FUTURE-PROOFING farming businesses will be the hot topic of discussion at next week's west region agri and rural affairs panel night.

The event takes place online on Thursday, June 10 at 7.30pm, and will include a fantastic panel lineup with recent stars of BBC This Farming Life series; Emma Gray and Ewan Irvine, manager of Saughland farm; Peter Eccles and former This Farming Life star and Roan’s Dairy farmer; Aylett Roan.

The theme for the evening will be ‘adding value to future-proof your business’ and west agri and rural affairs chair John McCulloch explained why this is something Young Farmers should all be thinking about: “Over the last few years, more and more farms have been exploring diversifying their offering to ensure their business can withstand future shocks. With unforeseen challenges ahead, not to mention the current pandemic we are all living through, it is so important that we are adding value to our businesses to give us something else to fall back on.”

Commenting on the panel evening and why members should tune in he added: “This is a really good opportunity to hear from a panel of experienced, knowledgeable people who have been very successful in the industry. The panellists will be more than happy to share stories and wisdom on how they got to where they are now, which will no doubt make for inspiring listening.

“There will be an opportunity at the end to take part in a Q&A so get your thinking caps on in advance.”

To attend the evening, interested individuals are encouraged to register in advance by emailing janelle@sayfc.org.uk