Earlier this year, I travelled to Birmingham with some of my team for the annual Farm Retail Conference- it’s a chance to get together to discuss the challenges and opportunities of our industry as well as speak with all the other owners who are in the same boat as us. The big discussion then was all about how we can stand out more.. how we can navigate the wage pressures and the taxes facing us and compete in the current economic climate, so our focus this year is to make more of what we stand for..locally reared grass fed meats, homemade produce you cant buy any where else, relationships with farmers and local artisan suppliers that have been in the making for years, stewardship of our farm and the connection we provide for our local community and customers.
This was really bought home to me at our Open Farm event on 8th June when we had the chance to showcase what we do on the farm and how we take care of our sheep and horses, where our meat comes from and also showcase many of our local suppliers. It was a truly fantastic day and I’d like to say a big thankyou to all my team, to all the volunteers that helped out and the other farmers and suppliers that came and supported us. Of course, it was made that little bit more special as we had Harriet Cowan with us from Clarksons Farm who gave a great Q & A session and talked about her passion for supporting the farming community who suffer with mental health challenges.
So we will continue to stand for our values, be proud of what we do and keep focused on giving our customers a chance to visit and experience our farm. Hope to see you again soon!
Kay x
