The Yorkshire Dales Farmer Network will be launching “a new and wide-ranging programme to support the next generation of farmers” this winter, backed by funding from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund.
The programme will be offering 10 business support vouchers worth up to £500 to be spent on 1:1 support, which could include farm diversification advice, learning new practical farming skills or business advice.
The Farmer Network will also be running two on-farm events as part of the initiative,
The Farmer Network
The first event is set to take place on December 8, 2025 at High Hall Farm, Croglin in Cumbria, where the Stobart family will be showcasing how they have diversified their farm business, sharing their business ethos behind their farming systems, and discussing overall farm profitability.
The next event will be organised based on the feedback from people who attended the first event, with the Farmer Network suggesting it could focus on topics such as another farm business, animal health or a policy and schemes update when more information is released by the government in the future.
Carol Moffat, who is coordinating the programme for the Yorkshire Dales Farmer Network, commented: “We are keen work with the young farmers to understand their individual business needs and to support them throughout the programme.”
Moffat outlined that the aim of the programme is to “develop a network of young farmers wanting to progress a farming related business and help them to communicate with each other.”
When speaking about the initiative, the managing director for the Farmer Network, Adam Day said: “There is no doubt that these are challenging times with so much uncertainty within the farming industry at present.
“However, we cannot simply wait and watch; we must support our young people and give them both the skills and the confidence to continue in the industry.
“We will need them more and more in the future to produce food and to keep on managing our cherished landscapes in the Dales that almost seven million visitors enjoy each year.”
