The Farmers Club Issue 293

Farmers Club SPRING 2022 • ISSUE 293

www.thefarmersclub.com

INSIDE Chairman’s Comments p3 Club News p4 Farming’s future p6 Committee joiners p8 New nutrition p10 Summer ahead p12 Wild camping p13 50 years a member p15 Norman Shaw p16 Craig’s Corner p17 Charitable Trust p18 Farming figures p18 Chef’s page p19 Under 35s p20 Club Info p23 Calendar p24

INSERTS Superbloom at Tower of London Hampton Court Flower Festival Committee Nominations Annual Report & Accounts

Summer’s coming Restaurant reservations now being taken p12

Under 35s Gala Relaunch Dinner p20

Contents

Farmers Club Serving the farming industry for 179 years 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

FRONT COVER Celebrating the best of British food in the Club Restaurant - bookings now being taken.

Food photographer - Jonathan Pollock

Disclaimer: The articles published in The Farmers Club Journal do not necessarily reflect the views of The Farmers Club. No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in the magazine can be accepted by the publisher.

Advertisements are included in good ­­­­ faith. All rights reserved.

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Chairman’s Comments Chairman John Lee reflects on a good start to the 2022 Club Year, with the Under 35s relaunch offering hope for the future

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Club News There’s a fresh buzz in the Club as services continue to be enjoyed by members, now returning in ever greater numbers

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Farming’s future Huge volatility faces UK farming as war in Ukraine, soaring input costs and the need to redefine land use all compete

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New Committee members Three new committee members from W. Yorkshire, Lancashire and Gloucestershire bring fresh farming expertise to the Club

10 Alternative nutrition Harnessing the soil’s true potential is not easy – but a tried and tested approach could reap dividends, explains a Club member

12 Summer ahead Reasons why a Summer visit to your Club is such a good idea

13 Wild at heart Matching visitors with landowners could be a splendid initiative

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14 Food & Beverage Update Efforts to resume normal service continue apace

15 50 years a member Honorary member reflects on 50 years of Club and co-ops

16 Norman Shaw obituar y A much-loved Club Chairman and Honorary Vice President is remembered

17 Craig’s corner Great ideas for making the most of your next trip to the Club

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18 Farming figures Topical statistics paint a fascinating picture of UK farming

18 Charitable Trust New leadership bursaries have been awarded

19 Chef ’s page Wonderful charcuterie and smoked salmon feature

20 Under 35s Gala Dinner heralds new dawn for Under 35s

22 Club Information and Contacts 02 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Chairman’s Comments • John Lee joined several such discussions at the Bar, most recently following the Nuffield Poultry Group Dinner, which the Club was pleased to host.

Sadly, but not surprisingly, a few days after taking over as Chairman, I and all other delegates had to join the Oxford Farming Conference online. While this impacted on the networking opportunities, it did not in any way diminish the diverse range of topics covered or the debate that ensued between the various panellists and speakers as they tackled the overarching theme of “Routes to Resilience” in a global perspective.

Chairman’s Comments “It was so uplifting to see and hear the future of our Club and industry enjoying the evening and debating the future direction of UK agriculture.”

“Wider questions will be asked about UK food security, at a time when some European states are considering bringing land back into production.”

AS I write these notes some two months into my year as Club Chairman, I am delighted to report the Club is a hive of activity following two very difficult and challenging years of which we are all too aware.

Quite appropriately my most recent Club event was the relaunch of the Under 35s, with a Black-Tie Gala Dinner, held in the Farmers Suite and hosted

by Under 35s Chairman Alice Hind.

Not only was the company good, but the Dinner prepared by our Banqueting team in the Kitchen was outstanding. It was so uplifting to be able to attend this event and to see and hear the future of our Club and industry enjoying the evening and debating the future direction of UK agriculture.

After the dinner I was invited by the Under 35s to continue the relaunch celebrations “out on the town” – but that is, of course, another story…!

Behind the scenes The start of every Chairman’s year is a full tour of the Club, to not only look behind the scenes, but most importantly to meet our team in their own domain. It is only on such a tour that one can fully appreciate everything that happens, unsighted, but that is critical to the way the Club operates and achieves the high standards to which we have become accustomed.

The Club is of course not only a place to relax and enjoy good hospitality, but also a place to meet friends and colleagues, and of course to discuss and debate the future of our industry. That has always been the case and I am pleased that, after such a difficult period of isolation and social distancing, I have in recent weeks witnessed and

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Poignant City Food Lecture Fortunately, by the time we got to the City Food Lecture in the City of London restrictions were relaxed, and we were able to meet in person to hear key-note speaker, Ash Amirahmadi, Managing Director of Arla Foods UK, address “Food’s Defining Decade: Finding a way to feed the world while protecting the planet”. HRH The Princess Royal summed up the debate and the challenges facing farmers, growers and processors as we adapt to change in her usual highly knowledgeable and thought provoking style.

Later in February, Club Secretary Andrei Spence, and I were pleased to accept an invitation to attend the NFU Conference in Birmingham, allowing us the opportunity to meet up with many Club members and to join the conference sessions.

George Eustice MP As is the tradition the NFU Conference was addressed by the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon George Eustice MP, who I am pleased to say has also accepted an invitation to give the lecture and answer questions at our Monday Evening Lecture on 25 April. This will be very opportune given the dramatic change in agricultural production outlook since the dreadful events in Ukraine. Apart from the appalling impact on the Ukrainian people, wider questions will be asked about UK food security, at a time when some European states are considering bringing land back into production.

Club Tour to Devon Looking forward, I hope we have organised an interesting Chairman’s visit to Devon in early June.

Given we have just experienced three major storms, and many will have suffered damage, it will be topical to open the tour with a visit to the Met Office!

We also have plans to hold Club receptions or dinners at seven of our agricultural shows, together with a wide and diverse programme of events, which are either advertised in this Journal or will be included in our e-newsletters.

I very much hope to meet many of you in the Club or out on tour in the coming months.

@thefarmersclub

The Farmers Club Page

www.thefarmersclub.com • 03

Andrei Spence • Club News

Club News

Under 35s Relaunch

Club a-buzz with Spring activity

Following two years of upheaval the Under 35s Committee has met several times to re-energise a strategy for this year and beyond. Having received the baton from Eleanor Kay, Alice Hind has now taken over as Chairman and is busy with her team constructing a programme. I know the Under 35s are very keen to engage more with the events of the main Club, and some of their events will be attractive to those outside the 35 year age limit too. The Under 35s re-launched with more than 50 attending a Gala Dinner in the Farmers Suite, where Club Chairman John Lee outlined his hopes for the Club and the Under 35s in particular (p20). Late March saw a second Under 35s event, a more informal cheese and wine evening.

I am very pleased to report that 2022 has got off to a pretty solid start, with the Club visited by many of its members and the upturn and return of many business meetings and belated personal celebrations, writes Club Secretary & Chief Executive Andrei Spence.

caused by factors outside our control, and the General Committee agreed with the Executive’s philosophy that we would not sacrifice standards and reputation against over-extending ourselves and falling short.

This first quarter of the year has been a really exciting time for the team. To hear the Club busy with members has been a real tonic and the many families that visited over the half term school holidays was really encouraging. I think the families had a great time here.

We still have much work to do and overconfidence and over-expectation were not going to play a part in our collective planning and direction. I believe we have demonstrated, and can in the future, a resilience that protects members, the Club and the business from major upheavals, thanks to the way the Club is structured and how it structures its finances.

Changes to official Covid guidance have been very evident. Although not quite as busy as before the pandemic London is certainly busier than I have seen it since November 2019, and much of its cultural and leisure attractions are now open and powering up for the year ahead.

The horrific images we have seen in Ukraine have certainly put any moans and gripes we may have into context. Indeed, it has been a pleasure to witness and hear the buzz inside the Club, the return of events and the excitement around plans for the coming months.

In January we welcomed new Chairman John Lee to the Club and John was able to meet most of the team. I was also able to brief three new Committee members – Janatha Stout, Stephen Butler and Tom Rawson (p8).

Our first General Committee and SubCommittee meetings mapped an approach based on increasing optimism, with a hint of sensible caution. Re-subscription rates have been very strong, but the Club has space for more, and I would again ask all members to encourage friends and family to consider membership.

In recent weeks we have finally begun to break through the toughened glass ceiling of London’s employment pool, enabling Virginia to restart the Monday bar and food service from 7 March.

Whilst the reduction in services has been very disappointing, these have been 04 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Keynote events It was with the greatest of pleasure that the Chairman and I attended the NFU Conference in Birmingham for an interesting range of talks spanning technical, political and global aspects of the sector. It was very good to meet so many Club members and their friends and an 1100-strong dinner,

without a mask in sight, was one of the clearest signs yet of a positive move back to normality. We also attended the annual City Food Lecture, where the subject was “Food’s Defining Decade: finding a way to feed the world while protecting the planet” – it could hardly have been more relevant.

Club News • Andrei Spence

Strong finances Despite last year’s very slow start due to lockdown, the Club’s business carried on pretty seamlessly, with a glance through the Annual Report (enclosed with this Journal) revealing the breadth of activities. Probably the most important reading is the summary of the audited Annual Accounts. Through exceptionally tight cost control, the extraordinary flexibility of the staff team (in the absence of being able to recruit), the full use of all furlough schemes, rate rebates and tax deferrals and the exceptional reaction, return and support of members to the Club, the final outcome was, amazingly, a surplus. A pretty heavy deficit had been expected. This has enabled me to consolidate and largely recover our financial position and provide a very stable platform going forward.

We will maintain a cautious approach to expenditure, but will continue small scale projects that enhance the Club for members.

Investment matters In early March the Trustees were briefed by Jane Sydenham of Rathbones Investment on the performance of our investment portfolio. The greater flexibility afforded by the Trustees has insulated us so far from the worst of the share price falls. The Finance & General Purposes Committee also considered the final audited accounts, which were approved, subject to ratification by the General Committee in April and presentation to the Club at the AGM in July.

Carpet works To rectify the damage caused by the pre-Christmas flood we will soon have builder/carpet layers in the Club. The main work is scheduled for the Summer, or before if we are able. We will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum, mainly affecting transit routes around a small section of the Club.

Club Calendar Diary Dates

For information about Club Events see Journal back cover and Club website, and watch out for Club e-newsletters

Club events The year started off with a visit to the latest iteration of the Cirque du Soleil and 30-plus members enjoyed a jawdropping display of gymnastic dexterity, grace and strength in the Royal Albert Hall. Another Club outing at the beginning of February took members to the stage version of Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre, which was hugely enjoyed.

AGM calling notice

The Farmers Club is to hold its 180th Annual General Meeting in the Farmers Suite at 3 Whitehall Court on Tuesday 5 July at 12 noon. All Club members are invited to attend.

The Farmers Club ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2021

AGENDA FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL Agenda for the One Hundred and Eightieth Annual General Meeting of The Farmers Club to be held in the Farmers Suite of the Farmers Club at 3 Whitehall Court, LONDON, SW1A 2EL on Tuesday 5 July 2022 at 12 noon.

1. MINUTES

To approve the Minutes of the One Hundred and Seventy Ninth Annual General Meeting of the Club.

2. ACCOUNTS

To present the Annual Report and audited Accounts of the Club for the year ended 31 December 2021.

3. OFFICERS

(a) To elect the Chairman for 2023.

Mr Meurig Raymond CBE held office as ViceChairman for 2022 and the Officers and Trustees recommend that he takes office as Chairman from 1 January 2023.

Upcoming events

(b) To elect the Vice-Chairman for 2023.

The Officers and Trustees recommend that Richard Maunder takes office as ViceChairman from 1 January 2023.

MEETING 2022

(c) To elect the Honorary Treasurer for 2023.

The Officers and Trustees recommend that Mr Christopher Riddle continues in office as Honorary Treasurer from 1 January 2023.

4. AUDITORS

To appoint the Auditors for 2023. The Committee recommends that haysmacintyre continue in office.

5. CHANGE TO CLUB RULES

(a) Rule 4 to be amended as follows: UNDER 35 MEMBERS shall be those between the ages of 18-35 (both inclusive) at the time of election to such membership who are either: (1) Sons or daughters of a member, or (2) Past or present students of agriculture, or (3) Qualified for membership in accordance with Rule 1 During the year preceding their 35th birthday they shall be eligible to apply for senior membership and, provided at the time

they fulfil the qualification contained in Rule 1, they may be elected to senior membership on 1 January following their 35th birthday. (b) Rule 14 to be amended as follows: MANAGEMENT BY COMMITTEE Addition of the following sentence, after the 2nd paragraph of this rule: Whilst it is envisaged that Committee meetings will take place in person and usually within the Farmers Club, where national emergency or crisis dictates, meetings can be held “virtually” between Committee members and decisions taken in accordance with rules stipulating quorum numbers.

6. MOTION BEFORE THE AGM

No motions received.

A B SPENCE Secretary

by Order of the Committee 26 April 2022

PAGE ONE

Craig and Anita are scouring London for interesting, unusual and unique experiences for bespoke Member Experience packages or Club group events and we have plenty in store for the year (see back cover + website). We will hear from the Secretary of State at DEFRA, visit Portsmouth, attend seven agricultural shows, celebrate St George’s Day with lunch in the Club, visit Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Garden Festival, as well as undertake a Chairman’s tour to Devon in June and a trip to Burgundy in September, to name but a few. Several other events are already in the pipeline, with more to follow (watch for mailings, e-newsletters and Craig’s Corner).

www.thefarmersclub.com • 05

Charles Abel • Farming’s Future

Pressures on UK farming are intensifying, as Charles Abel reports Figures correct at time of writing FARMING faces increasingly turbulent times as Putin’s diabolical Ukraine war piles pressure on supply chains still fragile post-pandemic. Combined with swingeing farm support cuts, Brexit-related trade and labour issues, new Government policies, and evolving societal demands the pressure for major farming restructuring is intensifying.

As Russian atrocities in Ukraine wreak an awful human toll, trade repercussions have sent farm input costs soaring, placed world food stocks under fresh scrutiny and accelerated moves to deglobalize supply chains, as reported in January (FCJ 292).

Transition pressures intensify “The cost of farming is becoming substantially more expensive” Graham Redman

“Farming continues to go through a period of significant change, with a long-term transition in land use to food production alongside environment, diversification and delivery of public goods” Richard King

06 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

So whilst many farms made good returns in 2021/22, thanks to stronger post lockdown-driven retail sales, the short, medium and long-term picture is challenging, warns farm business consultancy Andersons.

Alongside price spikes, farm incomes, already under pressure from Basic Payment Scheme cuts in England, now face considerable pressure from rising input costs and surging interest rates. The £:€ exchange rate also remains relevant, influencing the cost of imports and value of exports.

Earlier this year agricultural inflation at 12% was double the rate of consumer inflation (5.5%). That was before Putin’s military onslaught sent energy costs soaring.

By late March, with nitrogen pushing £1000/t, agflation topped 30%, consumer inflation hit a 30-year high 6.2%, and further surges were anticipated.

With exports from the farming powerhouses of Ukraine and Russia in jeopardy, and world stocks, especially in China, under pressure, grain prices escalated, piling pressure on livestock farms with a £3040/t hike in feed costs in March alone.

In the medium-term BPS cuts will bite even harder, down 50% by 2024 and hitting zero in 2028, in England, with enviroschemes replacing only a proportion of the income lost on most farms, says Andersons.

Longer term government policy, in England especially, will continue to focus on changing land use to better meet environmental and climate change goals. “The UK government does not see food self-sufficiency as key goal; it believes food security is better achieved by sourcing from multiple markets, not having all its eggs in one basket,” says Richard King, head of research at Andersons. In any case UK food supply already draws on a land area twice the size of the UK.

Farming’s Future • Charles Abel Growing north/south policy divergence will see Scotland and Northern Ireland maintain direct payments, at lower levels, while England (already) and Wales (from 2025) pursue public goods.

Farm profits To spotlight the finances in different sectors Andersons runs business models each year, for dairy, mixed livestock, upland and arable farms. The data tells a stark story of transition from generally strong results last year. Total farm income in 2021 probably topped £6bn, thanks to stronger commodity prices, but 2022 is set to dip below £5bn, as input costs soar and BPS is reduced, it notes.

The data shows a typical dairy farm achieved a surplus of 5.2ppl for the milk year ending this March, when BPS is included. That is ahead of 2020/21, thanks to milk price rises generally matching rising input costs. But it is unlikely to continue, with an anticipated 56% rise in variable costs, plus higher overheads and BPS cuts eroding the surplus to 2ppl in 2022/23.

Exceptionally, for the first time in over a decade, mixed farms with a strong focus on beef and sheep should record a pre-BPS profit in 2021/22, largely thanks to strong meat retail sales during the pandemic. But even if prices remain strong, as expected, soaring input costs are expected to turn that small £31/ha pre-BPS profit to a hefty £202/ ha loss in 2022/23. Factoring in BPS cuts this year’s £273/ha profit to just £5/ha next year.

Worse still, upland farms, predicted to make a small loss this year, can expect losses of over £165/ha next year before BPS, due to rises in fertiliser, feed and fuel costs, translating to a £28/ha loss with reduced BPS. “This is the most vulnerable sector, especially beef, and is feeling the pinch the hardest,” says Andersons’ Graham Redman.

“Most farms in the sector are BPS dependent, so will see the biggest structural changes over the coming years. These farms are all very different, so there’s no cookie-cutter answer.

But they really do need to do something.”

Breakeven prices also remain elusive in pig and poultry, prevented by feed, labour, slaughter and supply issues in pigs, and bird flu and feed costs in poultry. Lack of a premium for higher welfare products is a further problem.

For arable the key for the current harvest year is the timing of grain sales and input purchases, typically resulting in a pre-BPS margin of £325/ha. Forward sellers won’t have benefited from higher prices, but early input buying avoided price spikes too.

Next year’s scenario broadly reverses, so strong sales values need locking in and top input costs avoiding. Even so, pre-BPS

margin could drop to just £30/ha, leaving arable making low profits without subsidy, Mr King notes.

Cashflow and working capital will be at a premium. “Finance facilities may need doubling or even tripling to support purchases, and new ways of selling will be needed to protect against inflation, maybe sourcing inputs early and backing that off with a sale that secures a margin,” says Mike Houghton of Andersons Salisbury.

Medium-term BPS cuts Deeper challenges also need addressing, especially in England, where all BPS payments will taper to zero by 2028.

Instead, Defra support will switch to 10% for productivity schemes, 60% for Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes, and 30% for the broader Sustainable Farming Incentive, with the overall budget agreed with HM Treasury – and probably smaller than now.

Andersons analysis suggests the schemes will not replace lost BPS income.

SFI, for example, may boost 2023 net income, but far below BPS cuts, and will have costs in 2023. Subsequent SFI options may be more worthwhile, for some, but will not match lost BPS income.

“Can profits from farming increase to offset BPS cuts,” asks Mr King. Improved efficiency, rent reviews and other income sources will be important. “The next 5-10 years will be a period of significant change, with the speed of structural change accelerating. Some will need to exit, which will free land for others. Having a plan to prosper during this period of change is vital.”

Policy drivers Longer-term Defra is keen to boost farm productivity, so land can be freed for a wide range of other public good purposes. A fifth of England’s farmland currently contributes just 3% of the calories, for example. Indeed, with 21% of the UK in rough grazing and woodland, and 26% in permanent grass, it is the 25% in temporary grass and arable that generates over 90% of farm output.

Land sales and prices are already rising, as competition for non-farming uses grows.

That helps sustain the sector’s £325bn balance sheet, and helps land-owners, who benefited more from capital growth than farming over the past 20 years.

“Agricultural transition is impacting very significantly and quickly, especially in England. Farms need to ensure they have a strategy,” concludes Mr Houghton.

LAND USE CHANGE TO 2030 Cereals (feed) Less meat, more grass-based Cereals (human/fuel) Biofuels Oilseeds Little change Peas & beans Plant protein demand Hort/roots Labour constraints Temp grass Grass in arable rotations Perm grass To enviro uses Rough grazing To enviro uses Biodiversity uses ELM, BNG, rewilding etc Diversification Solar PV + leisure Woodland Carbon + amenity Wetlands (peat) Restoration

Source The Andersons Centre

SFI UPDATE Initial Sustainable Farming Incentive payments, paid quarterly in arrears, and probably field-by-field, will come with 3-year agreements for introductory, intermediate and advanced levels, for arable soils, improved grassland soils, moorland and rough grazing, and animal health and welfare, with an application window opening this Jun/Jul and year-round thereafter, says Andersons. Integrated pest management, nutrient management and hedgerow options are expected for 2023, and more options in 2024 and 2025. “Agreements will be subject to 12-monthly reviews, so you can change things yearly – but you will only be able to add things, not take land out or drop to lower standards,” notes Mr King.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 07

3

Charles Abel • Committee Members

Farming briefs Potato industry figures are making progress towards establishing GB Potatoes to represent the sector after producers voted to end the statutory AHDB levy last year. Using a voluntary subscription model of £5-10/ha for growers and up to 10p/t for first buyers, it could generate £500,000/year to co-ordinate key lobbying, research and marketing work, they argue.

Skilled Farming Trio

Three new members of the General Committee bring a wealth of farming experience to the Club

Source: FG

A clearer legislative and policy framework is needed if farmers are to play their full role in a pivotal decade for food production, the 2022 City Food Lecture at London’s Guildhall heard. Better coordination between government departments is key to prevent the sector being held back, said keynote speaker Ash Amirahmadi, Arla Foods UK Managing Director.

“The aim is to grow the business and support the aspiration of everyone that works with us by being a strong, vibrant and reliable business, providing secure, enjoyable employment through responsible and prudent business practice, whilst still maintaining a family feel as the business moves towards a more corporate structure,” says Tom.

Source: FG

New Countryside Code guidance from Natural England aims to help farmers and landowners help the public enjoy the countryside in a responsible and respectful way. Advice includes reporting anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, littering, livestock worrying and other offences correctly, making rights of way more accessible, creating safer environments, including safe bale and log storage and tree management, and installing clearer signs.

Search Countryside Code at www.gov.uk

08 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

TOM RAWSON Farming entrepreneur West Yorkshire-based TOM established Evolution Farming in 2010, building from 60 dairy cows on 150 acres to 3,300 dairy cows on 9,500 acres, employing 55 staff, with units in Cumbria, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk and Cheshire, as well as Yorkshire (www.evolutionfarming.co.uk).

Specialising in farm management, particularly dairy, the focus is maximising stakeholder returns through joint ventures, management agreements and land rental, with nine dairy units plus drystock support, beef, sheep arable, contracting and building enterprises.

The business won Dairy Innovator of the Year in the British Farming Awards and Dairy Employer of the Year in the Cream Awards. Tom has been a board member of AHDB Dairy and vice chairman of the NFU National Dairy Board. A Nuffield Scholar and now a Nuffield Trustee, he is a member of ARAgS and a recipient of the Henry Plumb award. He is a member of Arla’s organic committee and is part of the McDonalds Supplier Group.

He is married to Catherine with three children and lives at Thornhill Hall Farm beside the Calder and Hebble Navigation, near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

At The Farmers Club Tom sits on the Membership Sub-Committee and General Committee. “It’s an absolute privilege to join the Farmers Club General Committee and be able to give something back to the Club that Catherine and I both enjoy using on a regular basis”.

Committee Members • Charles Abel

Agriculture Advisory Panel, a member of the RPA Independent Agriculture Appeals Panel and a former member of the TB Eradication Advisory Group.

JANATHA STOUT Fan of Club fellowship and debate Gloucestershire JANATHA first worked in agriculture as a land agent, before moving into agricultural education. She is now UK Operations Director for food certification body NSF International (www.nsf.org), a US-based business focused on protecting and improving food, water, consumer products and the environment.

Drawing on her strong agricultural experience Janatha is an independent member of the Welsh Government

At The Farmers Club she sits on the Marketing & Communications SubCommittee and General Committee.

“Belonging to the Farmers Club has been really beneficial for me,” she says. “It’s in a great location for business, work and leisure. I always enjoy my stays and have met some very interesting people over breakfast or dinner, whilst also catching up with old friends.”

The Club ethos of fostering a strong sense of fellowship amongst members and facilitating debate over the years is very much appreciated. “I have had some very enjoyable evenings dining with other members in the Restaurant. I’ve also been to some really interesting evening lectures and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming lecture from DEFRA Secretary of State George Eustice in April.”

Janatha lives with partner John at Warren Farm, Whittington near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, a sheep and arable farm close to the highest point in the Cotswolds

and industrial buildings industry in the UK, providing a collective voice for the sector and representing member views to government.

HorsePower trustee Lancashire

Stephen sits on the House SubCommittee and General Committee of The Farmers Club. “Being a member of the Club for over ten years has provided a wealth of opportunity to meet new people within the Industry and associated industries, along with a superb base in London, which is indeed a ‘home-fromhome’,” he says. “It also offers so many opportunities to attend various events and social gatherings – not least the splendid Chairman’s Tour to the Borders last summer.”

STEPHEN joins the General Committee with an agricultural background in agribuildings / holdings. He currently runs an agri-engineering operation, a contract baling service and keeps store cattle, continuing a farming dynasty going back over 300 years in his home county of Lancashire.

He is also a Trustee of HorsePower, the Winchester-based museum of the King’s Royal Hussars cavalry regiment.

Stunning displays and interactive exhibits trace the story of how the cavalry of horse and sabre developed over 300 years, including the Peninsula War and the Charge of the Light Brigade, into today’s modern armoured regiment.

He is a board member of The Rural and Industrial Design and Building Association (RIDBA), the trade association for the modern agriculture

Stephen and wife Patricia live at Greenhalgh near Preston, where he is a member of the local Parochial Church Council.

STEPHEN BUTLER

LETTERS to the Editor

Dear Editor, I noted your reference to the 5737t CO2/eq saving in emissions from replacing soya with insect protein on 10 egg farms ‘saving’ 56ha of rainforest destruction (Morrisons figures). The impression is that the soya in UK poultry feeds is directly associated with rainforest destruction and that 56ha of forest would be saved by not growing the soya used in the diet.

In fact 97.5% of all UK soya bean meal imports carry no, or very low, risk of any association with deforestation (AIC UK import data). The whole of the livestock supply chain, retailers through to processors, farmers, feed suppliers, importers and producers in origin countries are all working hard towards ensuring soya used in the supply chain is certified and verified deforestation free.

The collaboration between Morrisons and Better Origin is a great example of delivering sustainable options for farmers and AIC is fully supportive of the ‘novel’ protein sectors that will help reduce our reliance on imported proteins.

James McCulloch Head of Feed Sector Agricultural Industries Confederation Peterborough PE2 6FT www.agindustries.org.uk

YOUR VOICE Send letters for publication to editor@ thefarmersclub.com or post to 3 Whitehall Court, London, SW1A 2EL

www.thefarmersclub.com • 09

Marshall Taylor • Farm productivity

Soil

holds the answers

How can farming meet the planet’s burgeoning sustainability challenge?

Farmers Club member Marshall Taylor provides a poignant perspective Farming’s role Agriculture is responsible for a huge proportion of that greenhouse gas by destroying the microsystems and soil organic matter (OM), which is approx. 50% carbon, with cultivations that have oxidized it away and replaced its nutrient value with synthetic fertiliser bearing a considerable carbon footprint of its own.

The resulting crop yield has come at a very heavy environmental price, delivering food of lower nutritional value and of lower wholesale price set by supermarkets.

THE Government’s strategy to combat climate change by announcing a swift end to fossil fuel use without identifying a clear replacement policy puts the responsibility for delivering a solution firmly onto the shoulders of farmers and land managers.

Marshall Taylor Marshall grew up in Cheshire and Lancashire on the family’s farms, starting with 28 Ayrshires on 25 acres of silty clay meadows bursting with wild flowers and a huge range of birdlife, all without artificial fertilizer. He attended Harper Adams, chaired the TFA and helped restructure the Min of Justice Land Tribunal.

The family now runs a dairy herd on the Somerset Crown Estate, while Marshall runs a bespoke soil advisory service for equestrians.

Volis Farm, Hestercombe, Somerset marshall@volis.co.uk

10 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

If we are not to increase the uninhabitable regions, destroy ever more species and take more natural habitat under cultivation we will need large-scale sequestration of atmospheric carbon.

This will put profit back into farming, reverse global warming and provide many other benefits to humanity. If we are to feed nine billion inhabitants by 2050 we have no other option.

While our scientists learn more and more about less and less, as they drill ever deeper into their specialisms, it is the applied and integrated biology of a revived soil biome from our grandparents’ era that tomorrow’s farmers will revert to, and apply even more skillfully for crop and forage production, if they are to survive.

Aside from methane, which decomposes over a dozen years, fossil fuel consumption has accounted for at least 229 billion tonnes of carbon in the 850 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide now in the atmosphere.

Soils that once held 8-12% OM are now frequently found to have under 3% OM, a legacy of ploughing without integrated livestock. They will take a decade or more to correct.

Nutrients from destroyed microsystems and associated organic matter have been replaced by a reliance on synthetic fertilisers and chemical herbicides as farms try to offset low produce prices with higher yields.

Input savings By rediscovering Albrecht farm practices, which this second agricultural (chemical) revolution bulldozed aside in the 1960s, agriculture can reverse global warming, as well as reduce reliance on synthetic sprays and fertilisers, so cutting input costs.

Such a change makes a farming profit more likely. Without it the Government will fail in its responsibility for protecting the strategic food supply.

In an age when profits must come first, stewarding the land and its wildlife can only succeed by achieving an adequate return on investment. These two points are not accounted for in current plans to change farm production subsidies into conservation payments.

The public still lives in a post-war cheap food era, following the abolition of the farmer marketing boards. Without a re-balancing

Farm productivity • Marshall Taylor of profit margins across the food chain, supplies to the supermarkets will also fail, along with many farm businesses, with investment diverting off-farm and Government responsibility for a strategic food supply will fail.

Building a ‘re-wilded rural idyll’ without a flourishing agricultural sector will deprive the nation of a safe source of food and further reduce wildlife populations as the countryside reverts to an impenetrable bramble patch.

It isn’t just a case of an enthusiastic Jeremy Clarkson having to face the reality of a mere £100 profit on his appropriately named ‘Diddly Squat’ farm. Nor of Sir James Dyson openly declaring his huge investment on the largest farming block in England to show a huge loss on his bottom line.

Impending recession Bank interest rates will overtake depreciation rates as both increase through the impending recession and farmers who expanded by managing their neighbours’ rolling acres will continue to hand them back as ‘survival’ becomes the only watchword.

So how to avoid this collapse? “The answer lies in the soil,” as pioneering gardener Percy Thrower said in the 1950s. More recently TV program maker Rebecca Pow used it as a banner in her career before becoming an MP and now Under Secretary of State for the Environment.

The Albrecht/Kinsey scientific approach originated from research by Professor William Albrecht (1890-1974), Head of Agriculture at the University of Missouri. Neal Kinsey, one of his pupils, now has a global practice as the consultant’s consultant, and is dubbed ‘the dirt man’ in Australia!

Three keys The first requirement of this approach is to maintain the physical state of the soil, to provide an encouraging environment for its second focus, a flourishing soil microsystem, to build organic matter, comprising approximately 50% carbon, sequestered as humus. It also mineralises soil nutrients for uptake by plant roots.

to saturate the negative-charged soil colloids, thus ensuring a suitable soil pH and reduce nutrient leaching.

The carbon benefits could be considerable. By building soil organic matter from say 3% up to 8%, which can be done over time, sourced from crop growth, root and crop debris, added compost, farmyard manure (composted too) or incorporated cover crops, farmland could sequester 100t/ha of organic matter (equivalent to 50t/ha carbon), hugely impacting atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Fortunately, there are a scattering of Albrecht soil advisors to provide a relevant soil analysis from a few suitable laboratories and able to compute needs for any top-up minerals.

USDA research biologist Dr Mary Lucero (www. endofite.com) focuses on how crop nutrient value impacts human health under the influence of macro and micro soil organisms. Is this the best way to practice preventative medicine; perhaps the only way to make our National Health Service ultimately affordable?

CSS SOIL REPORT© 7/2/2022

Client bb T D xxxxxx

It behoves all farmers and land managers to put carbon back from whence it came, cut back on soluble fertilisers, which so readily leach into our rivers and drinking water systems, grow healthier, robust crops, which need far less spraying, and start to make essential profits. If they do the nation will eat healthier and global warming can be reversed.

Contact

(Proportions Ca :Mg :K :Na) 68 : 12 : 4 : 1 Soil pH (ideal 6.0 to 6.5) 6.8 Organic Matter (OM%) 5.6

A)

C A T I O

2

K 6

N S A N I O N S

CALCIUM Ca kg/ha

Desired Value Value Found Deficit/surplus

MAGNESIUM

Desired Value Value Found Deficit/surplus

POTASSIUM

Desired Value Value Found Deficit/surplus

Mg kg/ha

K

kg/ha

SODIUM

Na kg/ha

Desired Value Value Found Deficit/surplus

SULPHUR S p.p.m.

N Kg/ha

533 994 + 461 274 --78 38 59 -140 -- 40

110 392 + 282 -- 114

ENR Value

BASE SATURATION % GUIDE

Calcium (60 to 70 %) total of Magnesium (20 to 10 %) 80% Potassium (2 to 5 %) Sodium (0.5 to 3 % but not > K) Other Bases (trace elements) Exchangeable Hydrogen (10 to 15 %)

69.6 14.86 7.45 0.48 4.6 3.0

T

0.84 428 58 4.6 36.6 2.6 0.01

R A C E S

Boron Iron Manganese Copper Zinc Cobalt Molybdenum Iodine Selenium

CURRENT MINERAL SATURATION deficient low good

p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m. p.p.m.

KG

Lab Check

BAS

Albrecht-Kinsey Base Saturation System; UK & Wageningen University upgrades; Microbiome & human health research by endofite.com (USA co-operator) APPLICATION RATE GUIDE (Kg/Ha) high excess too high

DATE/ Kg SPREAD

(Nil) Kieserite 15% Mg; Mag Oxide 48% Potassium Sulphate 42%P : 18%S Sea Salt (35%Na + trace elements)

20

PHOSPHOROUS (P2 ) P kg/ha NITROGEN

262 491 122 608 + 156

Field Officer

Available plus Reserves in Kg/Ha Or ppm as found in the sample Sandy Silt Loam (33 : 51 : 16)

4638 4748 + 110 24

Site Name /No. 730062 15 Hectare

CATION SOIL SERVICES ©

By: analysis@soiltest.online

Field/Crop Horse Pasture Total Exchange Capacity (TCEC) 17.05

TSP Add(0:46:0); DAP (18:46:00) Estimate 100 kg N/Ha available in 5% OM aerated soil (USDeptA) Correcting Ca:Mg ratio releases S from O.M. and assists air & H2O movement through the soil.

Biological activity then releases plant nutrients & enables carbon sequestration.

15kg/Ha Solubor as spray in spring 2023 or 2024.

[Deal with trace elements after sorting other main minerals]

(Nil) (Nil) 100 kg/Ha Agric Salt 2023 in springtime (Ammonium sulphate supplies S – see below) (Nil) If anticipating a shortage of summer grazing use no more than 100 kg/Ha Ammonium Sulphate (24%S) per application

Chemical Conversions: 2 Kg/Ha = 1 p.p.m. = 2lb/acre = 2 gm/100 sq ft = 20gm/100 sq m P2O5 = 44% P2 K2O = 83% K2

Observations: Slightly heavier soil than /61, of moderate-low inherent fertility and also good supply of nutrients with organic matter compensating for its sandy nature.

With higher minerals, don’t add organic matter for next two years. Break any hard pans and seek earthworm count >12 (25cm x 25cm x20cm deep to confirm sufficient microbial activity to mobilise the locked up phosphorus.

Avoid poaching when very wet.

(Re-test in spring 2025) CATION SOIL SERVICES© cannot be held responsible for field treatments beyond its control. We advise using only a consultant qualified in Albrecht/Kinsey Regenerative Soil System or by Wageningen University,to inspect the site and adjust rates/treatment appropriate to the crop, ground condition, funds available, time of year and organic or conventional status.

Sufficient productive grass species are presumed in the sward.

GDPR – Details are not retained or passed elsewhere, whilst personal data is deleted by 6 months of accounts paid. CSSv2021 © This document is protected by copyright vested in Cation Soil Services .

Exudates from plant roots and microbes, together with decomposing material from both sources, and crop debris, add further carbon fertility to the soil. This is achieved by the endeavours of an “immense army of (unpaid) Lilliputian workers” as Andre Voisin said, or ‘little kritters’ as US organic farming scientist Elaine Ingham puts it.

The third requirement is for the farmer to take a soil analysis to balance and supplement nutrient minerals and provide the crop’s feed buffer, including a range of trace elements.

Crucially, account is taken of electrical charges in the soil. Suffice to say ‘cations’ have a stronger positive static electric charge than weaker hydrogen ions, which they displace,

Soil advocate Rebecca Pow MP, Under Secretary of State for the Environment – “the answer lies in the soil”

www.thefarmersclub.com • 11

Virginia Masser • Summer Break

Here Comes Summer All the reasons why you should consider a visit to your Club during the summer months - A selection of Club Events will be running throughout the month of August - London is fully open, come and join in the buzz - Come and catch up with your fellow members - Craig, your Member Experience Manager can organise bespoke activities around town for all the family - The Terrace is a great place to relax in the sunshine and let the world go by - Value for money bedroom rates that include a continental breakfast per person. We have an interconnecting family bedroom in the Garden Suite - A great British food and beverage offering in the Restaurant and Bar - Relaxed Summer Dress code 1st-31st August inclusive - A selection of board games can be found in the Shaw Room cupboard to keep the family occupied - The Farmers Club “Teddy in Town” awaits our younger members to take him out for a treat To contact Craig, Member Experience Manager, to organise bespoke activities email memexpmanager@ thefarmersclub.com To book your bedroom reservations either call the Club or email reservations@thefarmersclub.com To come and sample some Simply Cooked, Seasonal Quality British Food, make your Restaurant reservation by calling the Club or emailing; restaurant@ thefarmersclub.com

Looking forward to welcoming you and your family during the Summer!

The Farmers Club Team 12 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Wild LOTS of us in the agricultural world have the privilege of spending time in some truly stunning places; places off the beaten track, places immersed in nature and heritage, away from the light and noise and rush of the urban world.

The pandemic, and the associated surge of staycations, has reminded the country that there are really some exceptional sites within the UK’s borders.

There is a thirst for the wild side.

Whereas people once thought to travel wild was to travel far, there is increasing recognition you don’t need to be high in the Himalayas or lying on a bed-roll in Botswana to have a pretty ‘out-there’ time.

‘Ecotherapy’ – spending time in the great outdoors – can even be prescribed as official medication for mental health issues.

Like many people I moved back home to my family roots during the pandemic.. Suddenly I saw Northumberland’s peaceful green fields, rolling Cheviot hills, and spotless white beaches, with new eyes.

My mind unwound and as I spent time re-exploring the local area I started to think: how could I help other people experience, and really appreciate, the natural world in the UK? The answer seemed straightforward: just open up the countryside to more people; provide them with the means, and the knowledge, to get out there for themselves. But it’s not always that simple. Too many visitors spoils the experience itself – the solitude and space – and can degrade the very

Diversification • Grace Fell

with consent

environment that makes our countryside so special.

Thinking this tension over, I came up with the idea of Wild With Consent. I link farmers and landowners to those who want to access the wild. We open up small areas of land for people to come and experience the restorative benefits of nature, but, crucially, all of our guests stay in campervans. This means they’re totally self-sufficient; they can enjoy the wild, without harming it.

Underpinning it all are privacy and peace; I want guests to experience the total relaxation that comes from being out in the wild. Thus, we only allow one campervan to stay per night, providing that privacy, but also protecting local ecosystems, by not overloading them with visitors.

The initiative is low impact and low maintenance, as no extra infrastructure is required.

We work with landowners to identify a site on their land that fits into our carefully curated portfolio, while fitting in with existing land occupation needs.

Looking to the future, I’m expanding Wild With Consent beyond my home county of Northumberland, to connect more people to share the wild in a responsible, sustainable manner. As we continue to experience crisis and conflict across Europe, I hope to help people find a refuge from the stresses of everyday life in our beautiful UK countryside.

Grace Fell Under 35s member Northumberland www.wildwithconsent.com grace@wildwithconsent.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • 13

Virginia Masser • Club Services

Dear Member

Current Food & Beverage Services at the Farmers Club As we slowly get back to pre-COVID normal please do keep an eye out for emails entitled; Club Planned – Revised Food & Beverage.

These emails provide critical information about the services we can provide in the Club and when. This can also be viewed on the website in the News section.

Thank you Paul,

Head Chef & Director of Food 14 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Virginia,

General Manager

Honorary Membership • James Ruddock-Broyd

SUFFOLK FARMING

50

years a member

AS I write a letter has arrived from 2021 Club Chairman Keith Redpath welcoming me into the category of Honorary Member, having completed 50 years as a member of the Club.

He sums up the ethos of the Club’s homefrom-home atmosphere, which I have so enjoyed for 50 years, all of which I spent in agricultural accountancy.

It all started in May1964 with Parker Edwards & Co of Preston, at the Worcester office, auditing farming cooperatives in the west of England, and beyond. Some of those coops had been clients since 1919, when the NFU supported the formation of cooperatives across the country.

I went on to form my own practice, Edwards Ruddock & Co, and was an active member of the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives, finally retiring aged 78.

When my agricultural contacts were spreading in the late 1960s two friends sponsored me for Farmers Club membership.

I had to wait two and a half years to get into the one-third farming-related category and was admitted on 15 December 1971 when W J Godber CBE was Chairman.

It seems the first formal Club event I attended was the Annual Dinner & Dance at Park Lane’s Grosvenor House on 6 December 1977, with 1,188 present, and the Prince of Wales and Sir Christopher Soames, Minister of Agriculture, as principal guests.

A regular summer joy was visiting the Club Pavilion at the Royal Show at

1952 on Lavenham Far m harvesting (JRB centre)

Stoneleigh and much interest was gained from House of Lords lunches.

Over the years I worked for many agricultural clients large and small, including farmers with varied enterprises. But my specialism was co-ops, from Cornwall Farmers in Truro, via Carmarthen and Pumsaint in Wales, to Central Farmers at Methil in Fife, with the two biggest and most intricate being Midland Shires Farmers of Worcester and Stonegate Farmers in Sussex.

I passed a collection of co-op annual accounts covering 71 different societies and companies to the Co-op Library in Manchester in 2004 and National Statistics have requested my results tables for 1975-1990 for 25-35 co-ops annually.

In 1989 a British Food & Farming Festival was held in Hyde Park, which I was honoured to assist Peter Jackson (Club Chairman 1996) in planning. My photograph of a floral float depicting a large chicken and a teddy bear in a cart (!) won the Club Photographic Competition and was published in Journal No 106 for Harvest 1990.

Stand-out Club tours included a visit to the 300-year old Admiralty Board Room in London and the 2006 Burns Night Dinner with full ‘Address to the Haggis’.

May the Club continue to flourish in central London premises and maintain its strong links with farming and agriculture generally.

James Ruddock-Broyd FCA (retired), FRGS Rural West Oxfordshire

“Born in Sudbury, Suffolk, in August 1935, we moved in May 1940 to a house with a garden full of fruit trees in Melford Road at the end of which a bomb fell on 8 October 1940 so the garden was smothered with dangerous pieces of shrapnel. I have a vivid memory of 6 June 1944 (or very near) when the army convoy passing our house on the Bury St Edmunds to Colchester road was so dense with lorries they stopped for long periods and the soldiers did walkabouts. Mother sent me out with cups of tea and I asked where they were going; the reply came back: “We are following the vehicle in front” which was probably all they knew.

My early excursions into the countryside were for blackberrying and I recall the lovely feeling of cycling down country lanes. A month after leaving school we went as a family to help with harvest at Preston, near Lavenham and I have a lovely photo with us beside tractor and trailer with sheaves 10ft high.

I subsequently attended Framlingham College.”

RESISTANCE THOUGHTS “I particularly remember visiting the Club on Remembrance Sunday in 2013 after marching with the Royal Signals Association. I found Philip Merricks with a large group of senior farmerlooking gents. They had marched for the first time as the British Resistance Organisation or Auxilieres.

Philip’s father had served as one and they were indeed farmers from all over the country. They served in underground bunkers in WWII in readiness for a possible invasion and their work had only recently become public knowledge.” www.thefarmersclub.com • 15

Andrei Spence • Obituary Eventually, they married, on the Isle of Wight in 1968, and after a brief time with ICI, and the arrival of son Jeremy, Norman took on the family farm and bought a 100-head herd. A Nuffield Scholarship to New Zealand inspired a more ambitious approach and the herd expanded to 300 with a new parlour.

All was going well, until Brucellosis hit in 1979. The entire herd was destroyed and the land lay silent for six months, before Norman could start rebuilding – he was as resilient as he was determined.

Political engagement In 1988 Norman was elected President of the Ulster Farmers Union and relished the opportunity to represent the UK on the EU Agricultural Committee in Brussels. Interests and appointments beyond farming included membership of the Northern Board of the Bank of Ireland and Chairing the BBC Council for Northern Ireland.

One of Norman’s greatest pleasures was his membership of The Farmers Club, stretching almost 50 years. As with everything he committed to it fully and held various Committee positions before being elected Club President and Chairman in 2000, the first Ulsterman in the Club’s history to do so.

Norman Shaw CBE Club Chairman in 2000 “A gentleman who connected with a diverse collection of wonderful personalities, and enriched a lot of lives too.

A perfect blend of mischief and wise words, a Saintfield man to his core, his many adventures led him far beyond local shores.”

THE second son of Sam and Lily Shaw, Norman was born in March 1943 into a family of an elder brother and three sisters. He was raised on the family farm at Craigy and attended Carricknaveigh Primary School and later boarded at Friends School, Lisburn.

He was a multi-talented sportsman, captaining the school cricket, rugby and hockey teams, and was also Head Boy. At Newcastle University he took a degree in Agricultural Economics and honed his prodigious sporting attributes, captaining the hockey and cricket teams, as well as developing a lifelong love of Newcastle United football club.

Norman met Gillian, his bride-to-be, at a cricket match. But before they could marry he suffered a very serious car accident, requiring a six month recuperation. Medical advice was to take a sedentary job and stop playing sport – he did neither and developed his love of cricket, imparting his gifts and skill to Saintfield Cricket Club.

16 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Millennium year It was an extraordinary year, in every sense, marked by the first Club St Patrick’s Day Dinner, a Millennium lunch in the Painted Hall at Greenwich with speeches by the Rt Hon Chris Patten and former First Sea Lord, Sir Jock Slater.

There was also a visit by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh to the Club Pavilion at Stoneleigh to present the Nickerson Cup to the Pinnacle Award winner and even a Club visit by UN Secretary General, Kofie Annan!

The Club provided Norman and Gillian with many unforgettable memories with their family and friends, no better than the ‘post-match celebrations’ after Norman and Gillian both received CBEs at Buckingham Palace.

With the onset of Parkinsons Disease and his ability to get around restricted, life slowed considerably for Norman, but was made more bearable by unstinting support from Gillian. He was, until his death, an Honorary Vice President of the Club.

A true gentle man and gentleman in every sense of the word, who lived a very varied and active life, he was dedicated to his family and will be sorely missed by his wife Gillian, son Jeremy and granddaughter Laura.

Andrei Spence Club Chief Executive

Club Services • Craig Barclay-Godfrey

After what seemed like a long winter, spring has finally sprung; the evenings are lighter the weather is warmer and London is buzzing! So, here are some great places to be out and about.

Opera Holland Park

Ham House and Garden

West London’s summer palace of music. Situated in the beautiful surroundings of Holland Park you will find an elegant marquee auditorium for open-air opera performances, with picnic areas, mezzanine, and a terrace. It truly is the perfect place to enjoy critically acclaimed opera in the heart of London.

Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Delius, Puccini.... the composers of Opera Holland Park’s 2022 productions span the centuries and the emotions.

One of just a handful of National Trust properties in London, this rare and atmospheric 17th century house sits on the banks of the River Thames in Richmond.

The formal gardens at Ham House are full of spring delights; known for their sequential display of over 500,000 spring bulbs on the large historic lawns. They host a varied program of open-air theatre and cinema performances in the warmer months. Entrance by ticket/NT membership only.

Regents Park Open Air Theatre Established in 1932, the open-air theatre is one of the largest theatres in London and a really special space. This award-winning theatre is a firm fixture of summer in the city, providing a cultural hub in the heart of one of London’s most loved parks. This summer will see Legally Blonde and 101 Dalmatians on stage, starting from 16 May.

Barbican Conservatory The Barbican Conservatory is one of London’s hidden gems – a giant botanical garden in the middle of the sprawling Barbican complex. A wonderful escape from the outside world and only open on selected days so it’s always best to check beforehand.

Lambeth Palace Garden Open Days 2022 This wonderful garden is open to the public on the first Friday of the month during spring. The Open Days are hosted by local charities and has the air of a village fair on the banks of the Thames.

Craig Barclay-Godfrey Member Experience Manager

Open Garden Squares Weekend From 11 June to 12 June 2022 Take a peek behind the gates of London’s private gardens and discover grassy gems during Open Garden Squares Weekend. Venture into private gardens, roof gardens and community allotments, as well as gardens belonging to historic buildings, museums, churches and universities as they open to the public for one special weekend.

Dippy Returns: The Nation’s Favourite Dinosaur Although not an outdoor location this is included because I may be a little bit too excited by this one and the young members of the family will love it. Dippy the Dinosaur is returning to the Natural History Museum after four years on tour across the UK. Dippy, who was first displayed in London in 1905, was previously in the museum’s main entrance hall, but was replaced with a skeleton of a blue whale named ‘Hope’. The replica of the diplodocus will go back on display as part of an exhibition from May.

If I can book any of the above or any other aspect of your return to the Club please contact me via memexpmanager@ thefarmersclub.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • 17

Lisa Turner • Charitable Trust

Farming Figures A look at… the changing face of farming… told by some standout stats

£53,306

Average farm manager salary, inc profit shares + bonuses, plus £10.8k accom

20,000+

Leadership bursaries WINDSOR Leadership programme bursaries have been awarded to five outstanding recipients following interviews conducted in The Farmers Club.

Bursaries are awarded to senior leaders involved in agriculture to enhance and develop their leadership skills, equipping them to ‘meet uncertainty with courage, resilience and insight’.

Ukrainians with seasonal worker visas employed in UK, mainly on farms, in 2021

The programme takes those involved in agriculture into an environment completely divorced from farming and food production to experience leadership practices from other spheres, including the military, clergy, charities, business and civil service.

122mph

The residential programmes run from Windsor Castle and Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park, with ongoing support and development via peerto-peer networking through the FCCT Professional Forums.

Record-breaking Storm Eunice wind speed at The Needles, Isle of Wight, 18 Feb

364 vets

Number of EU vets registering to work in UK in 2021, just a third of the 1132 in 2019

200 years

Time since 1822’s first Royal Highland Show

£200m

Defra spend on animal-human disease R&D, inc bird flu + bovine-TB, at APHA Weybridge

38%

Success rate for encouraging greater crested newts into restored ponds in Kent

£2,600,000

Owed to 450+ suppliers of internet retailer Farmdrop, inc farmers/small food producers

70%+

Share of UK farmers concerned about media and public perception in 2022

21.2Mt

Ukraine 2021 wheat exports, 12% of world’s total (plus 16% maize, 18% barley, 19% OSR)

Sources: IAgrM, Oxford Uni Migration Observatory, AccuWeather, RHASS, BVA, Defra, KSCP, The Grocer, AgriWebb, Reuters

18 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

This year’s bursary winners are: Amelia Newman Estate Manager, Luton Hoo Estate, Bedfordshire

Edward Phillips Luton Hoo Estate, Bedfordshire

Milly Fyfe Milly Fyfe Marketing & PR

Melanie Squires Director, NFU South-West

Jenna Ross Innovation Hub Lead, Crop Health and Protection (CHAP)

“It was such a privilege to be in a room with such positivity and enthusiasm,” says FCCT Chair Christine Tacon. “All five candidates will ultimately ensure the industry has leaders who have the potential to shape the future of their own organisations and society as a whole.”

FCCT Trustee Nick Green adds: “The Perry Foundation and the Frank Parkinson Trust have been very generous in their support of the project; the increased funding allocation has maximised the number of agricultural leaders able to take up places on the programmes via the FCCT.” The Nuffield Frank Arden Leadership Biennial Award 2022 was awarded to Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF).

Bursaries are awarded annually in March with applications accepted until mid-February.

See: https://tfcct.co.uk/leadership

Lisa Turner FCCT Awards Ambassador www.tfcct.co.uk M: 07879 625660 E: ambassador@tfcct.co.uk Twitter: @TheFCCT

Head Chef & Director of Food • Paul Hogben

Back to the Future ON entering Gleneldon Mews you are taken back in time with one of the last remaining cobbled streets of Streatham.

Full of stables from the late 19th century until the 1920s it housed horses that worked the trams to and from Croydon. In the 1950s two young entrepreneurs set up a workshop to renovate old cars. However, today l was looking for London Smoke & Cure, a small artisan company producing wonderful Sashimi Grade Smoked Salmon, Air-dried Charcuterie, Dry-Aged Bacon and Heritage Breed, Gluten Free Sausages.

everything this company is about: great quality ingredients, artisan processes and patience. A fresh take on traditional European produce, proudly made in urban, bustling London.

Ross who founded the company in 2014 firmly believes that the very best smoked and cured produce should bring people together and provide a lasting memory either at home or in a restaurant. The products are of the utmost quality, using ingredients of pedigree and provenance and are made by professional skilled hands that are totally committed to the process.

From a simple blend of sugar, juniper and salt laid over the salmon for a short time, the natural oils are released which improves the texture. Lightly smoking the fish keeps it moist, fresh and exceptionally buttery. A prize winner if l ever tasted one!

Free range Gloucester Old Spot reared

by Charles and his team on Mount Grace Farm in North Yorkshire is gently cured with salts, sugars and a delicate balance of natural herbs and spices. Whole muscles are hung in the ageing room for up to four months to intensify their flavour and make them perfect for slicing. Salamis are blended, filled and fermented and embrace

They use superior graded Scottish salmon from the clear waters off Shetland and Orkney sourced via one of London’s longest serving fish wholesalers – Chamberlain and Thelwell. Within 16 hours of harvesting Ross and his team set to work.

The future looks bright for London Smoke & Cure, with many plans in place including the use of e-cargo bike deliveries throughout London and many other sustainable plans.

Look out for some of their products on our menus at the Club and hopefully you will understand why l am so enthusiastic about sharing this gem of a company.

Enjoy!

Chef

“The very best smoked and cured produce should bring people together and provide a lasting memory.”

“This company is about great quality ingredients, artisan processes and patience.” www.thefarmersclub.com • 19

Alice Hind, Chairman; Emily Pile, Vice Chairman • Under 35s

Under 35s

d n e k e e W Gala WITH the return of in-person events, we began 2022 keen to invigorate our subsection of the Club, currently under trial as the Under 35s. The occasion was celebrated in suitable style with our first event of the year – The Gala Weekend.

Aimed at welcoming new members from the past two years, it was great to see so many new faces join us on the Friday night. Over 50 old and new members were greeted by an English sparkling wine reception and an excellent magician.

We were also joined by special guests John Lee, the Club’s Chairman, and Andrei Spence, the Club Secretary.

Both mentioned how excited they were by the prospects of the Under 35s and the return of the younger members to the Club after a quiet couple of years.

We were spoilt with an indulgent five course menu, my personal highlight being the hogget parcel

served with lamb. After filling our stomachs, we stopped for a quick drink in the Bar before heading to Bunga Bunga – joined by Club Chairman John Lee – where we danced the night away.

After a leisurely breakfast and some farewells, we reconvened for The Play that Goes Wrong. This did not disappoint and had us all laughing out loud with its witty slapstick humour.

To top off a brilliant weekend we then meandered our way over to Skylon restaurant to enjoy a threecourse meal and wine before heading our separate ways.

We couldn’t have asked for a better weekend and as a Committee we are incredibly excited by the coming year and the prospects for the Under 35s.

Rose Franklin, Under 35s Committee Member

Chairman’s Jottings WELL what a start to the New Year the Under 35s has seen so far!

We had a fantastic inaugural Gala Weekend, thank you so much to everyone who helped make this such a success.

We have now also had our first Cheese and Wine evening, which was a huge success. Delicious and informative, could you ask for more? We were joined by George Lang of The Cheese Merchant and Lucy Blant of Maisons Marques et Domaines and a lot of fun was had by all. Definitely one to be repeated in the future.

We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone at our next scheduled event, the Black & White Dinner in April and for our very varied season of events to come this year.

A huge thank you to everyone who completed our survey, we are grateful for the time and effort put in by so many and will be taking as much as possible into consideration as we continue to plan this year.

Please keep an eye out for our Under 35s News in Andrei’s e-newsletters.

Should you be having any problems with receiving the emails, please contact the Club so this can be rectified.

Contact Alice Hind for more information c/o The Farmers Club • 020 7930 3557 • generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com

20 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

Under 35s • Alice Hind, Chairman; Emily Pile, Vice Chairman

California Dreamin’ Under 35s member Emily McVeigh finally started her Nuffield Scholarship travels in February

AFTER being awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in October 2020, our year group was stalled by Covid-19, so it was a relief to start travelling in February, and my first destination was – California!

My study is “Farm to glass; assessing how farms can benefit from future trends in the drinks industry”.

I am researching new trends and opportunities, which can be adopted by farmers interested in entering the drinks sector, with a focus on health and wellness, sustainability and new product innovation.

I had not visited the USA’s west coast before and was blown away by the scale of its agriculture, but was also pleased to meet innovators on smaller farms leading the change to more regenerative, nature-led farming.

Mycorrhizal inoculants Near San Francisco I visited Darek Trowbridge’s Old World Winery,

a small, family owned business.

Using grapes from their sustainable, organic vineyards they create ‘natural wines’ reflecting the family’s history and traditional winemaking.

Darek is passionate about improving soil health in his 100 year old vineyards using wood chip based mycorrhizal inoculants.

Next was Clarksburg, on the Sacramento River, where 2022 Nuffield Scholar Tom Merwin grows 600 acres of vines at his family’s Merwin Vineyards and produces Silt wines with two childhood friends.

I also visited an urban craft winery, Revolution wines, where Colleen Sullivan, a 20-something winemaker, is on a mission to put Clarksburg Chenin Blanc on the map.

Down the Central Valley vines are replaced by almond blossom. I spent an afternoon with farmer Glenn and daughter Wendy, who farm 18

acres of certified organic almonds as Anderson Almonds. Glenn was a pioneer of organic farming and Wendy helped set up The Almond Board of California. I was particularly interested in the rising demand for almond milk and its effect on organic almond farmers.

Regenerative organic The landscape then switched to citrus trees on the Pacific coast. Just 40 miles north of Los Angeles the 214 acre Apricot Lane Farms was founded in 2011 by John and Molly Chester, who regeneratively grow more than 200 varieties of fruit and vegetable, alongside livestock within a dynamic ecosystem.

The farm is certified organic, biodynamic and regenerative organic (ROC) and featured in the Netflix film ‘The Biggest Little Farm’.

They will soon release a new series.

I was interested in their lemonade, developed over recent years from 30 acres of lemon trees.

My main take-home lesson was to take time to explore, learn, gain and share knowledge. A common thread was farmers wanting to ensure they are farming in the future and leave the land in better shape for the next generation.

This whirlwind, jam-packed trip, proved the power of Nuffield. I felt like I got to see the real California.

Of course, the wine tasting was a highlight!

www.thefarmersclub.com • 21

The Farmers Club • Club Information

Club Information 020 7930 3557 • www.thefarmersclub.com @thefarmersclub The Farmers Club Page

Office Holders

Patron – Her Majesty The Queen HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS Barclay Forrest OBE, Sir Mark Hudson KCVO, Peter Jackson CBE, Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE, John Parker THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB 2022 VICE PRESIDENTS Paul Heygate, Julian Sayers

Superbloom & Tower of London

PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN John Lee OBE DL TRUSTEES Nicki Quayle (Chairman), Tim Bennett, Peter Jinman OBE, Jimmy McLean

Friday 29 July 2022

VICE-CHAIRMAN Meurig Raymond CBE DL HONORARY TREASURER Christopher Riddle IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Keith Redpath CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND SECRETARY Andrei Spence CLUB CHAPLAIN The Reverend Dr Sam Wells COMMITTEE Elected 2019 to serve from 2020 to 2022 inclusive: Kevin Beaty (re-elected), Sue Bullock, Sarah Cowlrick, Karen Mercer (re-elected) Elected 2020 to serve from 2021 to 2023 inclusive: Ian Bell OBE (re-elected), Tony Bell, Alan Plumb, Anthony Snell Elected 2021 to serve from 2022 to 2024 inclusive: Stephen Butler, Fiona Fell (re-elected), John Hardman (re-elected), Tom Rawson, Janatha Stout Co-opted: Alice Hind (Chairman of Under 35s), Emily Pile (Vice Chairman Under 35s) THE FARMERS CLUB CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES Stephen Fletcher (Chairman), Vic Croxson DL, Meryl Ward MBE, Des Lambert OBE, Nick Green, James Squier, Christine Tacon CBE, The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Club (ex officio). Patron Mrs Stella Muddiman

NEXT ISSUE The Summer issue of the Farmers Club Journal, due with members in early August, will include reports on the Club’s St George’s Day Lunch, Pinnacle Awards and AGM, plus Club events in London, and the latest Monday Evening Lecture given by Defra Secretary George Eustice.

22 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022

CELEBRATE the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen at the Tower of London, where a spectacular, colourful, vibrant field of flowers will fill and transform the Tower’s moat. Wander along weaving paths among the flowers enjoying a specially commissioned soundscape, with sculptural elements to make you feel at home amidst the bees

and butterflies. Our programme starts at 12.00pm with a twocourse Lunch with wine at the Club. 1.00pm depart by coach for entry to Superbloom & Tower of London at 1.30pm. Members to make their own way back to the Club after. Cost £90.00 per person (see enclosed flyer and register interest on Club website

by Mon 16 May 2022).

Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival Thursday 7 July 2022 The world’s largest flower show returns to bring colour, inspiration and good times to your summer, all in a magnificent setting, packed with gorgeous gardens, stunning floral displays, celebrity talks and live entertainment.

Our programme starts at 11.00am with a light buffet brunch with tea & coffee at the Club. At 12.15pm we depart by coach to the Festival. At 3.30pm we have Afternoon Tea with a glass of Prosecco. At 7.00pm the coach returns to the Club, in good time for an 8.30pm two-course dinner at the Club with wine. Cost is £156 per person (see enclosed flyer and register interest on Club website by Mon 16 May 2022).

Club Information • The Farmers Club Deaths It is with regret that we announce the death of the following members: Mr J Barron Devon Professor P Biggs CBE Cambridgeshire Mr P Brotherton Kent Mr C Brown Lincolnshire Mr J Coggan Wiltshire Mr N Dyckhoff Argyllshire Mrs S Harris Leicestershire Dr A Harris CBE Cumbria Mrs G Marshall Durham Mr A Montgomery Somerset Mr R Perry Devon Mr J Rose Kent Mr P Seabrook MBE Essex Mr N Shaw CBE Down Mr R Taylor Norfolk Mr J Wade Lincolnshire New Members The following were elected: UK Members Mr R Bannister Mr D Barnes Mr T Brown Mr N Christensen Mr C Collings Mr J Dean Mr G Fauvel Lord Patrick Glasgow Mr T Godfrey Mr M Goulden Mr M Hancock Mr S Harrison Mr T Harrison Mr S Hipps Mr J Howell Mr B Jones Mr P Lambert Mr B Leighton Mrs A Linington

Shropshire Cheshire Gloucestershire Somerset Essex Wiltshire Dorset Ayrshire Gloucestershire Devon Surrey Kent Derbyshire Yorkshire London Shropshire Northumberland Shropshire Cornwall

Mrs S Macdonald Mr D Mapp Mr W Moncrieff Mr T Page Mrs A Pearson Mr H Phillips

Invernesshire Derbyshire Perthshire Gloucestershire Herefordshire Shropshire

Mr F Plumptre Mr S Roberts

Shropshire Midlothian Herefordshire

Mrs R Turner

Hampshire

Mr J Uglow

Oxfordshire

Mr T Webster

Norfolk

Dr E Weeks

Durham

Mrs V Whale

Wiltshire

Mr C Wilkey

Kent Lincolnshire

Under 30s Mr D Bartlett

Yorkshire

Mr M Belton

London

Mr G Bletsoe

Northamptonshire

Mr W Brown

Northamptonshire

Mr A Brown

Northamptonshire

Miss H Cargill

Herefordshire

Mr G Friend

Kent

Mr O Jenkins

London

Mr G Moore

Lincolnshire

Mr G Morris

Shropshire

Mr F Morris

Shropshire

Miss I Morris Miss L Parsons

Shropshire Isle of Wight

Mr S Simpson Mr T Vacher

3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

Kent

Mr D Ross

Mr D Williams

Serving the farming industry for 179 years

Hertfordshire

Mrs H Roberts Mr J Scudamore

Club Contacts THE FARMERS CLUB

Devon Somerset

Mr W Whittelsey

London

Associate - Whitehall Court Mr A Harris

London

Mr T Scuoler

London

LOGGING INTO THE MEMBERS AREA

of The Farmers Club Website

When you login to your online account on the Club’s website, the username will always be your membership number as this is the only detail that never changes on your member account.

• If you have never logged in online or it has been a long time since you have done so, please go to www.thefarmersclub.com then; - C lick on MEMBERS AREA and use the “Forgotten password?” link located under the LOGIN button. Follow the instructions and a password reset email will be sent to your registered email address.

• I f you have not received the email within five minutes, please check your Spam/Junk folders, find the email and mark it as “safe” by right clicking on it and selecting Junk -> Never Block Sender.

• If you receive the email but do not use the password reset within 20 minutes, the security token expires and you will need to restart the reset process again by using the “Forgotten password?” function.

If unsure about your membership number or email address registered on the account, email membership@thefarmersclub.com For technical issues email itmanager@thefarmersclub.com

Chairman 2022: John Lee OBE DL

Chief Executive and Secretary: Andrei Spence

Club Email: generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com Reception reception@thefarmersclub.com Bedroom Reservations reservations@thefarmersclub.com Restaurant Reservations Option 3 restaurant@thefarmersclub.com Member Experience Manager Craig Barclay-Godfrey direct line: 020 7930 3557 memexpmanager@thefarmersclub.com Conference & Banqueting Sales Manager Liza Keoshgerian direct line: 020 7925 7100 functions@thefarmersclub.com General Manager Virginia Masser direct line 020 7930 3751 generalmanager@thefarmersclub.com Head Chef & Director of Food Paul Hogben direct line: 020 7925 7103 chef@thefarmersclub.com Financial Controller Zarreena Neeson financialcontroller@thefarmersclub.com Membership Mark Fairbairn direct line: 020 7925 7102 membership@thefarmersclub.com Administrator & Under 35s Secretary Anita Kaur direct line: 0207 930 3751 administrator@thefarmersclub.com PA to Secretary Claire White direct line: 020 7930 3751 generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com Whitehall Court Porters 020 7930 3160 Fax 020 7839 7864 Website: www.thefarmersclub.com @thefarmersclub The Farmers Club Page THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Editor and Advertisement Manager: Charles Abel 07795 420692 E-mail: editor@thefarmersclub.com Designed and produced by: Ingenious, www.ingeniousdesign.co.uk No film or film processing chemicals were used.

Printed on Lumi Silk which is ISO 14001 certified manufacturer. FSC® Mix Credit. Elemental chlorine free (ECF) fibre sourced from well managed forests

www.thefarmersclub.com • 23

APR 29TH

MAY 10TH

MAY 12 - 13TH

MAY 26TH

Under 35s Black & White Ball in the Club

Pre-Balmoral Show Dinner

Trip to Portsmouth Royal Naval Ships through the Ages

Chelsea Flower Show with lunch & talk at the Club

JUNE 2ND

JUNE 6 - 8TH

JUNE 9TH

JUNE 17TH

Drinks Reception, Royal Bath & West Show

Chairman’s Trip to Devon

Drinks Reception, Royal Cornwall Show

Drinks Reception, Royal Three Counties Show

JUNE 22ND

JUNE 30TH

JULY 5TH

JULY 6TH

Pre-Royal Highland Show Dinner

Drinks Reception, Devon County Show

Annual General Meeting & Lunch

Beating the Retreat

JULY 7TH

JULY 18TH

JULY 22 - 23RD

JULY 29TH

Hampton Court Garden Festival

Drinks Reception, Royal Welsh Show

Under 35s Summer Solstice Weekend

SuperBloom at Tower of London

AUGUST

SEPT 26 - 29TH

OCT 10TH

OCT 11TH

Summer Club Events

Burgundy Trip

Ladies Lunch

Harvest Festival Supper

DEC 31ST

New Year’s Eve Black Tie Dinner

For further information and to book Club Events see Club website & Club e-Newsletters