6th November 2024
With the industry continuing to navigate new updates, agri-environmental policy and funding considerations amidst challenging weather and geopolitical events influencing supply chains, Frontier’s upcoming winter meetings will focus on practical solutions to help farmers build more business resilience.
“Last year’s events highlighted how valuable these discussions are to our farmer customers,” explains Frontier’s head of co
mmercial for the south, west and midlands, Russell Dean. “The industry is changing and there’s a lot to consider when it comes to future-proofing farm businesses.”
Making changes and adopting new and more sustainable approaches to food production require ongoing risk management, but Russell stresses that every farm is different and the same methods don’t work for everyone.
“It’s important we link farmers to the advice and solutions that are right for their individual businesses. Sustainability is more than just delivering for the environment – it’s about economically viable farming systems too.”
Public and private funding options
Government funding for farms is changing. Across the UK, policies are being developed to reward farmers for environmentally considerate actions and the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is being removed. This, coupled with food manufacturers and retailers increasingly looking to fund practices that support more sustainable supply chains, means there’s a lot for growers to consider.
“We’re helping growers to assess what they have today, what their objectives are and how the finances stack up for them,” comments Frontier SFI delivery lead and technical advisor, Hannah Clarke.
“For example, some SFI actions have considerable payments attached, but it can’t just be about chasing the highest number. We have to consider rotational impacts and ongoing land management requirements.
“The number of privately funded opportunities within supply chains is growing significantly too and can’t be overlooked. There’s a place for both types of funding on farm and if planned in the right way with sound advice, they can be a means of spreading risk and even rewarding farmers for actions they are already doing.”
Frontier’s teams will cover this across their winter meetings, sharing the business’ eight-step approach designed to help farmers navigate future funding.
Trials insights to aid future planning
The importance of forward-thinking will also be touched through updates from Frontier’s nationwide trials programme.
“As a business built on technical expertise, we base everything we do on robust evidence and data,” says Frontier’s crop production
technical lead, Dr Paul Fogg.
“We’re committed to challenging assumptions and investigating new and alternative approaches. Relying on our own research means we can do this to scale, upskilling our advisors and supporting our customers with the real challenges they face on farm.”
Frontier’s unique position means its teams can take a holistic approach to research, and with relationships across the industry, can review all options on the table and undertake thorough benchmarking.
Paul continues: “At this year’s events, we’ll share some of our trials insights from the previous season, with a specific focus on disease management and varietal responses to fungicides from our work on the value of chemistry. We always want to challenge the norm and equip our customers with the information they need to support their forward planning – especially after another challenging season.”
Grain marketing opportunities
As well as crop production considerations, visitors will also hear the latest grain market updates as Frontier’s experts detail the current supply and demand picture.
Russell explains: “With volatile markets, a difficult season and uncertainty around domestic crop production, we know farmers are looking for opportunities and reassurance.
“Our trading experts will provide global, national and regional market insights, as well as share some of Frontier’s risk management solutions.”
One such example is the Frontier pools programme, which helps growers to diversify their marketing approach with help from commodity specialists who can manage the price risk and oversee selling decisions. Visitors will be able to learn more about current opportunities at each of the events.
Russell notes there’s a chance to see how farm data can future-proof farm businesses too. “We’ll be looking at how analytics and gross margin data can inform decisions and help farmers plan for years to come.”
More details about the first of Frontier’s winter meetings and how to register can be found at www.frontierag.co.uk/events. New dates and regions will continue to be added over the coming weeks.
NRoSO and BASIS points are available for those who attend.
