December 2019 – From Uncertainty to Opportunity

Charlotte Smith and her panel of experts were on fine form at the South of England Farming Conference at Ardingly on November 13.  One of the strong early memories of my working  career was attending this conference with Tim Calcutt. It has been a regular diary fixture ever since and it is matter of great pride that CLM is now one of the sponsors.

This year’s catchy title – ‘From Uncertainty to Opportunity’ – touched on a timeless issue. Over the past twenty five years, farming and the rural economy have been facing varying degrees of uncertainty and looking for opportunities. Uncertainty is a constant, as is change. The opportunities are the moving targets, the glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel or indeed the view across the hedge.

The obvious question is, of course, ‘the opportunity to do what’? Retire? Expand? Contract?  Rationalise? Diversify? At times, it might even feel like running and hiding is the best option!

Read the full article here…….