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January 6, 2025

RCF launches new initiative with Denhay Farms Ltd to support UK farmers

The collaboration marks a significant step in supporting sustainable farming practices and promoting the vital role of rural communities across the UK.

Initially launching on their Spoiltpig Bacon range, every purchase of dry cured bacon contributes to the RCF’s work helping rural communities and farming families create a sustainable future.

Spoiltpig puts its trust in the best of British farmers to produce outstanding outdoor-bred pork. Alongside displaying the RCF’s logo across its range of products, Spoiltpig is committed to making an annual contribution to the RCF to support rural communities across the UK, helping to sustain a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life.

Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, Keith Halstead, said: “We’re very grateful to Denhay Farms for this funding, which will help us reach more family farms across the UK at this difficult time and give them the support they need to plan their future. Denhay Farms is an organisation that shares our vision for a resilient and successful countryside, and we’re proud to have our logo on their products.”

Denhay Farms Managing Director, Jim Loescher, said: “Knowing where our food comes from is now more important than ever, which is why we only work with the best of British farmers we trust in producing our bacon. We’re incredibly excited by this collaboration and are proud to be supporting the RCF’s mission because we want to give back to these farmers and their rural communities, to help them thrive for generations to come.”

For more information about Spoiltpig, please visit: https://spoiltpig.co.uk/

October 23, 2024

The Royal Countryside Fund announces £170,000 of new support for farming groups across the UK

These farm support groups are trusted partners of the RCF and are embedded in the rural communities they serve. This new funding will go towards a range of sustainable projects to help create a successful future for farming families. The RCF’s Farm Support Group Initiative is supported by Waitrose & Partners and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

The nine farm support groups which are receiving RCF funding are:

  • Dartmoor Hill Farm Project, which has been awarded £20,000 to allow it to provide trusted and accessible advice to local farmers at a vital time, as they transition from direct payments to the new Environmental Land Management schemes.
  • Exmoor Hill Farming Network, which has been awarded £20,000 to fund its programmes to help enhance farmer health and wellbeing, ease rural isolation, and prepare the next generation of local farmers.
  • Farm Cornwall, which has been awarded £20,000 to support and advise local farmers on new environmental schemes and continue the charity’s role as a source of support for farmers and their families as they deal with the stresses and strains of the industry.
  • Herefordshire Rural Hub, which has been awarded £20,000 to grow the farm support group and further develop its service, so that it can bring its help to more local farmers.
  • The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI), which has been awarded £15,000 to help run its existing programme and manage the delivery of the RCF’s Farm Business Resilience Programme.
  • Rural Support, which has been awarded £15,000 to provide more support for family farms across Northern Ireland, to help them weather economic difficulties and combat the rural mental health crisis.
  • The Farmer Network Ltd, which has been awarded £20,000 to continue to run a not-for-profit support network, helping farmers across a large area of northern England.
  • The Farming Life Centre, which has been awarded £20,000 to invest in their organisation to ensure it continues to meet the needs of farmers in Derbyshire.
  • Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services Ltd (UTASS) , which has been awarded £20,000 to continue to fund its activity in the north east of England and allow it to bring vital support to local farmers.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “This funding is about powering-up family farms and giving them the support they need to survive and thrive. Our aim is to support rural communities across the UK, helping to sustain a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life. Farming can be so different across the UK, so it’s important to us that we support locally-run farm support groups who are embedded in the communities they serve and therefore know what will make the biggest difference in their local area.

“Farmers are currently facing a whole raft of challenges and we know it’s a difficult time for so many families, so it’s vital our funding goes to where it will make the most impact. The farm-support groups we’ve chosen to fund are truly innovative and collaborative organisations that are working with their local communities to find new and sustainable ways to build a better future. These are all community-led support groups which can help farmers find the right opportunities, look after their health and wellbeing, and promote sustainable, economic, social and community development.

“I want to thank our supporters and corporate partners who help us fund this change. To all these generous organisations and individuals, I want to say: thank you, your support is making a real difference.”

To find out more about the RCF’s Farm Support Group network, please visit: http://www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmsupport

October 10, 2024

The Royal Countryside Fund gathers farmers in Lancashire to explore biodiversity

The session saw 24 farming families attend from across the county with active participation and discussion throughout. 

The workshop, delivered by Yorkshire farmer and consultant Fraser Hugill, provided attendees with valuable insights into how biodiversity can benefit both farm ecosystems and business sustainability. Emphasising the importance of biodiversity in farming systems, the workshop offered practical steps farmers can take to protect and enhance habitats. The session also outlined available funding opportunities to support biodiversity on farms.

Attendees discussed what species and habitats they would like to see in the future and how taking photographs throughout the year can create a good baseline record of what is already present.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “It was encouraging to see so many farmers attend at the end of a busy day on their farm demonstrating how much enthusiasm and interest there is for this topic, as biodiversity not only forms an essential part of our farming systems, but also contributes to the overall quality of all our lives.”

The Royal Countryside Fund would like to acknowledge our thanks to The Royal Warrant Holders Association Charity Fund for their generous support of this workshop. 

Claire Anderson, Manager of The Royal Warrant Holders Association Charity Fund, said: “The Trustees and I were delighted to support a wonderful initiative. Great to hear that so many farming families attended from across the UK, hopefully they will action the practical steps to reduce the impact on biodiversity.”

October 8, 2024

Saving money from the ground up

Soil is at the heart of our farmed landscape and provides a source of fertility and resilience in the production of crops and grassland. Maintaining and protecting quality soil through effective management can help produce higher yields and better returns, and therefore is an essential component in supporting a strong farm business.

Baselining our soil through regular testing is vital to interpret the chemical, physical and biological status of our soil, and so the programme kicked off with a free soil test. The samples were sent to the laboratory for analysis and each farm received their organic matter report at the on-farm workshop delivered by Emma Adams from The Farm Carbon Toolkit. 

These sessions involved an analysis and discussion of the test results, highlighting differences between the best and worst performing fields and working through some of the reasons why. Emma then delved into topics surrounding soil health management, looking at practical ways to improve soil health to maximise agricultural efficiency. In addition to this, the sessions introduced ideas linked to regenerative agriculture, such as the role of herbal leys, reduced movement and disturbance, and touched upon carbon sequestration opportunities.

It was great to visit the Norfolk group at their workshop at the end of August, which concluded with a farm walk and demonstration on how to complete different tests, such as an infiltration test and VESS (Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure).

Anna Wright, Environmental Programmes Manager at the RCF, said “Soil is the foundation of any farm and is a fundamental asset, so we are thrilled to be supporting farmers in their soil health journey. Many thanks to McDonald’s UK & Ireland for their continued support.”

Thank you to our delivery partners at Herefordshire Rural Hub, Norfolk FWAG and Thomas Burston in Northumberland for coordinating our first three groups; we are looking forward to the next cohort in Devon, Cumbria and Clwyd this Autumn!

If you would like to find out more about how to improve soil, you can read a copy of our Great Grazing Guide here or watch our recent webinar here.

October 3, 2024

The Royal Countryside Fund receives new Scottish Government funding to support farmers

The KTIF supports projects that promote skills development or deliver improvements in business practice, resource efficiency, environmental performance and sustainability. The RCF is one of seven projects chosen by the Scottish Government to receive a total of more than £300,000 in funding from the KTIF.

Originally launched in 2016, the Farm Resilience Programme is the RCF’s flagship farmer support programme, which offers free business skills and environment training to family farm businesses across the UK, and has now benefitted nearly 1,400 families. The programme is also supported by Aldi and Morrisons.

This latest funding will allow The Royal Countryside Fund to expand its Farm Resilience Programme to support an additional 80 -100 harder to reach family farm businesses in four locations across Scotland. Eligible farming families will be invited to take part in a series of workshops designed to help their business become more profitable and sustainable, including:

  • Understanding your farm business accounts and budgeting
  • Know your figures, a future without subsidies
  • Your farm and the environment
  • Planning for your future
  • Farm safety and mental health

The programme, which is free to join, is welcome to everyone in the family or farm business, with a hot meal provided at each meeting. Each session is delivered by an expert agricultural consultant and the free programme is worth over £2,000 per farm. An independent evaluation found that the programme delivers significant economic, social, and environmental benefits for farmers. For every £1 invested by the programme, there is around a £3 return for farmers – not including ongoing benefits to farmers which continue after they have completed the programme.

Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Royal Countryside Fund, said: “Farming families and crofters are the beating heart of Scotland’s rural communities and The Royal Countryside Fund is committed to giving these families the practical support they need for their business to prosper and thrive. Over the last 8 years, we’ve seen the positive difference our Farm Resilience Programme has already made, in improving profitability, confidence and business skills and this new funding from the KTIF will allow us to expand our support across four new locations, reaching an additional 80-100 faming businesses. In the long term, we hope this will lead to a more resilient agriculture sector, reduced rural isolation, stronger community networks and greater financial viability among small-scale family farms in Scotland.

“I would strongly encourage any family farms or crofters who are looking at ways to make change to their business wish to join this programme to visit our website www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk for further information or contact Clemmie Addison-Atkinson on caddison-atkinson@countrysidefund.org.uk / 07484 532949”

Mairi Gougeon, Rural Affairs Secretary, said: “The Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Fund supports the agriculture sector to realise the wealth of innovation and skills within it and find practical ways to share these on-farm improvements with the wider community. These seven projects will also help farmers and crofters access resources and develop skills in areas that build towards our targets to reach net zero and better manage resources.

“I extend my thanks to all who applied to KTIF this year for their diverse and inspired proposals, and for their continued engagement with the scheme.”

The programme is open to dairy and livestock family farm businesses and takes a whole-farm and whole-family approach. To find out more and sign up, farmers can visit www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience 

September 27, 2024

Gareth Davies, former CEO of Tir Dewi joins The Royal Countryside Fund to extend its work in Wales 

Gareth has worked with The RCF for many years in his previous role as CEO of Welsh farming charity Tir Dewi. Gareth was fundamental in transforming the reach of Tir Dewi, which under his leadership grew from being a small charity with one part-time employee to an organisation with over 65 volunteers that has supported over 600 farms across Wales. It is now firmly established as a leading provider of farm support in the country. 

With his vast experience, Gareth is perfectly placed to deliver The RCF’s ambition to offer more support to Welsh farming and rural communities. “We recognise that this is a very challenging time for family farms and rural communities in Wales,” says Maddy Taylor, Head of Operations at The RCF.   “We are delighted that Gareth has joined our team, providing the opportunity for The RCF to better collaborate with local partners and ensure that we are providing support where it is most needed.” 

Gareth Davies responded, “The RCF was a funding partner for the whole of my time at Tir Dewi so I got to know the organisation really well.  It became clear to me that in addition to being a source of funds, they shared the same concerns for farms and the rural communities that they support and the same passion for helping them. The RCF also introduced me to a network of others doing similar work across the UK, enabling sharing of best practice and giving me others to talk to.” 

The Royal Countryside Fund looks forward to Gareth’s’ contributions towards its vision of a thriving countryside – a living landscape of working family farms and prosperous rural life, based on connections and relationships.  

October 20, 2023

Carbon Clarity brings answers to Devon farmers

The session run by Becky Willson from the Farm Carbon Toolkit covered an in-depth overview of the main emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on-farm, delving into topics such as how farmers can increase carbon sequestration in soil, trees and hedges to help fight climate change.

The event gave farmers the opportunity to discuss how simple actions can be implemented within soil, nutrient and livestock management plans—not only increase carbon capture, but to reduce costs too through reducing fuel and electricity consumption.

Following the workshop, farmers will receive a visit from their local coordinator to help kick-start a simple carbon action plan, discussing short, medium and long-term solutions to reduce emissions.

Learn more about Carbon Clarity

Read our guide to Carbon Clarity

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