How to enjoy farming... and last Chelmsford Monitor Farm meeting

Chelmsford Monitor Farm meeting

Join us for the final Chelmsford Monitor Farm meeting where'll be rounding off the Monitor Farm programme at Parklands Farm by discussing how to enjoy farming.

Consultant Heather Wildman of Saviour Associates will lead a session to get you thinking about your goals and overall approach to running your business. This will be a fun and interactive session.

We'll take a look back at the last three years and discuss the changes made at Christy and Hew's business. There'll be the opportunity to feedback your thoughts on the programme and take part in a group discussion.

All attendees will receive a celebratory lunch at the end of the meeting.

Programme

• Registration with coffee and bacon roll
• Welcome and introduction: Teresa Meadows, AHDB
• Farm Update: Christy and Hew Willett, Chelmsford Monitor Farmers
• Building a mindset ready for change: Hugh Black, J & B Black
• Personal resilience: Heather Wildman, Saviour Associates
• Refreshment break
• Personal resilience continued…:Heather Wildman, Saviour Associates
• Review of the Chelmsford Monitor Farm Programme: Teresa Meadows, AHDB
• Group SWOT analysis of the farm – three years on: group discussion
• Monitor Farmers experience, lessons learnt, benefits and outcomes: Christy and Hew Willett, Chelmsford Monitor Farmers
• Feedback forms: group completion
• Final wrap-up and options for the future: Teresa Meadows, AHDB
• Lunch

About Chelmsford Monitor Farm

Christy and Hew Willett farm at Parklands Farm in Galleywood on the fringe of Chelmsford, Essex. This mother-and-son team farm in partnership across 475 ha of arable cropping, with a mixture of owned and rented land. Their rotation is typically two wheats followed by spring beans/OSR, although this has become more flexible since 2012 to include spring barley and spring oats, based on the condition of each field. The farm has recently moved to a strip-till system and is focussed on the significant challenge of grass weed management, including black-grass and ryegrass. Most of their wheat is destined for local millers. The farm has diversified into horse liveries, as well as office and industrial lets. Christy and Hew see their greatest challenge as keeping their cost of production as low as possible without sacrificing yield. They are keen to use benchmarking, on-farm trials and discussions from the Monitor Farm programme to improve and develop their farm business in these critical years for the industry.

For more information please visit the Chelmsford Monitor Farm page.

About Monitor Farms

AHDB Monitor Farms bring together groups of like-minded farmers who wish to improve their businesses by sharing performance information and best practice around a nationwide network of host farms. AHDB organises and facilitates Monitor Farm meetings for farmers, who own and operate the scheme – by farmers, for farmers.

Monitor Farms are part of the AHDB Farm Excellence Programme. Each Monitor Farm project runs for three years.