An agricultural weekend focused on farm diversification and innovation has inspired YFC members about the industry.
NFYFC’s YFC AGRI group organised the two-day trip to show members how intergenerational partnerships and business collaboration drive development, foster innovation, and unlock future opportunities.
On the first day, the group toured Richard Bower’s diversification business at Lower Drayton Farm in Staffordshire. The second day was spent visiting the Agri-Tech Centre Midlands Innovation Hub in Shropshire at Harper Adams University.
Hannah Rees from Pembrokeshire posted on X (formerly Twitter) after taking part in the trip:
“Solo trip to Stafford for the Agri weekend was 100% worth it. They always say put yourself out of your comfort zone, throwing myself into national level was worth it for an innovative weekend.”
At Lower Drayton Farm, the group learnt more about its successful diversification – Play@LowerDraytonFarm. Working in partnership, Richard and his father Ray decided to create the Play Barn back in 2016 and run it alongside their mixed farm, comprising beef cattle, 125 breeding ewes and arable enterprises.
The Play Barn includes an indoor play area, small and large animal viewing, a restaurant, as well as pumpkin and vegetable picking.
While the family remain passionate about farming, the diversification has ensured that both businesses are sustainable.
YFC Agri Chair Luke Cox said: “We brought young farmers together from England and Wales on this trip. It’s inspirational what Richard is doing on his farm and great for everyone to see what they could do with a farm business.”
After the farm, the group spent the following day delving into agri-tech innovation at the Agri-Tech Centre Midlands Innovation Hub.
The recent merger of organisations into the Agri-Tech Centre has enhanced efforts to boost agricultural productivity. The centre drives innovation through its farm network, strategic funding, and partnerships. By incorporating technology into farming, it helps streamline labour-intensive tasks, allowing businesses to focus on other key areas.
Start-ups through to corporate businesses can be supported by the centre and this can involve anything from meeting room space to funding for projects.
As part of the tour, the group visited Harper Adam University’s robotic dairy unit, where they could see how digital technology and infrastructure enhanced livestock health and welfare. There was also insight into the ownership and future use of farmer-owned data, with examples of how industry stakeholders could collaborate further for its effective use.
Luke said the group left the Agri-Tech centre feeling excited for the future.
“We were really fortunate to hear about all the exciting projects they were working on,” said Luke. “There’s so much that farms can be doing and it’s great to see how an idea can feed all the way through to being implemented on the farm.”
To read a full report from the weekend, visit here.