Farm 'Mentoring' Scheme Launched

A scheme has been launched that aims to introduce farmers to a series of new and emerging technologies - as well as demonstrating how to take a more business orientated approach to the 'business' of agriculture.

Farmers across Northern Ireland are being asked to apply to become 'Focus Farms' within the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 (RDP) Agriculture.

NI Farming Minister Michelle Gildernew (pictured) said that a range of farms will be selected to become Focus Farms.

This, she explained, is a coaching and mentoring scheme where these Focus Farmers will host farm visits and demonstrate good practice across a range of farm types.

The scheme seeks to establish a network of up to 60 farms and promote the adoption of good production, business and environmental practice.

The Minister said: "I am encouraging farmers to apply to the Focus Farm scheme so that they can share best practice with their neighbours and the wider farming community.

"The main objective of the scheme is to facilitate farmer-led learning. It will enable farmers to learn from the experiences of the Focus Farmers, share and solve common problems and benchmark their own business performance. The Focus Farms scheme also offers farmers the opportunity to develop innovative methods to improve existing farm practices.

"Visiting farmers can also benefit from direct mentoring by the Focus Farmers and explore ideas arising from the farm visit. I am encouraging all farmers to make full use of focus farms to further help improve their own farm businesses," she explained.

This scheme is currently open for applications from those wishing to become Focus Farmers within a specific range of key areas and regions.

Key areas include the dairy, beef, sheep, pigs, arable, commercial horticulture, organic, renewable crops, diversification and environmental sectors.

The Focus Farm scheme should have 10,000 visitors over the period of the programme and be able to train 6000 individual farmers.

The Rural Development Programme is funded under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Meanwhile, the UK's leading provider of higher education for the land-based sector, the prestigious Harper Adams University College, has revealed its line-up of professional short courses for the academic year 2008/9.

From equine law to farm business analysis to event management, the has plenty of courses available to support individuals and businesses working in the rural industries.

All these one-day courses will be offered in the autumn and repeated in the spring, and will be delivered by members of the university college's full-time lecturing staff, at the campus in Shropshire.

(BMcC)