Joint Ventures: Taunton

Joint ventures

Led by Savills Consultant Adrian Matthews, monitor farmer Richard Payne and his neighbour John Farrington will share the current issues for each of their businesses. Breakout groups will then put forward proposals for structure and operations how the two could cooperate. Adrian will then lead the group through the process of how to properly assess the financial viability of the proposals to arrive at the best solution taking account of both parties issues and objectives.

About the farm

Richard Payne farms 280 ha at Manor Farm, Heathfield, near Taunton. The mostly arable farm has been in min-till for more than 15 years. Farming on silty clay loam, his rotation includes winter wheat, oilseed rape and beans. He grows primarily for the animal feed market, selling forward and into pools to spread risk. Richard’s main challenges are consistent profitability, succession and knowing which investments to make for the future. By the end of the Monitor Farm programme Richard wants to have a better understanding of all his costs of production, particularly on the fixed cost side, and to benchmark himself against others.

To attend the meetings or for more information, please contact Philip Dolbear, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Knowledge Exchange Manager, on philip.dolbear@ahdb.org.uk or 07964 255 614.