New career development service helps to boost farm skills

A new career development service has launched – giving farmers the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and professionalism.

The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) is a professional body for people working in farming and growing. It encourages people in farming to progress their career – whatever the sector or level of experience.

Membership of the online service makes support, training and development easier to find and access. Drawing on their background experience, it delivers personalised information and training recommendations.

There are tools to help users assess their existing skills and identify any gaps. A host of online learning resources, as well as a directory of training providers, help people develop at their own pace.

Other membership benefits include access to webinars, toolkits, templates and related resources featuring expert advice on topics central to thriving farming and growing businesses.

More than 400 farmers helped developed the online service. Each has their own online dashboard where they can record and demonstrate their achievements – and find out the next steps they should take.

‘Brilliant service’

Staffordshire farmer Andrew Court said: “It has been refreshing to be involved. The focus has been on ensuring that the content is approachable and inclusive for everyone working across the breadth of farming disciplines.

“Access to platforms that aid professional development is becoming ever more important. The brilliance of the TIAH service is that is helps people roadmap out where they want to go and makes it easy for them to identify the routes to get there.”

TIAH chief executive Stephen Jacob said: “TIAH membership is a major milestone and we’re looking forward to opening our virtual doors to the farming and growing community to supercharge their approach to learning and development.”

Annual TIAH membership will cost a one-off fee of £144, or £12.50 per month. For a limited time, farmers and growers can take advantage of a 50% discount on these fees.

For full details and to sign up, visit www.tiah.org/membership.

NHalls agrees multi-million-pound farm sales

Regional auctioneers and land agents  Halls ended 2023 with a bang by agreeing the sales of four farms with a £9 million guide price.

Sales of the four farms were agreed in the week before Christmas. They were Lower Wallop Farm, Wallop, near Westbury, which had a guide price £3.1m; White House Farm, Binweston (£1.8m); Glyn Farm, at Brook (£1.75m); and Overfields Farm, near Wem (£1.35m).

Also agreed was the sale of 134.39 acres at Hall Farm, Picklescott, near Church Stretton, (£1.15m.) The new year kicked off on a similar note with the sale agreed of 61.73 acres with a guide price of £615,000 at Woodend Farm, Bagginswood, near Cleobury Mortimer.

“It was a super way for Halls to end 2023 and to start the new year,” said Louise Preece, Halls’ head of rural professional services. “However, we need more farms and land to meet the growing demand.

“We are optimistic about the farmland market for 2024 and hope the recent announcements by Defra of increased support for agriculture, will result in increased confidence in the sector. We have seen a good level of interest in all our properties from a range of buyers.

Halls kicks off its 2024 collective property auction schedule on February 23, with  several lots already entered. Further auctions follow in April, July, September and November, with the auctioneers promising property and land to suit most buyers.