BUSINESS SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Explore our Farming Ambition Programme
The Farmer Network Farming Ambition Programme 2023 will be open to 18-30 year olds (up to 40 year old for Yorkshire Dales participants) and will consist of Winter Workshops on How to Plan and Run a Successful Farming-Related Business Fit For the Future. We are developing a similar programme in Northumberland and would like to hear from anyone that would be interested. The meetings will be face to face in Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria or on-line and will focus on Business Skills:
- Business planning - to get your ideas and plans focussed and understood. Use your plan to keep everything on track and to be successful with tenancies, other farming arrangements and loans
- Book-keeping and cloud accounting systems –essential but boring, (or fascinating, depending on how you think!) and cash flow is vital for your business
- Marketing and diversification – will be needed more in the future to add value to your place or produce using your skills, location and possibly a random opportunity?
- Livestock and land technology – for increasing efficiency and saving costs, sometimes making it easier to farm and have another income, or changing to a farming system that provides more public goods and payments
- Farming sustainably – finding new markets and cost savings alongside increasing biodiversity above and below ground, improving your soil to work for you and your crops/animals as climate change progresses
- Making the most of Grants and Environmental Schemes – what is available and what changes would they involve for your land, livestock management, business income? Understanding the opportunities when applying for tenancies or other farming arrangements
Here are details of the upcoming workshops:
| TOPIC | DATE | TIME | WHERE | COST | COVERING | FOR WHO |
| Livestock technology and apps | Thursday 2nd November | 7PM TBC
Supper included |
Burnsall Village Hall TBC | FREE | Using livestock technology effectively, data recording and using the results to improve efficiency and profitability | Yorkshire Dales |
| Business Planning | Sunday 12th November
|
10am – 3pm
Lunch included |
The Gamekeeper Inn, Threshfield TBC | FREE | Basics of running a successful business, looking for opportunities and assessing them, applying for a tenancy, understanding livestock or enterprise gross margins and applying for a bank loan or overdraft facility. | Yorkshire Dales |
| Launch of the Cumbria Farming Ambition Programme 2023-4
Changing farming systems and using livestock technology and data |
Thursday 16th November | 6.45 – 9pm
Including supper at start |
Penrith Rugby Union Club, Winters Park, Carleton Ave, Penrith CA11 8RQ | FREE | Find out about what’s on offer in the programme and discuss with three inspiring younger farmers who are changing their own or family farming systems for longer term profitability:
· Developing diversifications and new markets |
Cumbria |
| Bookkeeping - Delivered by Agricultural Business Training
NEED TO BRING OWN LAPTOP |
Sunday 19th November AND Sunday 26th November
2 DAY COURSE |
10am – 3.30pm
Lunch included |
The Gamekeeper Inn, Threshfield
|
£100 | Industry update, accounting terminology, accounting systems, VAT
Practical exercise – invoices, bank reconciliations, margins Components of profit and loss, balance sheet |
Yorkshire Dales |
| Grants and Schemes – SFI and Countryside Stewardship | Thursday 30th November | 7pm | Zoom | FREE | Providing up to date information on the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship options | Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales |
| Business Planning | Sunday 10th December
|
10am – 3pm
Lunch Included |
Abbot Lodge Dairy Ice Cream
Clifton, Penrith CA10 2HD |
FREE | Basics of running a successful business, looking for opportunities and assessing them, applying for a tenancy, understanding livestock or enterprise gross margins and applying for a bank loan or overdraft facility. | Cumbria |
| Other Grants and Schemes | Thursday 4th January 2023 | 7pm | Zoom | FREE | Covering farming equipment and infrastructure grants, animal health and welfare review and the rural prosperity fund | Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales |
| Applying for a loan, business planning – PART 1
Delivered by Oxbury Bank |
Thursday 11th January | 7-8.30pm
|
Zoom
|
FREE | Applying for a loan, what are banks looking for and business planning.
Chance for you to do a PRACTICE business plan. |
Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales |
| Diversification and Marketing | Thursday 18th January
|
7pm | Zoom | FREE | How can diversification fit around a core farming business, skills and management needed, creating a brand, marketing and social media. Inspirational younger farmer speakers. | Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales |
| Bookkeeping – Delivered by Agricultural Business Training
NEED TO BRING OWN LAPTOP |
Sunday 4th February AND Sunday 11th February
2 DAY COURSE |
10am – 3pm Lunch Included |
Abbott Lodge Ice Cream parlour, CA10 2HD | £100 | Industry update, accounting terminology, accounting systems, VAT
Practical exercise – invoices, bank reconciliations, margins Components of profit and loss, balance sheet |
Cumbria |
| Applying for a loan, business planning – PART 2
Delivered by Oxbury Bank |
Thursday 8th February | 7-8.30pm
|
Zoom | FREE | Applying for a loan, what are banks looking for and business planning.
Feedback on PRACTICE business plans. |
Cumbria and Yorkshire Dales |
Please complete this Survey Monkey to register your interest in the different workshops HERE and we will be in touch with more details.
To find out more, contact Project Manager,Kate Gascoyne, tel: 07548934282 or e mail: kate@thefarmernetwork.co.uk
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