This year's Lincolnshire Farming Conference had a record breaking attendance

Innovative technology, mental health and climate change were the key discussion points at the Lincolnshire Farming Conference, which saw a record attendance.
Simon Day, Alec McNulty, Rosie Fox, Ross DavenportSimon Day, Alec McNulty, Rosie Fox, Ross Davenport
Simon Day, Alec McNulty, Rosie Fox, Ross Davenport

Hosted by the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society, the annual conference saw a record-breaking 400 knowledgeable farmers, exhibitors and industry experts come together to discuss this year’s theme, ‘the future is now’ for the agricultural industry.

The one-day event, held at the Lincolnshire Showground’s Epic Centre, featured talks from speakers and interactive workshops looking at the future of the agricultural industry, the demands the industry faces from today’s society and why now is the most exciting time to be involved in the farming sector.

This year’s conference also had a strong focus on young people working in agriculture in Lincolnshire and included talks from Alec McNulty from British Sugar, Rosie Fox from ADM Agriculture and Ross Davenport from Cote Hill Cheese.

Simon Day, chairman of the Lincolnshire Farming Conference committee, said he was delighted to see so many younger attendees at the conference and that it is great to see the industry attracting a large number of genuinely enthusiastic and talented young people.

He said: “Attracting young people into agriculture is a crucial part to the industry.

“Young people are a key part to Lincolnshire’s legacy and it was fantastic to hear first-hand from those young people working in agriculture in our county, talking about the importance of education and the need for graduate training schemes.

“It acted as a reminder that we need to continue looking ahead to the next generation to secure the long-term future of farming.”

Stuart Roberts, vice president for the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), gave the keynote speech and talked about farming beyond Brexit, the importance of climate change and urged farmers to look after one another and their mental health.

He explained: “We have had a huge amount of positive feedback from both speakers and delegates and we were thrilled to see record-breaking attendance for our 2020 Farming Conference.”