Simon Henderson - West Fenton Farm

Chair of the LandSkills North East Steering Group Simon is a fourth generation tenant farmer who’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to sustainable farming. He is more interested in action than accolades and understands that farmers want to see that something works rather than hear theories.

Simon Henderson on his 600 acre farm

“This training is what farmers want it to be. We can start taking action now. Don’t be afraid to ask - if all you really need to know is how to operate a computer, ask.”

 

"Funding for training provided through LandSkills North East will make a significant difference to individual farmers, farming, food production and the rural economy in the region in the coming years, he says. The key aims are to reduce the average age of farmers, encourage more young people to take up a career in the industry, promote a strong regional identity for food produced in the North East, and improve profitability for farmers.

Simon speaks from sound experience and wants farmers to do more than listen. He wants them to assess their farms and ways of working - then say what they want, especially when it comes to training.

“I know how hard it is to find the time but stop and think. Take a day to walk around your farm and ask yourself ‘Why am I doing this?’ There’s a borders saying - ‘Aye been’ - which translates into ‘Because we’ve always done it that way’. But do you need to do that, could you do it better, do it differently? If the answer is no, fine, if the answer is yes, tell us what help you want,” he explains.

“LandSkills North East has £1.2 million to put directly into training, across the board in agriculture and forestry. That means anything from a half-day course to a fully recognised qualification. We have support agencies like Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services who talk to farmers every day. We have asked them to go to clients and ask what their problems are and what they need. For example training in animal health and welfare - knowing more about that could save on vets’ bills.

“I tend to find it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference to people. For the first time we have a scheme that’s not prescriptive, it just has to be of benefit to the farm. We can start to take action that makes a real difference. Farmers just have to ask. If you’re 58 and need to know how to use the computer so you can deal with livestock movement records more effectively, we can make a difference.

Simon says there is a contradiction when it comes to farmers and skills. They might need to learn something new but don’t make the time, even though training will be a huge benefit and, by improving the way they work, free some time.

“Conversely, if you ask a farmer what he can ‘do’ he might not appreciate he is already highly skilled - from running the farm, doing the books, organising a fleet of vehicles etc,” Simon says.

“What farmers need to think about with LandSkills training is the next step. If they adopt the help, they could move their business forward - for example improving herd health monitoring will, of course, improve the health of the herd, which could lead to a requirement for new skills, possibly culminating in marketing meat from the farm?”