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EDITOR ’ S INTRO
Welcome to the Oct / Nov issue of The Farmers Mart . As the current situation continues to throw curved balls and challenges at us , the world of agriculture keeps going . Many businesses have said to me they have never been as busy .
JUST when we were hoping that everything might be near normal in the new year , we hear that the LAMMA Show , which normally heralds the start of the agricultural year and Ag shows , has moved to 25th-26th May . YAMS , another hugely popular show , is also looking like it could well be postponed until May . However Farmstar , who always have a big open day in January , have taken the decision to do things a little differently this year and hold an online demonstration week from the 18th to 22nd of January along with all sorts of special offers .
In this issue , read about Darlington Farmers Auction Mart who celebrated the opening of their fantastic new premises on the 21st September at Humbleton Park on the A68 , just outside Darlington .
The Lloyd Ltd group are also featured with their brand new 5-million-pound new branch depot at Bishop Auckland , the state-of-the-art building future proofs the business whilst still maintaining its excellent service from a long-standing family business .
The Farmers Mart continues its focus and celebration of women in agriculture . Chris Berry has been to see Tamara Hall of Molescroft Farm ,
Beverley , an inspirational story about a lady who has had to overcome many challenges to maintain and develop the farm .
As I have mentioned previously , we are looking to do features on women in farming , from new ventures to well established farms and business ’ s , so do contact us if you know one of the many women blazing the agricultural trail . I am also keen to focus on the many female graduates leaving college and starting farming . I know there are a lot of young female farmers achieving fantastic results at college and afterwards .
You will see in this issue we include our popular wall planner , be sure to pin it up and hopefully in 2021 you will have many events to put on there and attend !
Check out our ATV feature , in particular the fabulous UBCO bikes fresh in from New Zealand , electric bikes , enormously robust and versatile . Tom Taylor is one of the few UK dealers . Give him a call , a test ride is a must !
So , here ’ s looking forward to 2021 now and January when hopefully normality will start to return .
In the meantime , do have a safe Christmas and New Year .
Ian Wilkinson , Owner
OCT / NOV 2020 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Call for Government to level-up rural areas to support England ’ s economic recovery from COVID-19
RURAL Coalition urges Government to unlock untapped potential of rural communities and economies and to address long-standing inequalities
A coalition of thirteen leading rural organisations is today urging the Government to commit to more equitable funding in rural areas to support England ’ s economic recovery from COVID-19 .
The Rural Coalition has published Rebuilding Rural : Growing Back Better , setting out its priorities for a successful recovery by seizing the potential social and economic opportunities across rural England .
Rural areas are home to 9.3 million people – more than Greater London – but they have long faced the challenges of sparsity , remoteness , poor connectivity and a history of unequal funding and patchy service delivery . Some communities which are heavily dependent on tourism and seasonal work are now at risk of being left further behind .
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed weaknesses in the narrow economic base of some of these areas , but also highlighted the opportunities rural economies can make to the recovery . Now , this
Chair of the Rural Coalition , Margaret Clark
potential needs to be unlocked through a programme of investment .
The Rural Coalition is calling for the Government to set out its vision for rural England providing :
• Opportunity for all in rural England – Levelling-up access to good quality jobs , homes , education and health services in rural areas with fair funding for public services
• A more resilient rural economy – More investment in skills , retraining and digital infrastructure , to attract new businesses to the area and increase economic diversity
• A major contribution to becoming net zero – Capitalising on opportunities for green rural growth , whilst helping to deliver the nation ’ s net zero emissions target The Rural Coalition supports a national response to the COVID-19 pandemic that is equitable across the country . Growing back better will ensure equal opportunities for all – no matter where they live and work .
Chair of the Rural Coalition , Margaret Clark , said :
“ The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into focus a number of rural vulnerabilities . How we plan for building back better offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address these issues but also to unlock the potential of rural areas to make a significant contribution to the nation ’ s economic recovery and ensure no one is left behind .”
The full Rebuilding Rural : Growing Back Better document from the Rural Coalition is available here : https :// acre . org . uk / cms / resources / rural-coalition-rebuildingrural-final-digital-version . pdf
ISSUE 71 • OCT / NOV 2020
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