Supporting Nottinghamshire’s next generation of farmers
Across Nottinghamshire, many small family farms are feeling the squeeze. Rising input costs, volatile markets and ongoing uncertainty are making day-to-day viability more challenging than ever. For many businesses, diversification has become essential to stay afloat.
But while the focus is often on immediate survival, there’s a longer-term issue we cannot ignore: what does this mean for the next generation of farmers?
A tougher starting point
For young people hoping to build a future in farming, the landscape is shifting. Higher costs for fuel, fertiliser, feed and machinery mean many are stepping into businesses with tighter margins and greater financial risk. For those without a family holding, the barriers to entry, particularly access to land and capital, remain significant. Farming has always required resilience, but the starting line is undoubtedly further back than it was for previous generations.
Diversification: a necessary shift
Across the county, farmers are responding with innovation, whether that’s farm shops, holiday accommodation, environmental schemes, or renewable energy projects. Diversification can strengthen businesses and create new opportunities for younger members of the family.
It brings fresh skills, new income streams, and greater resilience. However, it also changes the nature of farming itself. Many young farmers now need to balance food production with running complex, multi-income businesses. That shift won’t suit everyone, and it’s not always achievable for every farm.
Protecting the family farm model
Small family farms remain at the heart of Nottinghamshire’s rural communities. They underpin local economies, maintain landscapes, and carry generations of knowledge.
If financial pressures continue to mount, there is a real risk that some of these farms may not transition successfully to the next generation. That has wider implications - not just for farming, but for the strength and character of our rural communities.
Backing the next generation
There is no shortage of passion among young people who want to farm. What they need is a framework that enables them to succeed. This means:
- Fair and sustainable returns for food producers
- Realistic opportunities to access land and tenancies
- Support for practical, viable diversification
- Investment in skills, training, and business development
As an industry, and through the work of the NFU, we must continue to champion policies that recognise the importance of family farms and create confidence for the future.
County meeting
Join County Chair Oliver Collingham and Gabriella Gregory, County Adviser, for the Nottinghamshire County Meeting on 28 April at Kelham Hall starting at 7.30pm, featuring county and commodity board updates and NFU Senior Economist Sanjay Dhanda discussing geopolitical tensions and the implications for agriculture.
Join the Nottinghamshire Show annual breakfast meeting
Notts NFU members are invited to the Nottinghamshire County Show on Saturday, 9 May, where they will be hosting the annual breakfast meeting between 9am and 10am to explore the latest ways in which farmers can unlock new value from their land and assets.
This session brings together fresh thinking on strategic planning, diversification, finance and positive change focusing on how entrepreneurial farmers can unlock new value from land, people and assets and make every part of the operation work harder, smarter and more profitably. Speakers from Brown&Co, Nat West Agriculture and Lincoln Zoo will be chaired by Sir Mark Spencer, President of the Newark and Notts Agricultural Society
It is taking place in the President’s Suite, Cedric Ford Pavilion, Newark Showground. NG24 2NY.
The event is free of charge to attend however admission tickets to the Show will need to be purchased. You can purchase tickets online..
RSVP by 1 May:
Please register your free place to:
• Jessica Chapman, [email protected]
• 01636 705796