Final Week of Worshipful Company of Farmers Course

Our focus for the third and final case study was based on a mixed arable and livestock farm. 

The farm is owned by the Butler family of Manor Farm at Avebury, Wiltshire. The farm is run by Robin and Ben Butler and consists of 1900ac - including some rented land. Predominantly this is an arable business with a flock of around 160 hoggets and 60 breeding cows.

The challenge for the Butler's is to take their farm to the next level and create a pathway for Robin to retire.

Beef Cattle at Manor Farm



Once again the Delegates split into groups of four and set about developing strategies to move the business forward. Manor Farm is already an established and well run unit, so any proposed changes were going to be peripheral and difficult to justify.

The four groups came up with very different ideas, however we were all in agreement that the livestock operations already in place weren't highly profitable. The equine operation on the other hand, currently catering for seven horses, could be expanded and if set up correctly would run with a low labour requirement.

Interestingly, the option of renting the farm out and passing the manager's responsibility onto someone else was a credible alternative. It leaves one wondering if the prices being paid to rent land are over-inflated? We then have to consider how inheritance tax and the like influence the market.



A trip to Temple Farming and Barbury Castle Estate was particularly interesting and gave great insight into how many estates have diversified into the equine industry.  Manager Chris Musgrave is a great asset to the farm, very focused and a real character. Between the two estates, there are over twenty miles of racehorse gallops and up-to four-hundred horses train daily. 

Temple Farm

Speakers for the week included:

• Dr James Jones - CAP. Single Farm Payments amount to around £230 ha and look under threat in its current form. This is set to be debated in March.
• Dr Alistair Leake - Environmental Policy
• Angus Chalmers - Marketing
• Adrian Ivory - Relationships with Supermarkets
• Steve Thomas - Capital Investment
• Caroline Drummond from LEAF  - The Environment and Relationships with the Public
• Andrew Ward - Modern Cereal Management

All were wonderful speakers and held a wealth of information in their respective fields.

Friday 8th February marked the final day of the course, so we (the delegates) were joined for the Final Course Dinner by twenty representatives of the Worshipful Company of Farmers. This was a time for presentations and reflection of the past three weeks.

I have found the Advanced Agricultural Business Management Programme a particularly rewarding experience - something I will always remember. I cannot speak highly enough about the course and to anyone considering taking the plunge, I would urge you to do it. Not only for the skills gained from the program but also the contacts and friendships you'll make, as I did.

2013 Advanced Agricultural Business Management Delegates

I now look forward to three days exploring the UK before heading home to Athol for three weeks before attending the 2013 Nuffield Contemporary Scholars Conference in Toronto Canada.

Week 2 - The Waitrose Challenge

It's week two already and what a busy five days it has been. We've been immersed in yet another week full of inspirational speakers and farm visits here at the Worshipful Company of Farmers 62nd Advanced Agricultural Business Management Course (WCF AA Business Management Course).

One of the main focuses this week has been the 'Waitrose Challenge' which also involved a trip to the Cirencester branch of Waitrose supermarket, followed by a presentation from Duncan Sinclair, Agriculture Manager for Waitrose and Anne Steele, from the Waitrose Primary Producers Group.

The delegates then split into groups of four or five and were given the parameters for the case study to be researched and delivered at the end of the week. The key areas to focus on were based on a series of questions and ideas for us to explore. These included:

1. Factors leading to decline in UK stock numbers
2. What influence common agricultural policy (CAP) will have in the future
3. Climate change
4. Risk management in the supply chain
5. Mechanisms to ensure supply chains have security of supply
6. Retaining producer loyalty. 

The four groups worked well together by identifying each of the members strengths and using them to their advantage. The result was four very different presentations but the common thread among them all was the need for the supermarket to invest as much time into understanding the needs of the producers as they do with their customers. That would in turn create trust between the entire supply chain. The next step could include benchmarking and looking at cost of production and the need for reinvestment to be the basis for the pricing structure throughout the value chain.

Speakers this week included:

• Prof. David Harvey - Professor of Agricultural Economics at Newcastle University. He spoke about future policy prospects and how it looks likely to be centred on 'Public Good'. Prof. Harvey says energy and food prices had dropped in real terms over the past 50 years but will not be the case in the future. 
• Hamish Gow from Massey University NZ presented on value and value chains. Hamish gave the delegates an insight into how to identify consumer needs and turn them into enjoyable and useful experiences for the consumer. A second presentation later in the week saw Hamish speaking about developing business models and strategies. 

Dinners this week were held with the WCF and delegate sponsors and included an entertaining after dinner speech from David Hughes. On Thursday we were joined for dinner by Tony Pexton OBE who is a Nuffield Scholar and spent 20 years with the NFU as a Liveryman with the WCF. Tony also farms in Yorkshire and is involved in many other industry groups.

Finally, following a visit to a Velcourt managed farm on Friday, I am now spending the weekend on Buckminster Estate in Linconshire with farm managers Chris and Nicola Jinks. Chris is on the WCF course too and is responsible for 4500ac of predominanly combinable crops with some grassland. He says this past autumn and winter have been particularly trying, with continued wet weather meaning establishing crops is difficult to say the least. I will attempt to sum up some of the issues from a farming perspective in a later post.