HARNESSING Herefordshire’s diverse farming landscape and preparing for the future are the key drivers as four farmers unite to jointly host a scheme to help improve productivity and business profitability.

Based in north Herefordshire, Adam Lewis, Jack Hopkins, Martin Carr and Rob Beaumont are all within a 15-mile radius of each other, and they host the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board’s (AHBD) Hereford Monitor Farm.

Collectively, the four men farm about 851 hectares of crops, plus a wide variety of other non-arable enterprises, including beef, sheep, soft fruit and contracting.

They have all been part of the Hereford Monitor Farm group since its inception in 2014.

Through working together, the group is looking to draw on the diverse nature of their farms to develop their businesses through learning from each other.

They also hope to increase the resilience of their businesses for the future against the technical, economic and legislative uncertainties which farmers are facing.

They therefore feel that the expected challenges of the next three years provide the perfect opportunity to host the Hereford Monitor Farm role together.

They believe opening their doors and having their business and management decisions scrutinised is a great way to strengthen their farms for the future.

AHBD’s Richard Meredith said: “It’s great to have Adam, Jack, Martin and Rob on board for the next three years.

“Hereford Monitor Farm has a proud history of breaking new ground in the Farm Excellence programme, with previous incumbents Martin Williams and Russell Price being the first joint hosts of a monitor farm.

“Martin and Russell were fantastic ambassadors for the region and have created a real legacy for farming in Herefordshire.

“They are big boots to fill but I know Adam, Jack, Martin and Rob will do a great job of ensuring that farmers continue to have access to independent expertise and the opportunity to discuss solutions to shared challenges.”

One of the four farmers, Adam Lewis, works on a family farm in Docklow, near Leominster.

Recently he has made the move to a strip-till system, a soil conservation method that avoids the use of ploughs, in an effort to improve soil health and lower his establishment costs.

Mr Lewis predominantly farms combinable crops on part-owned and part-rented land.

“I’m looking forward to being a monitor farmer and with a mixture of, family-owned, estate, tenanted and contracting setups between us, we operate four very different businesses,” he said.

“Although we often approach farming from very different angles, the challenges that we are facing are broadly the same.”

His view is shared by his peer Jack Hopkins, assistant manager at Lower Hope Farms, in Ullingswick, near Bromyard.

As well as supplying fruit to British supermarkets, Lower Hope also boasts pedigree Herefords, pedigree Suffolks and a commercial ewe flock

“I’m looking forward to drilling down further into my benchmarking figures,” he said.

“Benchmarking has been one of the most valuable activities of the Monitor Farm programme for me. Knowing your own costs is important but comparing them with others gives us the most value.’’