Livestock event 2014: Farmplanner of the year again for Dorset four

A team of four from Dorset’s Kingston Maurward College has won the Farmplanner of the year competition for the second time in three years.

Thirteen colleges took part, with the three finalist teams presenting their business plans for a Leicestershire family dairy and arable farm at this week’s Livestock Event.

“The standard was very high but Kingston Maurward stood out,” said host farmer Geoff Jones of The Yennards Farm at Earl Shilton.

Also shortlisted were Shropshire based Harper Adams University and Bridgwater College Somerset.

The teams were challenged to find a way of bringing Geoff and Angela’s daughter Clare back to the farm business through a food-based diversification, as well as expanding the 320-cow dairy herd by 100 cows and developing the arable business run by son Graham. A long term succession plan was also called for.

The Kingston Maurward team of Ellen Burrough, Georgie Cossins, Simon Hall and Hilary Hansford proposed a paneer cheese venture, extending the parlour, slurry store and cubicle housing. The arable enterprise would lose ground through expanding cow numbers but contracts would be sought on additional land.

The judges were particularly impressed by their entry’s sensitive treatment of the succession issue. The Farmplanner of the Year competition is run by the Institute of Agricultural Management and sponsored and supported by Farmplan and Barclays. 

Full report in Farmers Weekly magazine, 11 July.

See also: All the coverage from the Livestock Event 2014