Who are you?

• Career farmers of any stage, thinking about business growth or diversification and how a business collaboration may assist this process  

• Landowners or tenants who want to expand their business either in the same sector or into other sectors

• Late-career farmers, thinking about succession, planning to wind down from some of the practical aspects of running a farm, or to pass on experience

• Landowners, who want to see their land used practically and gainfully, but who are not able to farm the land themselves

• Active farmers, with land, may wish to diversify their agricultural business or beyond this without the risks and complexities involved with establishing and running several businesses at once

• Estate owners or managers who have identified a gap in their estate system

• Landowning trusts or charities wishing to find cost-effective ways of achieving their social or environmental objectives

• Farmers, with the training and experience to set up a new farm business, but without the land or capital

• Experienced farmworkers or land managers, who have decided to run their own business, but who do not have the capital to buy land

• People with a related business background, such as food retail or horticulture, who are keen to branch out into the business of land-based production

• Communities or groups of consumers who wish to set up or invest in a Community Supported farm which will produce products on their behalf

• Existing farmers seeking opportunities

A stakeholder is an employee or family member with no legal stake in the business, who wish to have the opportunity to become a business member usually without any stake on the asset. 

Outcomes to aim for: 

• A way of offering progression opportunity for staff members who show particular capability and dedication towards the business  
• Provide security and reward for family members that perhaps contribute towards the business, such as a spouse or child  

One example of how this could work is an equity share farming arrangement.