We are delighted with the response to our Inaugural Farming Conference

The conference was so successful that we are planning to make it an annual event.

Feedback from those attending showed there is a real need within the farming community to be able to come together and discuss a range of topics including crime prevention, business planning and mental health.

The conference’s capacity to bring different groups together to share ideas, information and best practice was hailed as vitally important by Inspector Stuart Hutchings, from Thames Valley Police’s Rural Crime Taskforce.

“I cannot overestimate the importance of holding events like this. It allowed us to bring farmers, landowners, the National Farmers’ Union, police, council and crime prevention companies together.

“By sharing information and exhibiting different crime prevention tactics, we are all working together with the joint aim of protecting our rural communities and stopping rural crime,” he added.

Other speakers included Toby Morris from Windrush Business Service who spoke about the implication for farming communities of the Making Tax Digital initiative, which comes into effect in 2023 as well as advice on diversification for farming.

Merilyn Davies, our Community Lead, organised the farming conference. She said her main goal was to reach out to the local farming community and let them know Blenheim Estate was there to support them.

“It was lovely to meet so many people from the farming community and to show them what Blenheim can offer them. Farming is a vital industry for the whole of the UK, and yet it remains one of the most undervalued,” she said.

“I hope in making this an annual event we can help support farmers in whatever way they need,” she added.