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WCF Annual Lecture and Dinner – “the elephant in the farmyard”

UK Agriculture is blessed with many inspirational individuals, who are progressive in thought and practice, shaping not only their own farming businesses but a legacy for the future.

The Worshipful Company of Farmers Annual Agricultural Lecture and Dinner always aims to bring such individuals to the fore, challenging the thinking of those in the room and not shying away from topics that are often difficult to discuss. The 2022 event, held at Plaisterers Hall in May, was no exception.

Opening the event, Master Karen Mercer referred to the lecture as “the huge elephant in the farmyard”. She continued,

“Despite the importance of succession planning, 60% of family farms don’t have a written plan, though they accept that the absence of such a plan threatens the very future of their business, which has taken a lifetime to build.

“Two thirds of those family members looking to take on the farm believe that being unable to talk about it is the biggest barrier – and one in four believe that doing so will create family conflict!

“This shows what a thorny issue succession planning can be, both for the business and the assets, it is often left, to be dealt with another day.”

The Master and her speakers – Prof Matt Lobley, Abigail Bird and James Small

With over 35 years of working on succession, Professor Matt Lobley from the University of Exeter asked the audience “what is fair and what is equal?”. He highlighted how often succession is viewed as handing over assets, when the focus should be the handing over of management control over time.

Matt explained,

“Ownership and management are often one and the same in farming, but this can change with succession. We need to be mindful of the emotional ownership – who you are and what you do is all tied up with the farm. We all need to see succession and the costs associated with it as an investment in the future of your farm, and your personal life.”

He continued by dispelling some of the myths that make succession such a difficult topic to tackle.

“You need to prepare yourself and your family. Before you bring in any legal help, you need to work out what you want as a family. Bring in an external facilitator, sit down, discuss your options, and try to make the decisions before you seek advice on how to practically implement it.

“Succession is all about preparing yourself. It takes time to prepare a successor. Share and delegate management over a number of years, don’t expect to do it all at once.”

During his Lecture, Matt demonstrated how far farming has progressed, despite the challenges still facing conversations linked to succession. He told the story of one family who believed they had no succession, commenting “I’ve not got a successor; I’ve just got two daughters”. Today, whilst this may still be the view of some, Matt explained that everyone is now considered in succession planning.

Some familiar faces in the audience seem to be enjoying the proceedings

This was demonstrated by the second speaker of the evening, James Small, who farms at the Cheddar Gorge.

James shared his first-hand experience of working across generations, with complex family issues including the loss of both his Father and Uncle.

The farming enterprise is made up of both owned and tenanted land, primarily grazing cattle and sheep. In the 1940’s his Grandfather moved to the farm and prepared a simple will, leaving the faming business in a trust that was to be setup for the lifetime of his Grandmother. James described her as being as strong as an Ox as she went on to live for another 35 years after his Grandfather’s passing!

It was only in 2010 that the family realised there was nothing in place to protect them and the farming business. The difficulty of discussing succession felt too big a leap, and the conversation was put on hold.

“In 2012 I joined the Rural Leadership course. It focused the mind and reinforced the need for succession, and more importantly new approaches on how to tackle it. Every time I stepped into the house, I would revert back to feeling like a small child, so we found neutral territory where everyone felt comfortable to speak.

We didn’t look at it in terms of what we wanted but instead what we wanted for our children. This helped us decide what was right for the future. The most important aspect for me and my wife was time. You don’t get it back, so we didn’t want to waste what time we do have.”

It took two years for James and the family to complete their succession plan but because they knew what they wanted, it provided more focused legal conversations. They ensured the solicitor and accountant were round the table at the same time, so they could help identify elements that the family might not have.

“Be clear about what you want and don’t be afraid to spend money. You have to see it as an investment and working towards a succession plan that everyone wants to achieve together. Take time and listen to all those involved – two ears and one mouth – but remember plans and circumstances can change too, so continually review and refresh the plan.”

His final words summed up his own journey, “better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.”

The final speaker was Abigail Bird of Laurus Law who discussed legal and tax issues. She explained the importance of getting the right legal advice and at the appropriate time.

During the evening, The Master paid tribute to Past Master Lord Plumb who passed away earlier this year.

“Henry was a truly inspirational international leader. He committed his life to the service of the farming community on so many fronts. He stood up for what he believed in and made sure that the voice of UK Agriculture was heard loud and clear.

“Ensuring there was a future for the generations to come, within our farming industry, was at the heart of so much that he set out to achieve. Which is clearly demonstrated by his legacy of The Henry Plumb Foundation. He was always approachable and had time for others….. So many of us here this evening are indebted to him.

Abigail Bird answers questions from the audience

“On a personal level, my friendship with Henry spans many years and I had the great privilege of being able to call him my Godfather for the past 17 years, behind which lies another story! We spent enjoyable times together, of which I have very fond memories and the greatest of respect for a truly wonderful gentleman.  He will be greatly missed.”

The Agricultural Lecture and Dinner was kindly sponsored by Frontier.

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Musings from the Master

By the time you read this I will have been Master for six months and what an incredible experience it is. I would like to give you a brief insight into some of the events I have attended on behalf of the Livery. The theme of my year is the “Future of the Family Farm” and that has been the core theme of my year but there has been so much more!

The event at Mansion House highlighted the work of the twelve City Farms

The Lady Mayoress, Hilary Russell, hosted us at the Mansion House, one of her last engagements, for a special lunch when we highlighted the work of the twelve City Farms. There is to be a further open day at Freightliners farm in June where we hope to gain further financial support for these amazing farms.

The installation of the new Lord Mayor brings the Lord Mayor’s Parade, and we joined the procession with our float highlighting the dairy industry. The crowd greeted us with enthusiastic cheers. What a wonderful and fun day it was.

On Remembrance Sunday there was a special service at St Pauls after which we all paraded to Mansion House for the laying of wreaths accompanied by a military band, it was incredibly moving.

Our Affiliations are important to us, and we value the very strong link between us. I have visited the Westminster Dragoons, HMS Defender, RAF Waddington and due to attend RAF Northolt for their annual Wing Field Day.

There have been two Zoom Question Times, the first being on a “How to get family farms to engage and adapt to the new agriculture” and the second on “Farm Safety”. Both were well received and hopefully our attendees found it useful and worthwhile.

Our Management Course (ACABM) ran its 70th course and the Challenge of Rural Leadership (CRL) it 25th. The standard of delegate was incredibly high, and I am proud to think that over 1,700 people have benefited from our courses. We also offer support to individuals to attend programmes at Cranfield and to date have supported 10 Nuffield scholars (with Savills) Education is at the very heart of what we do with our mantra being inspiring, encouraging and developing excellence in the management and leadership of UK agriculture.

The Agriculture Lecture and Dinner takes place on Wednesday 27th April, The topic is succession, a difficult subject, which is why 60% of family farms don’t have a succession plan in place. Please come along and hear some sound advice on how to tackle this issue.

I heard Archbishop Justin Welby speak at the Henry Plumb Lecture, attended City Food Lecture and the NFU conference. Minette will also be speaking at our June lunch when we Celebrate our 70th Anniversary.

It is then to Staffordshire for the summer visit. My three sons and I look forward to welcoming you and to showing you some excellent family farms as well as giving you a fun time.

Livery companies have been generous with their invitations, I have attended lectures, lunches, dinners and banquets. We all head off to Sheffield in June, for a Livery Master’s weekend which I am sure will be brilliant.

Of course there is plenty of work to do within the Livery to ensure we go from strength to strength. None of what I do would be possible without the help and support of all around me. Thank you it’s a team effort! Now what time is my train to London on Monday …………..

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The Lady Mayoress’ Sleep Out

The Lady Mayoress’ Sleep Out  took place on Wednesday 30th March 2022 and our Master braved the cold and drizzle.

 

 

An enormous thank you to all those who sponsored Tony Alston (left in picture), Peter Bennett (right), and me.

We raised well over £5,000 between us and had just a glimpse of what life is like for over 12,000 homeless people on the streets of London.

 

Outside Guildhall

 

I arrived in good time on the Wednesday, Tony had briefed me on the prime spot to get and it was ours. I had my sleeping bag just under the statue of Dick Whittington who had been Lord Mayor of London three times. Although rain was forecast for several hours during the night, luck was with us and we only had some light drizzle, though the temperature dropped to just above freezing. We came with yoga mats, sleeping bags and tarpaulin sheets. I had layers of clothes on and finished with bed socks, a warm woolly hat and a thick coat.

The Lord and Lady Mayoress arrived at the Guildhall just after 11pm. We had a speech from the Lord Mayor and one of the beneficiaries of our fundraising, the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, who are an East London charity helping the local community to recover from homelessness, addictions, and other complex needs.

It was time to settle down for the night, I huddled right down into my sleeping bag and tried to sleep, not easy as there was chattering into the early hours and then the most phenomenal snorer! Tony could only take it for so long before he was up and finding the culprit. They were soon silenced. Though, Tony did tell me that he had to give me the odd nudge, what me, I really don’t think so!

 

Tony under his tarpaulin

 

The Guildhall at night

 

We eventually dropped off, but at 4.30am the Guildhall was coming to life again, and breakfast was served at 5.00am.

Never would I have thought that the first thing I would see in the morning, would be Tony next to me. Mary he was the perfect gent.

Thank you for all your generous support for an evening that I will remember for a long time to come.

Now more than ever, I will always remember and show my support to those less fortunate than us, who have nowhere to call home.

Thank you, best wishes and sleep well tonight.

Karen

The Master Farmer

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The 21st City Food Lecture

The prestigious City Food Lecture took place in-person at London’s Guildhall on 17th February and was also livestreamed to a large online audience.

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Our Annual Banquet

The Master, Karen Mercer, and her Wardens greeted our Guest of Honour, the Countess of Wessex, 260 Liverymen, and guests as they entered the magnificent Drapers Hall for the Worshipful Company of Farmers’ Annual Banquet on 25 January. This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the Company gaining Livery status, and as the evening fell on Burns night, we celebrated our birthday in true Scottish style, with bagpipes, tartan, haggis and whisky.

Jim Hume receiving the Master’s Decanter from the Countess of Wessex for his work on wellbeing in the industry
Andrew Blenkiron receiving the Livery Salver from the Countess of Wessex for his work on the Lord Mayor’s Show

In his opening address, the Senior Warden, Richard Davies gave a brief history of Drapers Hall, welcomed everyone and paid tribute to the representatives of the Company’s four military affiliations who joined us for the evening – Commander Vince Owen accompanied by his wife, Victoria from HMS Defender, Group Captain Mark Lorriman-Hughes OBE from RAF Waddington, Major Sam Beagley, accompanied by Isobel Smith, from The Westminster Dragoons and Wing Commander Niall Cummings, accompanied by his wife Morag, of Middlesex Wing of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets, who once again provided the Carpet Guard that welcomed our guests.

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