The first part of 2025 has been a busy one with lots of events and meetings taking place. In February, I attended a meeting for Kent farmer cluster facilitators at Nonington Farms. The aim of this was to bring all the groups together to share ideas and develop a closer network. It was a positive day and great discussions were had.
On 11th March the cluster held a Climate Resilience event at Pluckley Village Hall. It was a fantastic mix of speakers including Charlie Chantler – Natural England, Megan Harmon – ADAS, Andrew Howard – Bockhanger Farms, Andrew Lingham – Court Farm, and Simon Stoate from Southeast Rivers Trust. The presentations included climate impacts on the sector, climate farm demo project, plus practical options for farming businesses.
Recently we have been hit with the frustrating news that SFI is on pause with no date given for when it will be opened again. The fact it has had so much take up shows how vital it has been to farm businesses, and I know many groups are taking this fact to the government. There are still other opportunities for grants and projects from various sectors so I will ensure to keep members updated on these.
