil in dry conditions. By improving soil structure and organic matter levels, compost enhances both the rate of water infiltration and moisture retention.

Water and air are able to penetrate the soil more effectively and the root system becomes more extensive. This allows crops to survive for longer periods without rain, and can lead to potential cost savings on crop irrigation.

Furthermore, compost is biologically active and full of micro-organisms, which can help provide resistance to brown root rot, verticillium and other soil-borne diseases.

Compost can also play a direct role in carbon sequestration. This has been proved in ongoing trials run by Enviros in eastern England, which have shown that the increase in organic matter in soil from repeated applications of compost increases the amount of carbon held in the soil.

Ensuring quality To ensure the quality and consistency of compost, BSI PAS 100 - the national specification for the production of quality 10

TRIALS to assess the impact of compost on crops were set up at Park Farm in East Anglia more than seven years ago by Enviros Consulting. Now managed by Westrope Farming, the trials initially involved two quarter-hectare sites, growing sugarbeet and potatoes, and were followed by expansion into five more sites in 2002, when crops such as barley, wheat and carrots were introduced.

Each trial involved eight different treatments to compare the benefits of applying compost. Two trials with compost applied respectively at 30t/ha annually and 60t/ha biennially were compared with an untreated, control trial, a trial using traditional NPK fertiliser, and trials of compost in conjunction with both standard and reduced levels of nitrogen. All treatments were replicated four times to ensure that conclusions were based on statistically robust data.

Around 144kg/ha of available potash are supplied by the same 30t/ha application of compost, and 45kg/ha of readily available phosphate (up to 76kg/ha as fertiliser equivalent).

A further benefit of compost is that it helps to prevent capping at the soil surface, so in heavy rain conditions it increases the soil’s ability to soak up and absorb water rather than allowing it to run off. As a result, the soil is protected from erosion, and ground and surface waters are protected from nutrient leaching and silting up. This also helps to reduce some of the crop stress problems caused by extreme weather.

Six-year trial shows average yield increases of 7 per cent

compost - was introduced in 2002 and updated in 2005. This gives purchasers peace of mind about product quality, since compost produced to the specification must meet minimum quality criteria and process control requirements to ensure its fitness for use as a soil improver, mulch, or ingredient in other products.

The certification scheme is now also supported by the Quality Protocol, which provides a clear framework for the production and supply of compost.

Compost that meets the Quality Protocol’s requirements can be classed as a product and no longer a waste, and compost users are strongly encouraged to use only products that have been produced within these strict guidelines.

WRAP has sponsored a number of scientific trials to assess the impact of compost on crops. Two examples of these trials, on commercial farms in East Anglia and West Sussex, are detailed here and demonstrate the many commercial and environmental benefits that quality compost can bring to a wide range of crops.

The trials concluded that compost used in conjunction with reduced levels of nitrogen was as effective as compost with standard levels of nitrogen, and both were more effective than NPK fertiliser alone.

Key result from the six-year project was an average increase of 7% in crop yields. With potatoes, for example, previously cropping at 50t/ha, yields increased to 53.5t/ha over the period of the trial. This increase has been attributed to improvements in the soil structure caused by the repeat application of compost.

Visit www.compost.me.uk/Consolidated _report_phase_2.pdf for more information about this work,

“These trials are a landmark for both farmers and the composting industry.

They prove the commercial added-value that compost can provide, by reducing fertiliser costs and increasing yield, while also providing a range of environmental benefits.”

The first trial, on spinach, began on 11 April at River Farms, West Sussex. The compost was applied at three treatment rates of 15, 30 and 45t/ha (the latter is only possible in non NVZ areas) before drilling and planting, while the control plot received farm-standard fertiliser alone.

The success of the trials so far has led to a continuation of field-scale trials on Westrope Farms. In 2006/7, more than 3,000 tonnes of compost were applied to fields before onions were grown. Not only were the compost-grown onions ready to harvest earlier than those grown using conventional fertilisers, the crop yield was 27% greater.

Compost was incorporated into the soil at a depth of 30cm with a Jones cultivator.

All additional inputs were kept the same as for the surrounding commercial crop, including fertiliser, agrochemicals and irrigation.

The compost used within the trials was produced by BSI PAS 100-certified producers County Mulch and Viridor.

Profits boost for salad crops following compost treatment ANOTHER series of field trials, conducted on spinach and lettuce grown in West Sussex, also showed that quality ‘green’ compost increased yields.

The trials were conducted on crops grown by one of Europe’s largest leafy salad growers - Langmead Farms - which has 750ha of organic farmland and more than 3,000ha of conventionally-farmed land.

Compost used for the trials was produced at Langmead to the nationally recognised specification, BS1 PAS 100, and comprised waste from its salad factory mixed with garden waste from local civic amenity sites.

A total of four fully replicated trials were conducted during 2007, two on baby leaf spinach and two on Romaine lettuce.

Phil Wallace, Technical Director at Enviros Consulting, said: “Because of the long-term change in the soil structure, there has been a marked improvement in both water infiltration and retention rates, and far less need to apply phosphate, potash or nitrogen fertilisers. The compost is helping the soil hold moisture and nutrients for longer periods, which means a healthier bed for crops all year round.

Sulphur is known to affect nitrogen uptake.

A second spinach trial was therefore started in June 2007 where sulphur was applied at 20kg/ha in all plots. Compost was applied at four rates (0, 15, 30 and 45t/ha).

The first Romaine lettuce trial began on 25 April at Manor Farm, when compost was applied at the rates described above for spinach. The second Romaine trial, involving the same treatments, started on 20 July at Home Farm.

Compost applications increased spinach yield by 9% on average in the first trial and by 10% in the second. This boosted profit margins by £642/ha and £730/ha respectively, when measured using the ‘partial budget’ system.

This is a simplified way of assessing the cost benefit of compost. It compares the variable costs of nutrient inputs and revenue generated from yield between two systems: standard fertiliser and no compost, versus standard fertiliser plus compost (at 30t/ha).

In the Romaine lettuce trials, yield at harvest increases of 0.1, 6 and 7.2% were noted in line with rising compost application rates (15, 30 and 45t/ha) in the first trial and 2, 6 and 17% in the second. It was, therefore, profitable to apply compost at 30t/ha and 45t/ha with an increased revenue of £552 and £558/ha in trial one and £552 and £2,088 in trial two, respectively.

Scott Phillips, Technical and Agronomy Director at Langmead Farms, said: “The trials show that quality compost has great potential for the field horticultural industry and can really boost the bottom line by encouraging faster crop establishment and higher yields.”

As more farmers experience these benefits for themselves, compost use is expected to continue to increase in this sector.

• David Tompkins can be contacted at WRAP by calling 01295 819900. For more information about compost visit www.wrap.org.uk/composting

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

11

SEND A COW • Gerald Osborne

SEND A COW • Gerald Osborne

Past Club Committee member The Reverend Gerald Osborne - a Trustee of Send a Cow - has just returned from a visit to Uganda with his wife Emma to see for himself the invaluable help given by this charity to the country’s farmers. His report makes scintillating and thought-provoking reading.

How ‘Send a Cow’ brings happiness and hope to the farmers of Uganda double dug gardens, and areas with other specific water harvesting and conservation techniques.

Helen’s original mud hut is still there as a memento. However, her new brick-built bungalow stands proudly at the centre.

Helen was one of the first to get cows in the group, and Hope Green Farm is now a training unit. Training is at the heart of Send a Cow, with the aid of a large extension worker network and peer farmers. Like farmers everywhere, they cannot keep a good idea to themselves, but love to boast about it. The model gets ‘passed on’.

Gerald Osborne is chaired on arrival (above); Aliasit women ploughing (left); Jessica Desoi feeding her cow (facing page, top right); Aliasit Women’s Group members welcome their visitors (facing page, bottom right).

IT IS HOT and dry. We are about an hour from Mbale, in the east of Uganda near the Kenyan border, bumping along dirt roads, passing villages of mud huts, cassava and bananas growing all around, people walking.

We are on our way to visit the Aliasit Women’s Group. As we turn down the final track to Hope Green Farm we hear something. It is singing and dancing, about 12 women in long, flowing pink dresses. As the car stops the singing continues, and, as I get out, I am lifted up and carried to my chair. The singing continues, and there is a complete sense of joy and happiness.

This is quite unlike any farm walk I have been on in England! But the welcome is not only for me, but for the organisation I am representing. From their songs you hear of their overwhelming gratitude to Send a Cow. Twenty-one years ago, a group of British Christian farmers were outraged by quotas forcing them to slaughter healthy cows.

Why, they wondered, could they not send these cows to Africa, where children were dying from malnutrition?

After several months of research, and trips to Uganda, Send a Cow was born, and on 4 12

July 1988 the first cows were sent to Africa.

From that first simple, but to some mad, idea a charity has grown and developed and is now transforming the lives of the poorest African farmers, including widows and orphans, in nine countries, with offices in Ethiopia, Lesotho, Rwanda and Uganda.

The original principle was simple: to give a cow to a family for milk as better nutrition and income, with the main condition being that the first female offspring be ‘passed on’ to someone else. There was, thus, an automatic multiplier built in.

I was in Uganda to see it firsthand.

As Helen Kongai showed me around her farm, the immediate impression was that there is far more to Send a Cow than just the giving of livestock. We saw her cow, Charity, giving about 15 l of milk a day, in her specially-constructed shed with a loafing area outside.

It is designed so that the urine and dung can all be collected. This is then used and compost made to grow vegetables and fruit.

As we tour the farm, about four acres in size, we see every bit of space is used for something. There are specially-constructed keyhole gardens, bag gardens and

To see the beginning of the process I also visited one of the farmers preparing to receive a cow. They had grown all their fodder and were just constructing their shelter. What was very striking was the hope and anticipation the family had for how their life would be transformed.

For all groups, there is a rigorous procedure to go through after their application has been accepted by Send a Cow and before they receive livestock.

From the beginning the aim is to empower the group to be as independent as possible; for instance, it is up to the group to choose from among themselves the most needy to receive the first animals, with support from extension workers.

The extension workers help them get ready and, as a minimum, the farmers must have grown fodder and built a suitable shelter before they will be given their livestock. It is this rigour of acceptance and training, as well as the integrated approach of sustainable agriculture and social development, which marks Send a Cow’s programmes out.

for orphans who can be as young as eight. Often existing livestock is used, and all farmers are also trained in animal husbandry.

Sustainable agriculture. Organic farming is also at the heart of a Send a Cow farm.

This is for no ideological reason, but purely practical and pragmatic in that it works and is most appropriate for the conditions.

There is comprehensive training in all the techniques Helen employed. Yields have risen up to six fold.

Social development. Although Send a Cow mainly works through women’s groups, husbands are invited to all the training and are encouraged to work in partnership with their wives. Women are much empowered and gain tremendously in confidence as the farming techniques work and their income rises. The training also deals with health, hygiene and farm planning.

After Hope Green Farm, we went to Grace Amongin. She is a widow with eleven children of her own and two adopted orphans from her daughter.

For Send a Cow has developed an integrated and very practical model to help get farmers out of poverty. It is based on three different facets:

Grace was driven off her farm by rebels and fled to town where, even with hard labour, she could not find enough for her family.

As peace came, she gradually got the courage to return to her land and joined the Aliasit group.

Livestock. This still forms a focal part of the work. Send a Cow does not give only Friesian heifers: often local cattle or crosses are much more appropriate, as are chickens or goats, the latter especially

Grace received her cow in February 2005.

She is now a peer farmer and proudly showed me round her land, where you could see all the same techniques that Helen used.

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

She, as well, had been expanding her enterprises. With the money from a bull calf, she had bought a pair of local zebu cattle, and also had goats and hens. She could now afford to educate her children.

Two were becoming primary school teachers and one was training to be a nurse.

Her aspiration was to build a proper brick house for herself.

pupils and are expanding all the time. The children themselves were learning the techniques.

These two themes seemed to emerge wherever one went. First, all farmers used part of their income to provide proper education for their children. Second, like farmers anywhere, profit was used by the most go-ahead for innovation.

With farmers copying neighbours and adopting the techniques for themselves many more are benefiting than just those given livestock. For every cow given, research has suggested that at least ten other farmers benefit, one from the animal that is passed on and nine others by seeing and being trained in the techniques.

The other word we consistently heard was “hope”.

There were other forms of diversification.

One had bought a telephone from the sale of a buck goat, and then charged her neighbours to use the phone.

Joyce Akia had a contract from the government to grow lemon and orange trees, and grafted mangos… a technique she had learned from SAC. Her husband showed us their accounts. Before they had a cow they grew groundnuts, earning an annual income of 250,000 Ugandan shillings (about £90), which was below subsistence level. Now, with milk, vegetables fruit and the nursery fruit trees, income has risen tenfold to 2,500,000 shillings.

Among the most remarkable, perhaps, was Musa Kasone. His wife received a cow in 1999. With the income generated from that animal, plus fruit and vegetables, the couple developed the farm and had been able to start a school. They now have 640

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

This is very much what Send a Cow is about. The giving of livestock is only part of it now. What was said time and again in the testimonies we heard was how invaluable the knowledge gained through training was to those who received it.

Send a Cow has a unique formula for development in Africa. Through its threefold model it is helping African farmers not only to get out of poverty but to thrive, giving them hope for the future and the chance to become fully self-reliant through the better use of their own resources. It is a very practical and pragmatic model, as only farmers could create and develop.

Farmers in Britain, through it, have been helping farmers in Africa. As farmers we can all be proud of what it has achieved as it comes of age.

• Gerald Osborne can be contacted at gerald.osborne@lawnfarm.co.uk To find out more about Send a Cow, and how you can help, go to www.sendacow.org.uk 13

LEARNING FROM US DAIRYING • Izak Van Heerden

LEARNING FROM US DAIRYING • Izak Van Heerden

Izak Van Heerden, Course Leader in Agriculture at Plumpton College, East Sussex, used a Farmers Club Charitable Trust bursary to visit specialist dairy farms, colleges and universities in New York state, Wisconsin and California to determine what UK dairy farmers could learn from their American colleagues.

Here is a précis of his report.

British dairy farmers have much to learn from American counterparts as fertilizer, at pre-agreed cost, according to the nutrient value of the manure.

Expansion, contrary to popular belief, does not only make the running of the operation more economical but also eases the life of management and employees alike, and will increase the health status of the herd and, thus, yield and profitability. This is only achieved with good planning, the right scale of expansion and a definite timeframe to which to work.

By expansion I do not mean milking more cows through the same parlour with the same number of staff housed in the same housing at a tighter squeeze.

Izak Van Heerden (left) with Dr Michael O'Conner of Penn State University

THE THINKING behind my investigation was that expansion is one way for farmers to secure their place in dairying and maximise the potential of the current positive trend.

With the rapid world population growth, economies such as China’s and India’s strengthening and, thus, demanding more luxury foods, together with climate change and the influence it has had on countries such as Australia’s milk production, there has never been a better time for the British Dairy farmer to expand and capitalise on these long term effects.

Obtaining a Farmers Club bursary offered me a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit New York state, Wisconsin and California, looking at black and whites, Jerseys and Brown Swiss on 16 farms, ranging from 160 to 8,000 cows under a variety of systems.

I also visited five technical colleges specialising in dairying (Modesto JC had 800 dairy students), and the most renowned universities dealing with that subject: Cornell, Penstate, Wisconsin and CalPoly, meeting many famous industry names.

Now is the time, I felt, to ensure our next generation will still be milking cows when the wheel turns again. Even if the good milk prices last for some time, due to the harsh deal that farmers have had in the past they are still under threat of survival. now 14

being the time to make up some of the deficit they have had to incur.

Mindset change The main points of interest and ideas from which we in British dairy farming can draw is summarised in the following paragraphs.

Some of these points will need a mindset change from farmers, their herdsmen and other employees in the industry.

I do not expect that all these suggestions will be widely embraced, but I have seen them work on a great many farms on the other side of the pond. If adapted to personal circumstances they could be greatly beneficial in the UK. You don’t need to be optimistic to the point of annoyance… just a good positive attitude will do.

Expansion: This seems increasingly difficult with more rigorous regulations on nutrient management, but such regulations are a reality for the United States as well, and are not an insurmountable problem.

The perception (starting with the wording) should change from slurry management to nutrient management. Dairy farmers must know the nutrient values of their slurry and, for bigger operations, might have to invest capital in order to make their manure more manageable for application in wetter seasons, or in order for the nutrients (whether it be dried manure or compost) to travel to neighbouring farms to be spread

shared equipment, with the emphasis on mutual benefits.

Expansion is a well planned (always costly) project, and, yes, optimising the current infrastructure is essential, but if it comes at the cost of herd health - whether through severe overcrowding, too many cows for staff to cope, or moving young stock into unsuitable buildings - it will cost you dearly in the long run.

Working with employees. This was probably the main point that struck me about the positive mentality of farmers in the US… they attach tremendous importance to the welfare and future of their workers, and expect, and do get, positive returns. Providing Spanish satellite television and health care insurance for Hispanic workers and their families is just one example.

Decide where you want to be going, plan how to get there, take the step, work hard and fast to achieve your target. Don’t try and creep up.

Such things as this, together with explaining and showing employees the bigger picture, ensures they take pride in their area of the enterprise.

Smooth process

This is especially so with herdspersons, to the point where (and this is common practice) they receive shares in the business after 3-5 years of loyalty. This gives the employee a vested interest in the overall welfare of the farm, a sense of security.

So what aids can we use to achieve this and make the process as smooth as possible?

Working with other farmers. The main inspiration from our American cousins is their willingness and ability to work in partnership with other farmers, perhaps with arable neighbours to get them to take (and pay them for) their manure, and guarantee a supply of feedstuffs, or even with the great lure of bio-fuels.

Alternatively, the partnership may be with other bigger operations, to draw from their knowledge and, in a lot of cases, in order to gain security for the capital investment needed for expansion.

Yes, it can mean a large dairy ‘adopting’ a smaller farm, investing in that farm, farmer and his family, or two or more small farms getting together and pooling resources such as capital, advice, technical help,

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

In my interviews with owners of large herds in the UK, only one said he would contemplate such a notion.

An example of a combination of both the modules described above is illustrated by Scipio Springs Dairy in the Finger Lakes area of New York state. Jon Gilbert and Bill Morgan met while working together at another dairy. In 2002, they left their jobs at that dairy, selling their shares back to the farm, and started their own unit, Scipio Springs, by calving 500 purchased heifers.

Today Scipio Springs Dairy milks 750 cows, on only 40-odd owned acres, with about 880 acres leased on a long-term contract with neighbours to supply them with their feeds.

As an interesting aside, both Jon and Bill are quick to point out that neither of them grew up on a dairy farm. Imagine… two townies owning a 750-cow herd by their forties, and all that from just milking cows

Striking feature Another striking feature is that any farmer could (and did) tell you at any point the exact price they were paying for their straights, what they were getting per litre, how many cases of metritis and the like.

On most farms the tracking of goals is important and lets all the employees see at any time where they are standing in relation to those goals. Every six months they have a meeting which all employees and heifer growers attend.

They track stillborn rate, hutch mortality rate, ketosis and displaced abomasum rate, fresh cow cull rate and heat detection rate.

In the words of Jen Minde, herd manger at Scipio Springs “It may be hard for an employee to understand that everything we do has a ripple effect on some other aspect of the dairy. When you take the time to explain that something that can seem as menial as dipping a calf ’s navel or getting colostrum into a calf soon after birth affects the health of the calf, not only

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

while growing, but also as a quality adult animal coming back to us, it helps everyone understand the big picture and how they are a part of it.”

Student benefits I hope that the contacts made during my visit to the United States will provide opportunities for student exchanges and work placements.

Already there is something in the pipeline with technical colleges in Wisconsin specialising in dairying, in the form of possible ‘conference lectures’, where I at Plumpton and colleges from Wisconsin and, possibly, Canada will all come online and have shared lectures on a pre-decided topic. If this can be made to work I believe it will be extremely beneficial and inspiring for our students.

I have had the opportunity of a lifetime through The Farmers Club bursary, with the people I met and contacts I made proving a great inspiration. I hope that, from this report, farmers might pick up some useful new ideas or be re-inspired about dairy farming (though the milk price has done more than any motivational speaker ever could in that respect).

I know I have been reinvigorated by the positive outlook of US farmers and hope I can transfer that to the students who cross my path.

• Izak Van Heerden can be contacted at Plumpton College by calling 01273 890454 or emailing izak.vanheerden @plumpton.ac.uk

15

RASC NZ CONFERENCE • Philip Bolam

TIME TEAM DIG •Tom Morrow

RASC tour and conference shows NZ farmers to be feeling ‘upbeat’ The conference itself, with 240 delegates, began with a Maori welcome and was opened by our Vice President, HRH The Princess Royal, who told us: “The value of your conference is what part you take in it, what you make of it and what you do with what you have learned when you get home.

Stay involved”.

EVERY conference leaves an impression.

Our 23rd Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth Conference, hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand, was very much ‘Down to Earth’ throughout.

New Zealand is slightly larger than UK, but with only 4.25 million mouths to feed most agricultural production must be sold into highly competitive international markets.

Unsubsidised, NZ farmers pay close attention to performance, breeding and current research, with a strong emphasis on co-operative marketing. Their produce is 65% of total national exports.

The country is renowned for its grassland, which grows much of the year, and while in northern terms it lies roughly in the Mediterranean, the influence of the sea and perhaps the Antarctic provides a more temperate climate.

The pre-conference farm tour is a “must” for delegates unfamiliar with the host country’s farming. Those joining several farm tours, over time get an insight into Commonwealth agriculture from tropical to near tundra.

This North Island farm tour gave a spread of farm systems, including one with a long standing Trust and 3129ha carrying 13,000 Romney x Dorset ewes, 4000 ewe hoggs and 3,500 cattle bought as calves and finished there. No arable cropping; no hand feeding.

The Trust uses much of its profit to fund teaching, research and extension to benefit the business and other NZ farmers. It invests in young people, from aspiring scientists to young farmers from UK. Another farm visit was to a company built up over four generations, and now with global influence developing genetically 16

superior sheep and cattle breeds. It has the world’s largest sheep progeny testing programme, measuring 10,000 animals annually, culminating in a million records in total.

Then a dairy farm and a pedigree Hereford stud, followed by a winery and orchard, both exporting their produce; a deer farm; and a 500ha holding finishing 14,000 lambs and 1,050 steers. A very different visit was to a racing stable, which has been the number one nursery for thoroughbred champions in Australasia for 30 years.

No tour is complete without visiting the national/regional show. The RAS of NZ is an umbrella organisation for 100 local shows nationwide and 65 breed societies.

With no permanent showground, it moves on a circuit hosted by several show societies, currently spending four consecutive years hosted by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, created in 1862. It was a very lively three-day family show.

The following day, the CEOs had their domestic ‘down-to-earth’ session. This started with Charlie Smith of HOK Smith Forkner, Tennessee, architect and showground redeveloper, outlining his work covering the 180 showgrounds he has redeveloped worldwide over the past 10 years, which have been visited by some 560 million people.

Four further CEOs then described how their societies and assets had recently been developed.

At the same time, the 55 Next Generation delegates had their own lively session discussing society work, the two groups then joining together to discuss specific topics relating to individual societies. Later, conference heard the findings of all three gatherings.

The well known archaeological champions from television’s Channel 4 Time Team, led by presenter Tony Robinson, descended on the east coast of County Antrim recently to un-earth the prehistoric secrets of the headland at Knock Dhu, on the farm of Club Committee member Campbell Tweed. Tom Morrow reports on what they found.

Digging up the past at Knock Dhu on Club member’s N Ireland farm Prehistoric builders of the promontory fort at Knock Dhu shared a common culture and traded regularly with their neighbours across the sea in Scotland, as indicated by the similar archaeological finds in both areas. For example, a schoolboy from Campbelltown in Argyllshire found a hoard of flint tools in 1990 which had been made from the high quality Antrim material.

The New Zealand Minister of Agriculture, Jim Anderton, sketched the remarkable contribution the agricultural industry makes to the national economy.

Commonwealth Secretary General H E Kamalmash Sharma was unable to be present, but spoke to the delegates via a video, surveying the agricultural scene, stressing the need for greater food production and new practices RASNZ President Mick Lester gave a challenging paper, outlining questions which all member societies should be asking themselves as they go forward.

Then followed a series of papers on the practical problems facing Africa and Asia.

Day two was confined to Society matters insurance, education, animal welfare - while day three concentrated on New Zealand. In particular, during the latter session, there was a fascinating paper on Fonterra and its marketing of dairy produce internationally, as well as the expansion of its farming and business interests in South America and Asia.

The post conference farm tour was held in the South Island, with another range of farming systems and some unforgettable sight-seeing. Another ‘first’ was the Next generation delegates holding their own farming tour, which was hailed a great success.

Comment from a younger Scottish delegate reflected the general opinion. “Of all the lessons to take home one stands out, that NZ appears upbeat,” he said. “I couldn’t see much to cheer about - high land prices , the dairy bubble has burst, drought has just been experienced, lamb prices and volumes have dropped - yet farmers’ attitudes are totally positive. They see change as opportunity.”

• Conference papers are available on CD from RASC, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh EH28 8NF. For more details about the RASC visit www.commagshow.org RASC Press Secretary Philip Bolam can be contacted at pbolam@googlemail.com

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

KNOCK DHU means ‘black hill’ in Gaelic, and that, indeed, is what it is. Looking up, the black rocks are an impressive sight against the skyline, imposing, dominating the surrounding area… and the ideal location for early man to build a fort.

From the top it is a magnificent headland, towering over the coast of County Antrim.

The views are spectacular. To the south are the Mourne Mountains; across the water is Ailsa Craig, the Mull of Kintyre and mainland Scotland, which is only 15 miles distant at its closest point.

Knock Dhu is 20 miles north of Belfast and overlooking the port of Larne. The site is one of the biggest and most impressive prehistoric sites in Ireland. Yet it had never been excavated… until the Time Team arrived.

The site comprises a promontory fort, a series of substantial earthworks of three banks and ditches running for 300 metres and cutting off the promontory from the rest of the upland Antrim plateau. It is believed to have been built for defensive purposes, probably as a stronghold against raiders, but was likely also used for show or ceremonial purposes.

The location of the fort - adjacent to steep cliffs, its elevation of 1,000 feet, and the relatively narrow neck of land that is the access point - all make for an ideal location as a defensive structure and reduce the ramparts needed to secure the site.

Evidence of extensive flint tool making (known as knapping) and use was found all over the Knock Dhu site, with even Tony Robinson showing off his archaeological knowledge acquired during his 15 years with Time Team in picking up flint scrapers and tools from the scree slope of a nearby ancient flint quarry.

leading up to what was probably a grand gatehouse. Carbon dating and flint finds showed that it was built in the middle Bronze Age, roughly 4,000 years ago.

The survey also revealed a possible processional route up to the entrance from the coast below. People passing through the gatehouse beyond the earthwork defences would have been greeted with an impressive view up to a series of ‘bumps’ at the top of the hill, which Time Team's Bronze Age expert believes could be burial cairns.

But the Queens University archaeologists and leader Philip McDonald, who helped the Time Team, were not impressed by the quality of most of the worked flints. Nor was expert flint knapper Phil Harding, a field archaeologist with Wessex Archaeology, who described the flints as “abysmal … rubbish knapping, right across the site!”.

Maybe that’s a bit harsh on the people of the time. After all, this was not a precision machine tool business… just a man chipping at one piece of rock with another piece of rock.

However, the poor standard of workmanship in the flints did have a plus side, helping to date the site as middle Bronze Age. The experts reckon that, as metal working skills developed and more use was made of metal tools, the quality of the flint working declined. The experts also believe that flints continued to be used later in time at Knock Dhu than at other sites in Britain and Ireland, because of the ready supply of flint in the locality

The other three trenches were excavated inside the earthworks, revealing roundhouses, four of which were excavated and a further 18 were identified by the landscape archaeologists.

In all, the Time Team opened five trenches at Knock Dhu. The first cut through the earthworks and confirmed the three bank structure of the defences.

These represented different styles and phases of building, possibly covering many centuries of occupation by a thriving community of people who had the necessary time and resources to construct a massive monument to their presence here from 4,000 years ago.

The second cut across the entrance to the settlement. This excavation uncovered the paved surface of an ancient roadway,

• The Time Team broadcast from Knock Dhu was shown on Channel 4 on Sunday 18 January.

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

17

CHEF’S CORNER • Don Irwin

U30s Topic : Working in New Zealand • Russell Corfield

Cookery competitions pave way for a good career in the kitchen I HAVE been involved in cookery competitions now for a number of years, either as a competitor or a judge, both in this country and worldwide, and I am a firm believer that they contribute greatly to a cook’s career. The concentration and organisation required can only be a positive.

However not all good cooks are able to transfer their skills to the competition stage. Nerves play a huge part, too, and I have seen quite a few inexperienced cooks freeze in front of the spotlight.

The Culinary Olympics, The Bocuse D’or and The Craft Guild of Chefs’ Chef of the Year are just three of the major competitions that take place.

John Viveiros

A small, but no less worthy challenge has just taken place and our own John Viveiros, who works in the kitchen at The Farmers Club, fought his way through to the final of the Robert Linsley Trophy. This competition is open to all club cooks and is organised by the League of Club Chefs.

The final took place at Westminster Kingsway College and John, despite it being his first time in the ‘pressure cooker’ came a laudable fourth. No prize, unfortunately, but a certificate and a positive experience.

Pancakes paramount I am writing this in deepest winter and, after battling snow and floods recently, we can just about see spring on the horizon.

In fact, Shrove Tuesday is next week (as I write), prompting me to do a little research into pancakes.

I bet most members won’t know - any more than I did - that they are one of the oldest and most widespread of foods. They were mentioned during the reign of Emperor Tiberius by the Roman cookbook writer Apicius, and in 1430 turned up for the first time in an English cookery manuscript.

In 1737 four recipes were given in a book called ‘The Whole Duty of a Woman’… written by a man, of course!! He was William Kenrick, who founded The London Review and was later described as one of the city’s most despised, drunken and morally degenerate writers!

One of these recipes included 18 egg yolks and half a pint each of cream and sherry. I don’t think, somehow, that we will be following that one on February 24!

The list of countries whose diet contains pancakes in some form or another is endless, but to name a few: China (bad bing); Egypt (quata’if); France (crepes, matefaim, pannequet); India (poori); Indonesia (dadar gutung); Ireland (potato pancakes); ad Russia (blini).

Pancakes in Britain, of course, are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, when they were seen as a good way of using up surplus eggs, butter and sugar, before the Lenten fast began the following day, Ash Wednesday.

Light bites Members who use the Club regularly will have noticed that we have introduced a light bite menu in the Bar, to try and cater for members and their guests who have neither the time or inclination to eat more formally in the Dining Room. We have also revamped the main menu to include a pasta option and a dish of the week.

These changes hopefully reflect the needs of members in this ever changing world.

We want to continue to please our existing customer base while, at the same time, attracting new diners.

It is worth repeating at this juncture that almost everything that we serve is produced in The Farmers Club kitchen including all of the desserts, ice-creams, sorbets, sauces, soups, etc, etc.

One feature of our opening times that has been a success - but of which some of our

18

Taking time out to work abroad prepares you well for the future

Scotch Pancakes (makes 12-16) 115g Sifted Plain Flour Bicarbonate of Soda 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar 1tsp Golden Caster Sugar 1 Medium Free-range Egg 150ml Milk

Within a month of returning home I found myself back out in New Zealand, having gained residency under the New Zealand skilled shortage list, and bought a house, to work as the company’s Technical Manager responsible for growing 25,000 tonnes of onions and 6,000 tonnes of carrots, as well as providing technical assistance to the growing of 30,000 tonnes of potatoes.

Sift the flour, cream of tartar and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the egg, slowly add the milk whisking all the time until smooth.

This was a dynamic and fast-moving role, as well as a challenge at times; but also very rewarding and satisfying. It was a job which I enjoyed greatly, thanks to the ethos of the company and the people with whom I was lucky enough to work.

Heat up a griddle or frying pan. Smear with a little butter and drop in four tablespoons of batter to cook four pancakes at a time. After about 11/2 minutes you will see bubbles. Flip the pancakes over and continue to cook for a further minute. Serve warm.

At the time of accepting the position, the thought of living 12,000 miles away from friends and family didn’t affect me, having already spent the previous 12 months away, and I was excited about the opportunities the job would present.

1/2 tsp

The hardest part was establishing myself in a completely new environment, with which I wasn’t familiar, as well as the need to develop a new network of friends. However, thanks to long-distance support from my family, as well as from local neighbours, I was made to feel very welcome and any home-sickness was soon overcome, especially once I joined the local rugby club of Bombay.

members are unaware - is that we can cater for pre-theatre diners from 6 pm every Monday to Friday. Worth knowing about, considering that most West End Theatres are but a short walk away from the Club.

Better bargains

New Zealanders and welcoming.

Russell Corfield makes quite a catch Down Under.

I am finding that one of the few upsides of these financially strapped times is that I am able to drive better bargains with some of our suppliers, particularly on the fish side.

We had some beautiful Turbot in today at a competitive price, which I was able to put on the daily menu.

HAVING spent four years studying on a BSc Hons Agriculture course at Harper Adams University College (2001-2005) and gaining the Dr Norman Gill Crop Science Award and Farm Planner Award for 2005, I decided that, like most people, I wanted to travel and see what the world had to offer me.

I have always used more than one supplier for our produce and make sure they know there is competition out there!

Consequently, I packed my bag and set foot into the wider world, travelling to 14 countries, mostly overland, in 12 months, seeking to develop my own experiences as well as investigate the opportunities of working abroad within agriculture.

On a final note, I have been encouraged by the Club Committee to become more ‘visible’ to members. I hope the sight of me doesn’t spoil your dining experience!

Part way through my travels I visited New Zealand, where I met Dr Stuart Davies, from the farming company Leaderbrand, based in Gisborne, and spent the day looking round its brassica and leafy salads business.

Cookery quote…

“Some people have a foolish way of not minding, or of pretending not to mind, what they eat. For my part, I mind my belly very studiously and very carefully; for I look upon it that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind anything else” Samuel Johnson (1709 - 84)

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

At the end of the day, Stuart offered me a job, but, at that time, I had other plans, so didn’t accept. However, I maintained contact, and on return to the UK approached Stuart with regard to the possibility of a job within New Zealand.

This led to me receiving an email from AS Wilcox and Sons Ltd, based in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, which specialises in growing onions, carrots and potatoes. The company requested my CV and asked me to travel to New Zealand for an interview, all expenses paid, where I spent a week with them. www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

are

predominantly

extremely

friendly

However, as time went by, my role began to change within the company and, following a visit back to the UK in July 2008, I decided that it was time to return home. Seeing my family and friends, and hearing of engagements and people getting married, made me realise that, if I wasn’t careful, I was going to miss out!

Consequently, on returning to New Zealand, I made plans to move back home in November 2008, much to the surprise of a number of people but, obviously, to the excitement of my family and friends.

Looking back on my time in New Zealand, I had a great experience and would highly recommend it to anyone who is considering the option of travel overseas, wherever it may be. In terms of my own experiences I was made to feel very welcome, being able to go fishing, skiing, diving, wakeboarding, hiking, hunting… the list is endless.

Regardless of whether you choose to emigrate or travel overseas on a working holiday visa, the opportunities are endless, providing you are enthusiastic, keen and willing to try new things.

My own experiences have done me no harm. I now manage a farmers’ co-operative, Aylsham Growers, producers of 5,500 tonnes of peas, 4,000 tonnes of dwarf beans and 5,000 tonnes of woodchips for heat generation.

The experiences gained from overseas have put me in good stead for whatever lies ahead.

• Under 30s member Russell Corfield manages the farmers cooperative Aylsham Growers and can be contacted by emailing russell_corfield@hotmail.com 19

U30S X • X • Luke Paterson, Chairman; Gemma Partridge, Vice Chairman; MaryAnne Salisbury, Secretary

Chairman’s Jottings WELCOME! My name is Luke Paterson and I come from a farming family which moved from Scotland to Norfolk in the 1920s.

Billy Elliott and ‘prancing’ on ice form part of fun-packed weekend Our jam-packed agenda continued with a reception of canapés and drinks before setting off for supper at the Dover Street wine bar, just a short distance away… although the girls (and a couple of the boys) did opt for a taxi, the girls blaming high heels for this requirement and all of us wondering the excuse of the boys!

Gaining interest on the mixed farm drew me to Harper Adams where, in 2005, I gained a degree in agricultural marketing. Since graduating I have moved to Hertfordshire, where I am working on behalf of farmers as an agricultural commodities broker.

Congratulations to Gemma Partridge for being elected as Vice Chairman, and also to Jeremy Dyas and Rhydian SurlockJones for joining the U30s Committee.

Thank you to all that attended the New Members Dinner and Winter Event. As the report on this page shows, it was another memorable weekend.

Finally, we are starting to send out U30s reminders and updates by email. To receive these, please contact u30s@thefarmersclub.com or luke@porterag.co.uk and you will be put on the email list.

I look forward to welcoming you at future U30 events.

Luke Paterson

Future Events Friday 15 - Sunday 17 May Spring Farm Walk, Norfolk Tuesday 2 June Cricket Match, U30s v XL Club

ON FRIDAY 23 January both new and old Under 30s members travelled from all over the country to meet and mingle, as they looked forward to a packed weekend. New members had come from Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Warwickshire, and it was really encouraging to see how many had made the effort to travel to the Club on a Friday evening, ranging in age from 18 to 29 and representing a variety of professions.

Luckily, a sunny Sunday morning arrived and, with it, a chance to work off some of the food we had consumed over the past two days. This included skating at the temporary ice rink at Somerset House, which provided We began the evening with the New some much needed fresh air.

Members’ Dinner. Over a delicious threecourse meal, old faces mixed with the new, The rink also gave us the chance to emulate friendships were struck up, contacts made our favourite celebrities from Dancing on and old acquaintances reignited in the Ice… or not as it turned out. Thankfully, we had all retired to the sidelines before anyone Eastwood Room. attempted a lift! I am assured by all those who The group of 35 then continued the evening took part that they found muscles the next in the Club bar and, despite the day they weren’t previously aware existed. extraordinary suggestion that another nightspot might be considered, more than a A little bruised, but with high spirits, we left few of us trundled round the corner to that Somerset House and headed back to the Club classic club ‘Motion’ to finish the evening via Covent Garden, where we found a suitable stop for refuelling before departing the Club with some energetic dancing. and heading off in our separate directions.

After a hearty breakfast the next morning, new members had a chance to tour the Club To anyone reading this and contemplating and discover the great facilities it has to joining the Under 30s, I would heartily offer. Meanwhile, the AGM was being held, recommend it. The New Members Dinner at which Luke Paterson was elected is, of course, an annual event… but don’t Chairman with Gemma Partridge as Vice wait until next year to get involved, as there are farm walks and Club dinners Chairman. throughout the year, where you’ll find Following a shuffle of members - as some everyone as friendly and welcoming as they had to leave, while others, unable to make were to me at my first event four years ago. the Friday night, arrived - we had a buffet lunch with a great deal more meeting and You don’t have to be a fully paid up member greeting. This was followed by a chance to come along and try out an event. If you to appreciate the excellent location of see one advertised and fancy joining in, The Farmers Club, from where it is just a contact MaryAnne at the Club (020 7930 short walk beyond Big Ben to the Victoria 3751) and sign up for it. This will give you Palace, where we saw a superb production the opportunity to decide whether you wish to become a U30s member. of Billy Elliot.

I’m sure we would all thoroughly It’s a great way to meet new people with recommend this to people of all age similar and also very diverse interests, to groups. It was a wonderful chance either to see different parts of the country and appreciate the skill and talent of such young to make the most of the excellent London performers or just to sit quietly in the dark location. for a while!

20

The restaurant in this wine bar is sited underground, with an almost cavernous feel to it… lots of alcoves and low ceilings. After a superb meal in such convivial surroundings, we made good use of the live jazz band and relaxed atmosphere by dancing the night away.

RAMBLINGS • Stephen Skinner

Changes galore to make the Club an even better place for members WHILE the Club was busy in the run-up to Christmas, looks can be deceptive and we saw a slight downturn in activity, certainly when compared with the heady times of ’07.

announce that the Trustees and the General Committee have approved funding for us to purchase a new computer and, coincidentally, a new telephone system.

The return from the Christmas break was also a little slower than it has been in the past, but I’m pleased to see that activity levels are now returning to something like the norm. That said, we would be foolish to deny that the current financial malaise has not had its impact, causing us to watch our costs very carefully.

The equipment we have is obsolete and really does not serve the Club well any more. Thus, we have decided to take the bull by the horns and get something that will meet our needs for many years to come.

The break over Christmas and New Year gave us the opportunity to upgrade two more of our bathrooms and, for those who have had the opportunity to use them, I am pleased to say the feedback has been good (with the exception of the odd niggle).

This refurbishment is all part of the bigger programme in which it is the intent to have practically all the bathrooms in the Club refurbished before the 2012 Olympics.

Naturally, this assumes we produce sufficient income in the coming years as it is essential we do not ‘over reach’ ourselves.

For those who read my Ramblings in the New Year Journal, you will be disappointed to hear that the computer saga goes on and, indeed, we have yet to get the system up and fully operational. Naturally, this is unacceptable and, thus, I am delighted to

At the same time as the General Committee approved this funding, it also endorsed a number of other changes which I hope will make members’ lives a little easier and more convenient when using the Club. For example, we will be establishing a Business Lounge for members, in which they can use their mobile phones and laptops. The exact location of this has yet to be agreed, but I’m hopeful we will have a solution in the next few weeks.

We are also looking to keep the Club open during the Easter and summer breaks.

Again, the decision on when this starts has yet to be agreed, but I will let all members know as soon as it has been settled.

Another change being considered is to extend the room booking system from the current limit of two months ahead to a year ahead. I will write more fully on this in my next Ramblings.

Fantastic food with lake view to match IT’S always good to hear from enterprising members, so I was delighted when Trisha Ingham called me to say that she and her husband have built a stone and slated lodge, with all mod cons, in the grounds of their Cumbrian home, offering “stunning views” over Lake Windermere, a short walk away, and the mountains beyond.

Dairy farmer’s daughter Trisha has always wanted to share her culinary skills with others and will do so now for holidaymakers at Homestead Lodge.

Breakfast is a choice of organic muesli, fresh seasonal fruits, home-made bread and/or, for those who like it hot, local Woberthwaite bacon, Cumberland sausage, free-range eggs and Westmorland rosti cakes with tomatoes.

Dinner sounds equally delicious, comprising a choice of Lake Windermere Char fish (when in season), salt marsh lamb from Morecombe Bay, roast wild duck or organic Cumbrian beef. Vegetarian dishes are also available, as are hot soups for those hungry on their return from a walk in the fells.

Interested? Then email Trisha at thehomesteadlodge@yahoo.co.uk or give her a call on 07747 181424.

A sad farewell to the Royal Show Pavilion SADLY, in the vein of change, members will wish to know that the Pavilion at Stoneleigh is no more, as our picture on this page shows The building was past its sell-by date by quite some margin and was costing the Club far too much to maintain.

While negotiations with RASE are still ongoing as we go to press, it is my intent to replace the Pavilion with a high-quality marquee, with the catering and front-ofhouse team provided by our own people. In effect, we are taking The Farmers Club to the Royal Show, while at the same time saving money.

Heather Seabrook THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL New Year 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

21

RAMBLINGS

Club Information & Diary Dates

THE FARMERS CLUB

The Secretariat 020 7930 3751

THE FARMERS CLUB Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

Ode to neighbour’s

Diary Dates 2009

organic potatoes

These dates are reviewed for every Journal. Please read them on each occasion, as they are sometimes revised and additional dates included.

Details of events circulated in the previous issues are available from the Secretariat at the telephone number shown above.

LINCOLNSHIRE flower and potato grower Nat Naylor was guest speaker at the Club Committee lunch in December. As well as giving a most interesting talk about his business, Nat read out a poem he had composed.

It went down so well, and gave rise to such goodnatured laughter, that the Committee insisted it be shared with a wider Club audience:

020 7930 3751 Further information is available on The Farmers Club Website: www.thefarmersclub.com To register for the Members’ Area, enter your membership number as shown on the top line of the address label of your Journal and then create your username and password.

It is with regret that we announce the death of the following members:

Nat Naylor reciting his poem

J Bolter T J Calcutt Maj R A Colvile J C Darby J A R Dewhirst P H Finlay R A Fletcher J L Garson R J Harrison J MacLachlan Dr J W Marshall CBE J F McGettigan D J Morgan D Palmer B B Rice Mrs F A Robertshaw Dr D H L Rollinson Mrs H Slater Lt Col J R Tozer

Oxfordshire Sussex Oxfordshire Leicestershire Yorkshire Devon Berkshire Oxfordshire Cambridgeshire Suffolk Durham Worcestershire Somerset Dorset Northamptonshire Isle of Man Italy Devon Dorset

Honours and Awards The Chairman and Members of the Club congratulate the following members whose names appeared in The Queen’s New Year Honours’ List: OBE Nicholas Brian Buckland Professor Elphin Wynne Jones William James Poole Neil Laurie Stoddart

Cornwall Shropshire County Down Midlothian

New Members New MembersThe following were elected on 10 December 2008: T P Bargman Dr T L Barsby T Dalton D Edmunds S A C Frere-Cook MBE Dr M Gannon M F Harwood Miss K M Haywood M Keeble W Luttman-Johnson A J Mackintosh Ms C J Rastall

I J Simkins The Ven J Smith A W Sneddon C B Watson J Watson G R Williams Mrs R J Wyllie

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire Derbyshire Dorset Yorkshire Kent Oxfordshire

Overseas C A de Foucaud et d’Aure

Obituaries

, m, imagine my plight .

I have quite a proble ght bli me en giv e es hav My neighbour’s potato h panic, wit ed fill him, I’m Whenever spuds border t to organic? ver con to Why did he have nd, d, but I’ve recently fou und.

I farm some nice lan gro ral mo h hig e with the My silts can’t compet with trees is, ed lin d pretty, but a roa His farm looks quite es. eas for pests and dis A small compensation . ky, it leaves me aghast His crops look so stic in the past. me ve lea , ure fut the If his way’s copper, from the lashings of Potatoes bright blue, r of his topper. rea the m fro res spo And a sky filled with re, le, but what does it sco re?

Organic sounds nob are forced to spray mo s our ghb nei the t If it means tha is basically flawed, This organic premise . d that few can afford It’s an artisan metho d, lan the ce twi d p, we nee If we grow half a cro e weeding by hand. lik t tha ff sta d fin ’t And I just can , organic while knowing g?

How can we turn to win gro l stil is fed be s to The number of mouth llenge to meet, cha e uin gen This is the feeds the elite. t jus ic Supplying organ as a stand of defiance, m So I’m writing my poe ence. in support of new sci I’m waving my flag ed, ort rep That’s how it’s Is organic greener? imported. stly mo it’s net pla But it’s worse for the u, with beans from Per Filling your tummy from more CO2. ion lut pol h wit es Fills the ski has been very clever, Their public relations ever. ry dust won’t last for fai But the marketing of ional sourcing, ICM growing and reg uld be endorsing. sho we ds Are the metho ndry, ence with good husba The future needs sci e. fre e idu res t’s tha d To grow the world foo proper solution the r ive del These can . without the pollution t bu d, foo Safe, healthy r, ito feel like a bit of a tra And though he may or. rat ope my as work Patrick Holden can

22

Club Information

Sussex Cambridgeshire Dorset Hertfordshire Lincolnshire Oxfordshire Berkshire Midlothian Yorkshire Suffolk Cumberland Berkshire

Under 30s C J B Evans Miss L C Goucher Miss E A Grierson A G Hunter Blair R Redfern D R Tweed F C W Tweed Dr K E Tweed

France

Hampshire Staffordshire Yorkshire Herefordshire London Antrim Antrim Oxfordshire

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.(between 1 June to end of September, Gentlemen will not have to wear jackets at breakfast).

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

• Ladies should be dressed conventionally.

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

St. George’s Day Lunch at Barber-Surgeons Hall Thursday 23 April Application form was in the New Year Journal Visit to Rutland Wednesday 6 to Thursday 7 May Application form was in the New Year Journal Royal Ulster Show Dinner Tuesday 12 May Reply slip in this Journal Devon County Show Reception Friday 22 May Reply slip in this Journal Suffolk Show Reception Wednesday 27 May Reply slip in this Journal Royal Cornwall Show Dinner Friday 5 June Reply slip in this Journal Three Counties Show Reception Firday 19 June Reply slip in this Journal Visit to RHS garden at Wisley, Surrey Tuesday 23 June Application form in this Journal

OVERSEAS The Western Australian Club, Perth, Australia

• Members must advise their guests of the dress regulations.

Queensland Club, Brisbane, Australia (Bedrooms not reciprocated)

Envelopes Sponsorship

Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland (Bedrooms not reciprocated)

The Farmers Club would like to thank Agrovista UK for its kind sponsorship of the Journal envelopes. Agrovista is the leading researchbased agronomy advice and product supply company providing solutions for arable, fruit & vegetable growers throughout the UK. For information about the company, visit www.agrovista.co.uk.

Reciprocal Clubs UK Royal Overseas League, Edinburgh

THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009 • www.thefarmersclub.com

THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB FOR 2009 PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN John Reynolds TRUSTEES Mark Hudson (Chairman), Barclay Forrest OBE Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE, Norman Shaw CBE

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

• Children should conform with the above guidelines.

VICE PRESIDENTS John N Harris OBE MC, Peter Jackson CBE Roddy Loder-Symonds, Sir David Naish DL John Parker

The Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi, Kenya

The Royal Highland Show Dinner Wednesday 24 June Reply slip in this Journal Royal Show, Stoneleigh Park Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 July Great Yorkshire Show Dinner Tuesday 14 July Reply slip in the Summer Journal Royal Welsh Show Dinner Sunday 19 July Reply slip in the Summer Journal CLA Game Fair Reception, Belvoir Castle, nr. Grantham Saturday 25 July Reply slip in the Summer Journal Visit to Alnwick Gardens, Northumberland Thursday 17 September Application form in the Summer Journal Theatre Visit and Supper at the Club Friday 25 September Application form in the Summer Journal Harvest Festival Service at St Martin-in-the-Fields followed

by Buffet Supper at the Club Tuesday 6 October at 5pm Preacher: Revd. Nicholas Holtam, Vicar, St Martin-in-the-Fields Details in the Harvest Journal

CLUB CLOSURES 2009 5.00pm Thursday 9 April to 8.00am Tuesday 14 April 12 noon Sunday 3 May to 8.00am Tuesday 5 May

The Harare Club, Harare, Zimbabwe

11.00pm Friday 22 May to 8.00am Tuesday 26 May

The Christchurch Club, Christchurch, New Zealand

3.00pm Friday 14 August to 3.00pm Tuesday 1 September

The Canterbury Club, Christchurch, New Zealand (Bedrooms not reciprocated)

Tuesday 22 December – no afternoon bar or dinner

Members wishing to visit any of the above Clubs must obtain an introductory card. To see their contact details including website address, go to www.thefarmersclub.com and click on links at the foot of the home page.

3.00pm Wednesday 23 December to 3.00pm Monday 4 January

www.thefarmersclub.com • THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Spring 2009

VICE-CHAIRMAN Mrs Nicki Quayle HONORARY TREASURER Paul Heygate IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Julian Sayers COMMITTEE Elected 2004 Ian Lindsay, Mrs Jill Willows Elected 2005 Charles Notcutt OBE Elected 2006 Stewart Houston CBE (Chairman House Sub-Committee), Meurig Raymond MBE Elected 2007 Tim Bennett, Mrs Anne Chamberlain, James Cross Richard Harrison, Campbell Tweed OBE Mrs Teresa Wickham (Chairman Journal & Communications Sub-Committee) Elected 2008 The Reverend Dr Gordon Gatward OBE Jimmy McLean (Chairman Membership SubCommittee), David Richardson OBE, John Wilson Elected 2009 Richard Butler, John Stones Co-opted Luke Paterson (Chairman Under 30s) Gemma Partridge (Vice-Chairman Under 30s) THE FARMERS CLUB CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES John Kerr MBE JP DL (Chairman), James Cross Stephen Fletcher, Dr Tony Harris CBE Mrs Stella Muddiman JP, The Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of the Club (ex officio) Chief Executive and Secretary Air Commodore Stephen Skinner Deputy Secretary Robert Buckolt Club Chaplain The Reverend Nicholas Holtam 020-7766 1121 Reception & Dining Room Reservations 020-7930 3557 Accounts 020-7925 7101 Membership 020-7925 7102 Private Function & Meeting Room Reservations 020-7925 7100 Secretariat 020-7930 3751 Personal calls for members only 020-7930 4730 Fax 020-7839 7864 E-mails secretariat@thefarmersclub.com accounts@thefarmersclub.com membership@thefarmersclub.com functions@thefarmersclub.com meetings@thefarmersclub.com reception@thefarmersclub.com u30s@thefarmersclub.com Website www.thefarmersclub.com THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Editor and Advertisement Manager Don Gomery 01892 610628 Email: don.gomery@btinternet.com Printed by Pureprint Group, Brambleside, Bellbrook Park23 Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1PL Tel: 01825 768811