There's no better tonic than hearing farmers speaking positively about their future in a thriving dairy industry. We have been exposed to it recently at our regenerative farming events- Down to Earth, and also when speaking to former attendees of our Entrepreneurs in Dairying (EID) course ahead of the 2023 course launch this month.
We had almost 3,000 visitors at Down to Earth North and South, many commenting on the positivity around regenerative agriculture and how farmers are actively seeking solutions to safeguard their future- from volatility in the marketplace, milk price fluctuations and changing government policy.
Peer-to-peer learning is so valuable and at Down to Earth, there was no sugarcoating from our farmer case studies about their regen journey. Each one had positives and negatives to report with key learnings, hopefully providing delegates with valuable pointers to take back to their farms.
Conversations with former EID delegates provided the same tonic, with each one expressing their gratitude to the course by providing them with business and life skills and the confidence to take that next step in the dairy industry.
EID delegates often speak highly of the networking opportunity, with many representatives still in contact years down the line.
Applications have just launched for the 2023 scheme, which will start again this autumn. If you know anyone that may be interested or have staff on your farm that could benefit from attending, more can be found at https://www.rabdf.co.uk/entrepreneurs-in-dairying
In other positive news, details were released by the government this month on regulations set to come into force later this year that will help ensure supply contracts in the dairy sector are fair and transparent, meaning farmers are paid appropriately for their produce.
The regulations deliver on a key commitment set out at the Prime Minister's Farm to Fork Summit earlier this year to help establish stability and accountability across the dairy supply chain. It will enable farmers to challenge prices, stop contract changes from being imposed without an agreement, and ensure farmers can more easily raise concerns.
These changes will help provide much-needed security and confidence for businesses to invest in their future and help build a stronger and more resilient dairy sector.
It is also good to see the dairy sector leading the way, with similar regulations to be developed across other farming sectors.
Hopefully, we will have more good news next month- maybe some sunshine, too!
Matt Knight