Farmers are set to gather in Ipswich in February as they mull an horrendous start to their growing season.

The biennial Suffolk Farming Conference at Trinity Park will focus on "how to thrive, not just survive".

When farmers last met in March 2022, war had just broken out in Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and price rises had rocketed to jaw-dropping highs.

Farmers were facing labour and supply shortages and lingering uncertainties around what new UK farm policies would mean in practice.

Two years on, much has changed - but many of the issues raised then are still familiar.

The 2024 conference on Thursday, February 29, is organised by Fram Farmers, Suffolk Agricultural Association (SAA) and Scrutton Bland and brings together a host of industry heavyweights.

The event will be introduced by SAA chairman Bill Baker, who farms 3,800 acres at Elmswell where he grows cereals, oilseed rape and sugar beet.

The headline speaker is Henry Dimbleby MBE, co-founder and former chief executive of Leon fast food restaurants.

From 2018 to 2023, he was a non-executive board member at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), serving under Michael Gove, Theresa Villiers, George Eustice, Ranil Jayawardene and Therese Coffey.

Other experts from across the sector will also share their experiences and solutions based on the conference theme.

They include James Forrest of RH Forrest & Co who farms 1600ha at Mowness Hall, Stonham Aspal, Stowmarket.

The farmer - who  will discuss "too much data, not enough information" - keeps a herd of Red Poll cattle as well as growing a wide variety of crops.

He sits on the board of farm charity the Felix Cobbold Trust and is also a BASF Real Results Grower, hosting their trial days in partnership with Fram Farmers.

Delegates will be encouraged to network, exchange ideas, build relationships, and create lasting connections to help build their businesses.

Other speakers include Anthony Gardiner, Communications Director at G's Fresh and Andrew Williams, formerly farm manager at Home Farm Nacton, who will talk about automation on farm and what we have learnt.

Fram Farmers chairman Wendy Houston - who runs SE Kent & Son - will give the closing speech. She has been driving the farming business - based over 450ha of owned and farm business tenancy (FBT) land - for 20 years.

She operates a six-year rotation encompassing wheat, barley, oilseed rape, spring beans and sugar beet, alongside a 550-sow farrow-to-finish unit.

Fram Farmers chief executive Andrew Knowles said: “The conference will bring together farmers and industry experts with a diverse range of topics pertinent to the challenges the industry is facing - finance and commodity markets, attracting and retaining talented staff, and translating data into meaningful information to make better farm husbandry decisions. 

"This conference is not just about listening to speakers on platforms. The whole event will focus on open interactive discussion and debate.

"Its unique offering enables speakers and delegates to share and learn from, and with, each other throughout the day as to how we can ‘Thrive not just survive’ in farming today, tomorrow and in the years ahead.”

Entry is free but farmers are encouraged to donate to farm mental health charity YANA (You Are Not Alone) to help fund its work around the county.

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