Blog

As we wave goodbye to the winter of 2022/23, many farms now move into their new financial year. This time of year is a prime opportunity for accountants and farm consultants to collaborate with their farming clients, get under the hood of their business to help them understand how they’re tracking, and identify areas to improve performance for the year ahead.

It’s been a hard summer for many farmers, and as we look towards the year ahead, we caught up with Alastair Johnston, Principal Farming Consultant at Promar International, and new Figured Customer Success Specialist, Sam Seymour. Alastair advises a range of dairy and arable farming clients and Sam’s family farms 250 beef cattle, 500 sheep, as well as an arable enterprise in North Yorkshire. We spoke to Alastair and Sam to find out how the harvest went and what farmers can do to prepare for next season, by utilising up-to-date budgeting and working closely with farm advisors.

It’s been 3 years since the last Xerocon, and it's fair to say there was plenty of pent-up demand for the 2022 event. Tom FitzGerald, Partner Success Manager at Figured, shares his experience of the event and offers his thoughts on the changing landscape of agri accounting in the UK.

Agricultural consultants and land agents play a crucial role in the functioning of the rural economy - whether that is providing management services to landlords, advising on the latest regulations or applying for funding on behalf of landowners and farmers.

The arable farming sector has undergone several distinct periods of change and innovation over the last 50 years. The latest trend in innovation is the rise of regenerative agriculture, as the industry rises to the challenges imposed by climate change. This green movement is occurring at the same time as the rise in digital farming technologies and dramatic shifts in market economics.

A key topic of discussion at the recent IAgrM conference was how to face the challenges of the shifting agricultural funding landscape, which will see many farming businesses face real difficulties if they don’t sharpen their approach quickly. One of the great things about the conference was the depth of discussion on the importance of getting the right plan, culture and team in place to take the sector forward.

The demands for attention of modern estate owners and land managers are ever increasing. Swapping hats is part of the job. One minute managers are talking about farming, livestock management, crop husbandry, soil and environmental stewardship - the next, they’re talking about diversification and commercial lets. Being able to understand what is going on at any given point in time, and more importantly navigating the way ahead is crucial for estate owners and their advisors.

As the nights get shorter and tractors spend more time in sheds than in fields, it’s the time when farms can start to analyse what went well in the previous season - and what didn't go so well. We caught up with Ryan Gue, of Huddlestone Farmers, a mixed dairy, sheep, beef and arable farm with holdings in West Sussex and the Scottish Borders, about harvest 2021 and the implications for the year ahead.