Free farm resilience help from the Royal Countryside Fund
© Royal Countryside Fund Livestock farmers in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire are set to benefit from free business advice.
Delivered from Pasture for Life, working with the Royal Countryside Fund, the programme gives farmers access to a series of free ruminant livestock workshops, which will run over a six-month period.
The programme is funded by Defra’s Future Farm Resilience Fund.
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Each of the sessions has been structured to allow for networking with fellow farmers, and will focus on sustainable and regenerative practices to promote greater farm and business resilience.
The first event is set to take place at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester on 1Â February, with academic Nikki Yoxall speaking on alternative farming practices for improving sustainability.
This will be followed by two half-day workshops in March, covering regenerative principles to enhance farm businesses and the environment.
A further four sessions will be held throughout the spring and summer, designed to suit specific needs identified in the earlier sessions.
Any tenant farmer or owner-occupier currently receiving basic payments in England can join the programme, even if they have already participated in one run by the Royal Countryside Fund.
All participants will join the Royal Countryside Fund’s Farm Resilience Network, gain one year’s free membership with Pasture for Life, and receive ongoing support after the workshops.
For more information, contact Sarah Williams at sarah.williams@pastureforlife.org.uk.
Farming in protected landscapes
Pasture for Life has recently expanded its Pasture and Profit in Protected Landscapes Programme throughout the Cotswolds, Chilterns, and North Wessex Downs.
The programme, which has been running across the South East, South Downs and parts of the North, is aimed at farmers with grazing animals in protected areas, or those that are looking to integrate them into their farming system.
Funding from the Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund (FIPL) gives farmers in the above areas free access to a mentoring and events programme, plus a year’s introductory membership with Pasture for Life.
For more information on the scheme, or to be paired with a mentor, email ccnwd@pastureforlife.org.