Prince's Farm Resilience Programme open for registration

Family farming businesses in Aberdeenshire and Orkney can now register for the fourth year of The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme.

The programme is run by The Prince's Countryside Fund with local partners in 15 locations across the UK. Up to 20 farming families can join the initiative in each location and receive free business skills training.

Aimed at dairy, beef and sheep farmers, the rpogramme helps farming families to make changes to improve their business and ensure their viability.

As a result of taking part, 9 in 10 of the farmers participating in the Programme said they had a better understanding of their costs, and 91% said regular family communication has improved.

The Poad Family from Cornwall, who took part in the Programme last year said of their experience:

"Without any doubt it has united us as a family and given us and our farm the direction its needed. It’s one of the best things that we’ve done – it’s brought open discussion back into the family home."

Support is provided through one-to-one on farm advice, as well as a series of seven group workshops delivered by professional consultants. Topics covered include benchmarking costs, business planning, succession planning and environmental management.

Claire Saunders, Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said:

"The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme has gone from strength to strength over the past three years and is continually responding to the unique challenges facing farming families. We are introducing the Managing Your Farmed Environment workshop this year, which will help farmers to be more informed about their own environmental assets and opportunities for delivering public goods. The workshop will encourage a cultural change in the way farmers think about their contribution to the environment and in the opportunities for delivering public goods.  

"Our partnership with the National Trust will help us to reach even more farming families and we are very grateful for their support."

The programme has been confirmed for farmers near the following locations: Aberdeenshire, Carmarthenshire, Cornwall, Kent, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northern Ireland, Orkney, Shropshire, South Hams and Yorkshire.

The National Trust locations are confirmed in the following locations: Devon and Somerset, Lake District, Peak District and Llŷn Peninsula/Snowdonia.

To register, visit www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience by 30 August.