Crossgar family farms to get free business and environmental support
The Farm Resilience Programme (FRP) offers £2,000 worth of free business and environmental support to help family livestock farms and crofts build long-term resilience.
The Royal Countryside Fund (RCF) has opened applications for its Farm Resilience Programme, giving up to 20 farming families in Crossgar, Co. Down access to free business and environmental support this winter, designed to improve profitability, strengthen resilience and prepare for the future.
Now in its tenth year, the programme has worked with over 1,500 family farms since 2016 and has developed a deep understanding of the pressures they face, from rising costs and changing support schemes to succession planning and increasingly unpredictable weather.
The programme is particularly suited to small family livestock farms and crofters, but applications are open to any farm business that would benefit.
“Family farms are operating in an environment of constant change, but many tell us the biggest challenge is finding the time and space to step back and plan for the future,” said Beth Owen-Smith, Senior Programme Manager at The Royal Countryside Fund.
“The Farm Resilience Programme has helped farmers understand their business, explore new opportunities and make informed decisions with confidence for ten years. We know that resilient businesses and resilient environments go hand in hand, and that’s why the programme takes a whole-farm, whole-family approach.”
Delivered through a series of in-person workshops with Rural Support, the programme provides around £2,000 worth of free support for each participating farm.
Farmers receive a business health check, learn how to improve financial performance, build practical business plans and explore opportunities to work with nature in ways that reduce input costs and strengthen long-term resilience.
Participants also gain the opportunity to meet other local farmers facing similar challenges and build support networks that continue beyond the programme.
The group in Crossgar, Co. Down will be run by trusted local partner Rural Support to provide support that’s tailored to the group’s local environment and opportunities.
Steve, a fourth-generation upland beef and sheep farmer from Lancashire who took part in the programme last year, said: “I like to know what’s going on and what’s working and what’s not, and looking at figures and trying to increase profitability and efficiencies .
“The benchmarking gave me the confidence to keep going forwards with it and made me think that what we’re doing is right.” Steve said the programme helped him focus on improving profitability, plan for succession and assess future opportunities for his farm business.
The programme is free and places are limited, with workshops beginning this winter. Farmers interested in taking part can find out more and sign up at www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience or contact Christina at [email protected] or telephone 028 8676 0040.
The Farm Resilience Programme is generously supported by funding from Aldi UK, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Hilton Foods, Morrisons, Postcode Lottery and the Rothschild Foundation.
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About The Royal Countryside Fund
Founded by HM King Charles III in 2010 while he was The Prince of Wales, The Royal Countryside Fund is the only UK-wide charity focused on the unique issues facing farming and rural communities.
The Royal Countryside Fund was established in recognition of the unprecedented pace of social, economic and environmental change contributing to the countryside’s steady decline, with rural incomes falling, a loss of local services and amenities, rising costs for farmers, increasing isolation and mental health issues.
To tackle these challenges, The Royal Countryside Fund has invested more than £12 million in more than 500 rural community-led projects and supported over 4,000 farming families through practical programmes addressing business, environmental, and social issues.
To find out more, visit The Royal Countryside Fund’s website at:
www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk
About Rural Support
• Rural Support was established in 2002 and provides a range of services for farmers and farming families across Northern Ireland including a support line. It also provides face to face support through its mentoring programme, help with sourcing information and advice about a wide range of issues
• The support line (0800 138 1678) is available 9am-9pm, Monday to Friday (voicemail and options available at all other times. Freephone from all UK landlines and mobiles).
• Rural Support co-ordinates the Social Farming Support Service for Northern Ireland, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
• Rural Support provides free business, financial and technical mentoring from its dedicated team. It also runs a series of training workshops under the Princes’ Countryside Fund Resilience Programme and delivers ‘Coping with the Pressures of Farming’ under the CAFRE Family Farm Key Skills Programme.
• Life Beyond is a joint programme between Rural Support, Northern Ireland and Embrace FARM, Republic of Ireland. It provides practical business, financial and technical mentoring support to farming families who have experienced loss – whether through bereavement or survival from a farm accident. It also provides counselling and trauma support in the form of one-to-one mentoring and peer-to-peer group support.
• ‘Across the Hedgerow’ is a befriending scheme for lonely and isolated people from farming families.
• Plough On is a social connection project for older, male farmers and is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
• Rural Support is a registered charity with various income streams from government, philanthropic and corporate support. These include DAERA, Public Health Agency, NFU Charitable Trust, Princes Countryside Fund as well as donations from the general public.
About the Farm Resilience Programme
Launched in 2016, the Farm Resilience Programme provides practical business and environmental skills training to farming families across the UK. Through expert-led workshops and tailored support, the programme helps farmers improve profitability, strengthen environmental resilience and develop practical plans for a sustainable future.
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