Farm Business Innovation Show 2017
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The Farm Business Innovation Show is the event for farmers, landowners, rural businesses, entrepreneurs, estate, and country house owners to find new ways to diversify and increase their income. The event is returning to the NEC in Birmingham on November 8th and 9th and tickets are still free.
D iversification in the rural sector is a vital way to keep traditional methods of income viable in an unstable economic climate. By turning a portion of land towards an alternative stream of income, the traditional business is able to continue running with the support of additional income. This can be anything from turning one field towards renewable energy, to letting out buildings as offices or accommodation to opening a glamping or camping site.
The aim of the Farm Business Innovation Show is to offer every step of the diversification process, all under one roof. This means everything from the first initial spark of an idea, to the supplies and logistics required to build it into a full fledged success. Inspiration can be found around every corner of the venue, delivered through case studies from industry experts who have gone before, or discovered by wandering through the aisles and seeing the amazing new technologies and products that are changing the landscape of rural business.
Inspiration for an idea is of course only the first step towards branching into a new revenue stream. This is why the Farm Innovation Show also provides answers and solutions to the more logistical steps. Rural businesses will be able to take their pick from over 500 handpicked suppliers who have everything you need to build your perfect diversification project. On top of this, experts are on hand for everything from planning permission and tax advice to marketing and PR, the Farm Business Innovation Show has every rural businesses covered every step of the way.
The seminar line up for the 2017 event is second to none with the Keynote stage hosting the likes of Michael Eavis of Glastonbury Festival and Worthy Farm, Geoff Sansome the Head of Agriculture for Natural England, and Doug Gurr the UK Head of Amazon, among many others. Seminar topics covered at the event range from how to host a festival on your land, and the benefits of adding falconry as an attraction and pest control, to advice on opening a glamping site and unlocking the digital potential of rural UK!
Along with the seminars, the event will put on a host of live panel discussion by top industry experts on hot topics such as Glamping, Weddings, Planning Permission, Succession Planning, Social Media, Marketing, and Equestrian Business. There is also a live demo area where some of the latest gadgets will be tested and showcased along with a speed yurt building competition.
The Farm Business Innovation Show is excited to announce that this year’ s event will feature the Amazon Academy. This is a series of seminars and workshops designed to help rural businesses and entrepreneurs to get inspired to unlock their digital potential and increase their global reach.
Your free ticket to the Farm Business Innovation Show will also gain you access to sister shows, Country House Business Innovation, Holiday Park & Resort Innovation, and The Family Attraction Expo. Make sure you don’ t miss this incredible event and register for your free ticket via www. farmbusinessshow. co. uk
Jersey chooses LEAF Marque to deliver more sustainable farming
Jersey’ s dairy and arable farmers are being asked to become LEAF Marque certified as part of the Island’ s new rural support scheme, which requires them to follow internationally recognised sustainable farming practices. Under the Rural Economy Strategy 2017- 2021, which aims to grow Jersey’ s rural economy while safeguarding its countryside and environment, farmers must be LEAF Marque certified by 2019.
T he LEAF Marque is an environmental assurance system recognising more sustainably farmed products and is underpinned by the sustainable farming principles of Integrated Farm Management( IFM). A number of LEAF’ s technical team recently visited Jersey to meet with farmers to discuss LEAF Marque requirements and offer training in topics such as soil management and fertility, pollution control, animal husbandry, energy efficiency and nature conservation. The training, funded by Jersey’ s Department of the Environment, was well received by farmers.
More than half( approx. 6,000 hectares) of land on Jersey is used for agriculture, including land farmed by potato growers the Jersey Royal Company who are already a LEAF Marque certified member. Jersey’ s Director of Rural Economy and Head of Plant Health, Scott Meadows, said:“ The industry has responded very positively to the LEAF scheme and there was a really good turnout for the training. Farmers are already up to speed with many of the requirements as they had to comply with them under a previous rural support scheme, but LEAF covers subjects in more depth and has a broader set of requirements. It gets farmers thinking about how they can farm to the best possible standards, with biodiversity, public goods, and sustainability being held in equal regard to profit. Our aim during the five year span of the scheme is to move to a model where government is directly purchasing public goods from land managers in exchange for financial and innovation support. The public goods highest up the agenda are improved water quality, biodiversity and sustainability.”
Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF said:“ We’ re delighted that the LEAF Marque assurance system has been chosen by the government of Jersey to help drive forward its vision of a sustainable, diverse and innovative agricultural industry. We know from independent research * that LEAF Marque certification delivers a range of economic, environmental and social benefits. It empowers and enables farmers to make positive changes to more sustainable farming and allows them to celebrate and demonstrate their achievements in the marketplace. We are greatly looking forward to working together with the government of Jersey and the Island’ s farmers to support the wider strategic needs of Jersey, with regards to sustainable food production,
water security and the quality of the environment.”
Jersey’ s Minister for Economic Development, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Senator Lyndon Farnham added:“ I’ m pleased to see the new scheme beginning to deliver what it set out to do- to grow the rural economy while safeguarding Jersey’ s countryside and environment. To do this, we’ ve had to rewrite the contract government has with farmers, and I think that it will produce a more sustainable future for the agricultural sector.”
In addition to the new rural scheme in Jersey, LEAF’ s farming methods are also being recognised by other organisations including retailers and levy boards. Waitrose, which requires all fresh produce suppliers to be LEAF Marque certified, has put LEAF Marque at the centre of their consumer marketing activity. Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board( AHDB) will be using the LEAF Sustainable Farming Review on-line management tool as part of its efforts to measure its Strategic Farm’ s economic, environmental and social performance.
For more information on the LEAF Marque visit: https:// leafuk. org / farming / leaf-marque www. farmingmonthly. co. uk November 2017 | Farming Monthly | 09