Rural Leadership - Workshop Two

Eleven rural leaders walk into a bar. One needs an adult. One needs a tow rope. Eight require a fireman and one thinks this is all just a bad dream. However, rising above this chaos and after an intense two days in Builth Wells show ground, all eleven realise the importance of their knowledge and narrative for the future developments within Wales's agricultural industry.

For the majority of our cohort the second residential workshop, which was held in what could be described as the heart of Wales's rural industry, had come around very quickly. Nevertheless, it was clear from the start of our group conversations that a number of aspects from workshop one had stuck with us, which you can read about here in my previous post Rural Leadership - Workshop one .

We began the first day brainstorming our visions, our how's, what's but more importantly our why's with Alice Lampard, renowned mediator and coach within the area of personal development. We questioned our views on what we all individually thought leadership was and the usefulness of reflecting on the information we are receiving  through networking with other leaders within our industry. Agreement was made that increasing our knowledge base, personal skillsets and adding to our toolkits moving forward is key in becoming great rural leaders of the future. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what our personal visions were and why our goals and desires are what they are to us individually. Alice ended her presentation by asking us to question what our own take home message was from the session. For me it was the power of knowing and listening to your inner voice in order to improve and develop your personal goals and achievements.

Catherine Smith, chair of the Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) board was our second speaker of the morning. As a group we were fortunate to have been invited to the HCC conference being held in the showground that afternoon therefore, Catherine provided a short presentation about who HCC were and what their aims and objectives are for the future of the red meat industry in Wales and explained we would get the opportunity to hear more about this in greater detail at the conference. Catherine highlighted the importance of changing the narrative about our industry and closed her presentation telling us about what key messages she has learnt along her own journey. Catherine suggested we all find ourselves a mentor who can help guide us through areas of our personal and working lives as a support mechanism we can add to our toolkits and call upon when needed. However, for me, the most inspiring advice Catherine shared was the priority in valuing our voice. Value the knowledge and experience we have gained in order to move forward and to be the most authentic person we can be. Value yourself and be you. Be a leader like you.

Next up we experienced the double act that was Aled Jones, RWAS CEO alongside Johnny Homfray the Glamorgan feature county president for the 2023 show year. I was ready to hear from Aled what the show board members aim to offer the farming businesses of Wales and what the show provides them as a thank you to their hard work within this industry. However, this is when the first major statistic from the workshop changed my approach in thinking about the shows role within our Welsh agricultural story. Aled informed us about the data the staff and committee have gathered from previous show attendees. 66% of people who attend our well loved show in Wales are not from an agricultural background. A much higher statistic than I initially thought. Therefore, we realised for the farming and rural communities of Wales the four day event is a great platform to showcase the positives things we do for our environment and economy to an audience who do not live and breath this lifestyle day in day out. It is the idea of selling it as an experience that can teach our consumers of the future why Welsh produce in both the food and fibre sectors are one of the best options in the world to choose.

Nevertheless, Johnny did highlight to us why there is still an importance to have a feature county aspect within the running and decision making process of the show. This is where the local farming and rural community can express there views and air their suggestions as to how the show can learn from any mistakes, make changes and enhance its facilities and resources in order to tell the Welsh agricultural story through the great fundraising work and storytelling events they run. This is where the agricultural community can help steer the show in the direction of it's end goal.

After a jam packed morning, we entered the afternoon session of the HCC conference which again was going to enhance our knowledge as future rural leaders by providing us with opportunities to question the HCC board members along with networking amongst the diverse organisations and businesses that work within it. The conference was four and a half hours in length and covered a large number of topic areas around the event title 'The Future of Red Meat (with Wales leading the way)'. Personally, I was curious about what I was going to hear from the multiple areas of our industry which included future policy decisions, consumer insights, critical mass, scientific nutritional research as well as grassroots stories from young farmers working within the industry.

Catherine opened the event and welcomed all attendees. Her introduction was followed by a short video recording from Lesley Griffiths, the minister for rural affairs in Wales, who stated the importance of our industry improving their business skills moving forward. Farmers needing to be confident in sharing their knowledge of their landscapes with regard to climate change and biodiversity. Lesley stressed the need for farmers to communicate with their rural affairs policy creators in order to help them achieve the desired targets.

The conference quickly moved on to the first main presentation of the afternoon from Avneet Chana from Kantar Worldpanel who was invited to inform all attendees about the consumer insight research they carry out within the UK. A lot of statistics and information were thrown at us in this presentation however, for me there were a large number of positives rather than negatives messages for the future of red meat in general. Even though the cost of living and inflation issues had clearly impacted consumer buying trends it was a relief to hear that 97% of UK households still purchase red meat within a 12 month period. The quantity of protein items purchased may have decreased however, their research showed that households were learning how to stretch their protein sources further in order to still get enjoyment out of their purchased protein products. It was also a relief to hear that fake meat alternative sales were beginning to decrease due to that fact consumers are starting to get fed up with fake advertising methods.

The evening moved on to probably my favourite aspect of the event. Rachel Madeley Davies, HCC's Head of Sustainability and Future policy, had invited three young farmers along to the event to take part in a panel discussion to tell their individual farming stories and share their visions for the future of livestock farming in Wales. Those of you who read my blog regularly will be familiar with how excited I get when an opportunity arises for a farm tour or hearing the grassroots stories from people who manage our breath-taking landscape here within the UK. In an ideal world, this would have been the time I would have pulled out the popcorn, made myself comfortable, and thrown question after question at the speakers in order to find out why they do what they do.

First up, Aled Picton Evans from Whitland west Wales, shared the three key priorities of his business which were profit, lifestyle and legacy. He told us how the business has been successful in creating a smaller supply chain by entering new hospitality ventures with their predominantly grass based beef system. Controlling the controllable was very evident within his presentation as well as the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people to discuss your target ideas. Put yourself out there whether it be on social media or via face to face conversations in your community and industry in order to help you build your brand.

Next, came the family farming story from Emily Jones from Tregaron. Taking risks and the importance of succession were the key focus areas of Emily's presentation where she highlighted the challenging conversations which can take place within businesses that have more than one generation involved. However, allowing risks to be taken in trying new ideas can result in success stories in many areas of the overall business performance. Herbal leys, reducing input costs and good animal health practices all shone through in Emily's presentation to the room.

The last panel member to speak was Dyfed Davies, who I would call the comedian of the panel but for all the right reasons. Dyfed brought the perfectly timed and almost needed humour to the room with his presentation about his family farm in Crymych, west Wales. A large scale sheep enterprise which has been developed based around selecting the right breed, genetics and management criteria for the wide range of landscape and habitat areas used to grow their end product. Dyfed shared his story about the opportunities he has taken for the business to improve their traditional Welsh breed in order for it to thrive in a modern consumer world.

All three farmers had a clear message around the importance of creating a successful business with the resources you have whilst also getting the correct work life balance. The farming industry in Wales is always encountering new and mainly difficult challenges which are usually out of their control. However, it is important to take a step away from the farm from time to time in order to look after your own mental and physical health. Simpler systems result in less stress and lowered anxiety. Rachel concluded the session by reminding the conference attendees why it is important for us as an industry to start evidencing and communicating more about what we are doing here in Wales. By improving our dialogue and sharing our stories, evidencing and demonstrating our vast systems we can achieve the desired sustainable Welsh red meat sector goal we all want.

Gian Marco Currado, the director of rural affairs within Welsh Government spoke briefly about the fast approaching Sustainable Farming Scheme and how the importance of evidence and facts are required to add value to our Welsh products moving forward in a society both locally and globally that is becoming increasingly more savvy and curious about their future food purchases. 

Finally, the key note speaker, Professor Dr Peer Ederer took to the floor. I'm not going to deny it, but it was at this point in the evening I knew the information I was about to hear would go miles over my head. A science heavy presentation on a global scale titled ' Debunking red meat myths - what the science says'. So here goes. I have tried my best to understand what I can in order to help share the knowledge I have gained with you, the reader, if you've made it this far of course. Buckle up!

Farmers. We are ambassadors of both the land and the red meat sector and it is vital that we, in this role, engage with people who may not have the level of knowledge of our landscape and industry. As a human race we must preserve our eco systems in order to survive on planet earth. Farmers have the best knowledge of their eco systems over anyone else due to farming their landscapes day in day out. We have grown as a human race to a point that we can never put the world back to what it once was. However, we can manage it better for the future generations in a sustainable way. Each farm is an eco system, and each eco system is different and requires managing in different ways. Give farmers the right tools to manage their eco systems and we can create amazing solutions. A recent trip to Uganda, a country roughly the same size as the UK with a similar climate showcased to Dr Peer Ederer lessons which need to be learnt in the fast paced digital world we now live in globally.

Dr Peer Ederer stated that if you do not digitise your farming system, if you do not digitally record your business in detailed areas such as soil health, water cycle, carbon, animal health and nitrogen management, then you have no justification to be a farmer anymore in this modern world. You must collect data. You must be measuring in order to manage, in order to make the business decisions that make you productive. But more importantly than this, your must digitise in order to defend your social right in a society that wants to know if you are a good custodian of the land. Consumers want to know more. They feel they have a right to know more about how their food is being produced and it is important that farmers innovate out of these obstacles. Knowledge is power.

Unfortunately regulators are now doing the job farmers should have been doing a lot sooner through measuring these key areas. Dr Peer Ederer stressed do not sell your carbon rights however, do measure it. You will need that data for your social benefit to showcase and evidence what you do. It was at that point that the conference was brought to a close and we continued our discussions late into the evening in a more informal manner networking with individuals we wanted to continue gaining knowledge from.

Are you exhausted? I was definitely exhausted after day ones workshop. But day two quickly came around and again we braced ourselves for the information we were about to debate and receive.

Succession was the first topic of the day. A heavy conversation to start with however, a very important one to gain knowledge for our farming futures. Manon Williams from Agri Advisers was our specialist on this topic and we were all grateful as a group for the way in which she presented the key information to us that was easy to understand and absorb on a topic area which 48% of farming families stay well clear off due to not thinking they need a plan or even that they think it is a priority. We debated the opportunities available at all generational levels to encourage the need for discussing this topic around the kitchen table. The rising trend in share farming agreements was also discussed and the challenges for both business providers and industry seekers who wish to go down this route. The key message for me from Manon was the fact that succession planning in our industry, secures our futures and is an area we can control.

Mared Jones, Wales YFC's CEO followed with a light hearted and passionate presentation about her journey through her career choices within the farming community. For me a key message which Mared shared was from a job role she had been undertaking for 11 years. She was advised 'if you don't move now you will be unemployable'. This statement alone highlighted the importance of continually building on both your knowledge and experience within as many areas of our agricultural sector as possible in order to build a greater pool of knowledge and networks to draw back on if ever needed for advice or reassurance. Mared stressed how you have to engage and encourage in order to move forward in this industry and life in general whilst also respecting those who work around you. Communicate often, learn as much as possible, listen always but also try to be humorous where appropriate. Agriculture is a very tough and often negative industry to work within. Humour is needed as things are not always guaranteed. Always try to see the positive.

Liz King from the Royal Countryside fund gave the last presentation of the morning, A member of the previous years rural leadership programme. Liz shared with us the work she does within her job role and how HRH King Charles aims to support farming families as well as rural communities throughout the UK. Liz had reached out to her cohort of rural leaders from 2022 and asked what advice they would pass on to us from the leadership programme experience the previous year. Advice shared repeated a lot of the things we had already been told several times over. Network, ask questions, listen to everyone's views, be passionate and remember that not all the information you receive will click instantly, some of it may take a while to sink in but undoubtedly will get used further down the line of our careers. Liz's closing message was that if you think you can or you think you can not, then you are right.

The afternoon session, and final presentation of the workshop was the one I had been waiting for the most. I had been given the task of introducing our guest speaker, a job I am usually pretty confident in doing from years of practice through my local chapel, YFC club as well as multiple job roles. However, do you think I could find any information about who our speaker was and what experience they had in their field through a simple google search? No! However, there was a reason for this which I came to learn more about when I approached our speaker over the lunch break. I used the skills I had been gaining over the two workshops to approach Amanda Harries who would be giving us a practical session on media training to find out who she was along with what experience she had. Our conversations flowed easily which helped calm my nerves about introducing her but also made me even more excited about what we would learn.

How we tell our stories to the media and end consumers, whether its through television interviews, radio programmes, newspaper articles or via social media platforms is a skill we shouldn't shy away from as rural workers. Our voices need to be heard within our industry and the stories we tell others about our farming practices and working environments, if told well, can remain in  peoples minds and hearts for many years ahead. Being authentic whilst also getting the key messages across is critical due to most media companies having the power to edit out what they don't deem as relevant material. Repeat your message several times over in soundbite clips to ensure what you want to say gets across to the audience it is being shared with. What is your story? Who is your brand? Why should they listen? Always be prepared and don't be shy in setting boundaries in places you don't feel comfortable. Amanda closed her session by saying we all have a story to tell. Be authentic and tell it.

This has been a challenging blog post to write, mainly due to the scale of information and individuals we had encountered on the two day workshop. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the knowledge I have gained and thinking about how I can summarise it. Three key words have repeatedly popped up throughout our workshops in both Cardiff and Builth Wells so far for me personally. These three words are evidence, policy and storytelling.

Gathering data and evidencing what we do within our industry is something which isn't going away. As a group we have learnt that without this data and evidence how can we expect to be listened to by others. We need this evidence to back up our statements not just to policy makers but also the end consumer who is buying our produce both locally and globally. Data is key and we hold the key to our farming futures. 

This links in to the second word policy. Policy decisions are being made through information, conversations and facts being presented to their creators. We know our landscape. We know our industry, We have a voice. It is important that we use it in as many engagement circles as possible to ensure what we want to see for our futures is written in black and white. 

The final word is storytelling. Everyone loves a story. The happy, the emotional, the scary but more importantly than these, the real. Real stories hit harder. As farmers no-one knows our lifestyles better than ourselves. No-one knows our why's what's and how's. No-one knows the struggles we have to encounter from several areas of the food chain, and no-one knows the joyful moments that go on behind closed gates, barn doors and around kitchen tables. We are the ambassadors and custodians of our lands. We have the power to make a difference as long as we stand up and tell our farming stories to those who are willing to listen.

We've been left as a group at the end of this workshop with the questions of what do we want our legacy to be? What is our personal legacy? I've grown in confidence over these past two days. The reassurance of what I wish to achieve is very much achievable with the right mindset and network. I still have a lot to learn and a toolkit to build upon however I am heading in the right direction and hopefully good things will soon come my way.

However, if all else fails and that doesn't work we've learnt to mess our hair like  Boris, erect our bodies in the way that only the Welsh know how, tell ourselves we ARE adults and we'll be good to go!

Until next time.

Hx