Driving around the county over the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen a lot of activity with people getting in their last cut of silage or gathering the maize crops – to the disappointment of badgers across Cumbria I am sure! The days are already noticeably shorter, so what better excuse to join us at one of our meetings in the coming months.
Let’s Talk Cumbria:
Our next online county catch up meeting is taking place on Thursday 22 October, at 7.30pm. This is a chance to hear what the NFU has been working on, on your behalf, and hear directly from county board members on what the various commodity boards have been involved in.
We have a couple of spaces coming up on our county board, for livestock and poultry representatives, so this is also a good chance to come along and meet the board and ask any questions about what these roles involve.
To receive the link for the meeting email [email protected] or call 02476 939401.
Tom and Cammy coming to Cumbria:
Just a little reminder that, very excitedly, we are being joined by not one, but two fantastic speakers at our AGM this year. We will be hearing from NFU President Tom Bradshaw, and as if that isn’t exciting enough, The Sheep Game’s Cammy Wilson is venturing across the border to join us too. Make sure to book your space as places are already filling up fast, it’s going to be at Café Ambio, J36, on Thursday 19 November with a buffet supper at 7pm and the meeting will start at 7.30pm. An invite will be emailed out to all members in advance of the meeting and booking will be essential as food is being provided – if you want to get ahead of the invite email [email protected] or call 02476 939401 to book your place.
Political pressure
We have taken advantage of party conference season by meeting a couple of our local MPs who would normally be stalking through the halls of Westminster on a weekday. Markus Campbell-Savours met us not once, but twice, only days after the SFI debacle, and was able to hear first hand from farmers that hadn’t been able to get their SFI applications in before the window slammed shut.
Days after we met with Tim Farron on farm, and he again heard from members questioning how, or why, the government had allowed this ‘fastest finger first’ approach to funding schemes for farmers. Both MPs were also challenged with finding out exactly who was benefitting from the agriculture budget and whether it was NGO’s, or farmers, claiming the majority of the monies. So let’s watch this space and see what questions get raised in the house…
Celebrating Dairy Success: A Visit to Jenkin Cragg Farm and Kendamil
The NFU North Board's Dairy Farm Walk and Kendamil Tour in early October gave members the opportunity to see first-hand two remarkable Cumbrian success stories: the award-winning Young family dairy farm and the impressive growth of Kendamil, one of the UK's leading infant nutrition brands.
The day began at Jenkin Cragg Farm, near Kendal, where John and Nicola Young and family, winners of the Farmers Weekly 2025 Dairy Farmer of the Year Award, welcomed members to their farm. The Young family run an impressive 550-cow pedigree Holstein dairy enterprise across more than 400 hectares, achieving an average yield of 14,000 litres per cow through excellent management, close attention to detail and effective use of technology. Their continual investment in herd health, sustainability and business efficiency has created a highly successful and resilient farming operation.
Then everyone was treated to lunch at the Castle Green Hotel which was followed by a virtual tour of the Kendamil factory in Kendal. The presentation highlighted the company's journey from a local manufacturer to a global brand, while remaining firmly committed to using locally sourced British milk at the heart of its products.
The NFU North Board would like to extend its sincere thanks to John, Nicola and the Young family for their warm welcome and hospitality, and for taking the time to share their award-winning business with members. Thanks also go to Ross McMahon and the team at Kendamil for providing an informative factory tour and for sharing the story behind their continued success. Also thanks to all the North Dairy members who attended and contributed to such an enjoyable and informative day.
And finally, as always, if you have any ideas for events, would like to host a farm walk, or have any comments or need any support, please don’t hesitate to contact me.