Our ventures beyond the farmgate…

We’ve managed to get out and about a bit over the last couple of months, going to presentations, talks and conferences. It has been a great experience to learn about what has been happening in our local community and throughout the UK. Just to give you a taster of what we’ve been up to…

19/10 Welsh Organic Farmers’ Conference – after a slight detour to Aberystwyth (nothing to do with our mapreading skills), we arrived at the Royal Welsh Showground just in time for Charlotte to talk about the farm’s structure and future. It was great to hear people’s interest in such a community owned initiative, in particular from farmers who wish to keep their land farmed but know that their families do not wish to continue in the business. Other speakers shared their experiences of working as part of a co-operative, diversification and funding available for their ventures. It was quite startling to see how many people there saw the current focus on buying local produce as a threat to organic produce sales rather than a natural benefit to organic farming in the UK. Do let us know your views!

25/10 “Soil, soul and society”, a talk by Satish Kumar – Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth hosted a talk by Satish Kumar, editor of Resurgence magazine. He has led a fascinating life, becoming a monk at the age of 15, persuading landowners in India to give up land for the poor at 18 and moving to England at the age of 25, having walked here! He spoke beautifully about man’s relationship with the Earth and the small steps we can make to live more sustainably. Watch out for the next newsletter for more on this!

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