Following this year’s annual recruitment drive, AHDB has eight new farms joining its Cereals & Oilseeds (C&O) Monitor Farm programme.

Each will launch with an inaugural farm walk this summer.

AHDB C&O Monitor Farms is a nationwide network of farmer-led, farmer-driven communities centred around real working farms. The host farmers are committed to sharing information, ideas and best practice to improve both their own, and their peers’ businesses.

With the support of their regional AHDB Knowledge Exchange (KE) managers, monitor farmers host a series of open meetings to discuss current and locally relevant topics, often using their own businesses as case studies and inviting industry expertise along to support discussions. Attendees can also claim BASIS and NRoSO points for attending Monitor Farm events.

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AHDB cereals and oilseeds head of engagement Ana Reynolds said: “We had a great response to the recruitment campaign. I am absolutely delighted to welcome the eight new Monitor Farms and wish them every success during their tenure. It takes a special mix of qualities to be a monitor farmer, including willingness to scrutinise every aspect of your business and talk about it, and an appetite for trying innovative approaches. The new farmers all share these attributes, and we’re looking forward to working with them.”

The new Monitor Farms are:

  • Hereford Monitor Farm - Ledgemoor, near Woebly, Herefordshire
  • Leverton Monitor Farm - Spilsby, Lincolnshire
  • Kingsclere Monitor Farm - Tadley, Hampshire
  • Kent Monitor Farm - Hythe, Kent
  • Camborne Monitor Farm - Camborne, Cornwall
  • Pilton Monitor Farm - Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset
  • Altcar Moss Monitor Farm - Lydiate, Merseyside
  • North Yorkshire Monitor Farm - Yarm, North Yorkshire

Chris Greenaway, Farm Manager at Hereford Monitor Farm, is looking forward to the experience.

Chris said: “It’s a way of interrogating our approach and finding things on which we can improve which can only be a good thing. I took on a business that was financially sound but needed to make changes to make the most of where the future of farming is going… we now need to monitor and scrutinise the decisions we have made to ensure we are going in the right direction.”