Drilling into your fixed costs to sow a profit (Labour and Machinery Review)

Canterbury Monitor Farm meeting

With the future of annual support payments uncertain, it is now even more important that farming businesses prepare for future and take the opportunity to analyse every operation and cost. This meeting will be based upon farm cost analysis: we will discuss, identify and dissect what is one of the largest capital expenses of a cereal operation (labour and machinery), helping to pinpoint possible avenues to improve future margins and efficiencies.

Speakers

• Rob Meadley (Senior Associate Brown & Co Farm Agribusiness Consultant)
• Harry Henderson (AHDB Arable Machinery Technology Manager)

Programme

• Registration 
• Welcome and introduction: Paul Hill – AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Knowledge Exchange Manager (South East)
• Monitor Farm operational up-date: Will Smith - Canterbury Monitor Farmer
• Drilling into fixed Costs - Introduction to the AHDB MF “Labour & Machinery Review”: Rob Meadley - Senior Consultant- Brown & Co
• Knowing and analysing your COP – machinery cost analysis: Harry Henderson (AHDB Arable Machinery Technology Manager)
• Coffee/group break-out session - (Machinery use efficiency) Identifying your true operational costs
• Feedback / discussion / Take home messages
• Event summary
• Lunch and finish

About Canterbury Monitor Farm

Will Smith farms with his father, brother and one other employee at Beaute Farm near Canterbury. Covering some 765 ha, of which 190 ha are owned, 100 ha are rented and the rest managed under varying contract farming agreements; the land features a variety of soil types including chalk loam, brick earth and marsh clay. William grows milling wheat, oilseed rape, beans quinoa and maize for a local anaerobic digestion plant. Alongside their crops the farm has a sheep and beef enterprise, straw and hay and property development businesses.

Will wants to improve his net margins through reducing input costs, via integrated farm and pest management; reducing his impact on the environment and supporting local biodiversity. Over the next three years William is keen to use the Monitor Farm programme to improve his farming methods and strategies, helping him to identify opportunities from the challenges ahead.

To find out more visit the Canterbury Monitor Farm page.

About Monitor Farms

AHDB Monitor Farms bring together groups of like-minded farmers who wish to improve their businesses by sharing performance information and best practice around a nationwide network of host farms. AHDB organises and facilitates Monitor Farm meetings for farmers, who own and operate the scheme – by farmers, for farmers. Monitor Farms are part of the AHDB Farm Excellence Programme. Each Monitor Farm project runs for three years.