Tomorrow’s farmers and agricultural sector entrepreneurs are expected to gather at a Farmstock Futures forum on January 20^th to share their vision and their concerns for the future of the Agri industry. Taking place at Smithills Open Farm near Bolton, Lancashire this event is to be hosted by owner, farmer and entrepreneur Carl Grimshaw.

Set up in 2020 by Carlisle based H&H Group Plc and The Family Business Community, Farmstock Futures has created a successful hub for young farmers and business people currently facing some of the toughest conditions in decades.

Following an introduction to the Farmstock Futures participants, this January forum will offer a combination of expert advice and interactive discussion on three of the key issues facing young people involved in agriculture today:

• Building a farming business and its diversification
• Mental Health and Wellbeing
• How to educate the next generation in farming

Carl Grimshaw will explain his own successful approach to building a diversified farming business. He hopes that sharing his experience and giving young farmers the chance to see his business in action will help inspire the next generation, but the biggest benefit of the event will be the chance to network.

“To be successful you have to be forward thinking and ambitious, so it is extremely important to network with others in the industry.” Said Carl, “We are very much looking forward to hosting this Farmstock Futures event and to meeting new faces. Networking and meeting new people is about creating and sharing new ideas, and that’s the best way to generate long term business opportunities.”

Discussing mental health in farming will be Daire Fitzgerald of TalkWorks who will give advice on recognising who needs help and where to get support, and then Brian Capstick, a former soldier, charity fundraiser, and runs from Farm and Fell in Sedbergh, will give an introduction to care farming and veterans support.

Farmstock Futures has attracted members from right across the UK, and from every sphere of the agriculture and rural business sectors over the past two years. Many of them will be there at Smithills Open Farm on January 20^th, and that’s what makes is a must for Leah Wright, 17 who along with attending Bishopton Burton College works with her father on the family farm in east Yorkshire.

“There’s an amazing breadth of experience and ideas in the Farmstock Futures group, and that makes it invaluable. An event such as the January Forum gives you a unique opportunity to get together with likeminded people who are determined to build a future in farming or rural business, and they all bring something different to the party.”

Richard Rankin CEO of the H&H Group who established the fundamental value of Farmstock Futures  the key aim of this event is to support the young people who will take UK farming forwards into the future: “One of the biggest challenges for people in farming and other related rural businesses is that they tend to work in isolation, and when we partnered with The Family Business Community to establish Farmstock Futures in 2020 covid had made this problem much greater. Now we have other  major problems to deal with that cast a long shadow over farming, so it’s even more important to be able to bring young people together and offer them professional advice and support, and the chance to meet other inspiring next generation farmers who are finding new opportunities to carve out careers in the countryside.”

If you’re interested in finding out more or attending this event please visit https://farmstockfutures.uk/events/farmstock-futures-event-with-smithills-open-farm/ or email Sue Howorth at: [email protected]