Farm Business Support Programme

The York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub are pleased to offer this fully funded opportunity for farmers and rural businesses across the region.

This programme is a planned schedule of practical workshops designed to help farm businesses understand where they are now, where they want to be next, and how to make confident decisions in a fast-changing industry. The focus is simple: real world, farm focused business skills that can be applied straight back at home.

SRH Agribusiness is an independent advisory firm based near Garstang, Lancashire, working with clients across Yorkshire, the Northwest and Midlands regions. Their client base ranges from family farms through to diversified agri businesses, landed estates and rural institutions. What makes SRH different is how they work: straight talking, proactive and practical, with advice delivered in a down-to-earth way.

The SRH Agribusiness team live and work in agriculture, with real life experience across livestock, dairy and arable sectors, and the qualifications to match (including CAAV, SocAg and BASIS). They are known for building trusted relationships, and for challenging ideas constructively to help businesses move from plans to action.

The Farm Business Support Programme is built around a simple question: does it have to be this way, or is there a better way?

These workshops go beyond theory. They explore the family farm as a business: its structure, its people, its direction, and the choices that shape outcomes over time. You will look at what is working, what is holding the business back, what is changing around you, and how to respond with confidence.

The programme aims to equip attendees with knowledge in key areas including:

Financial skills and business fundamentals
Understanding accounts and demystifying key terms
Succession planning and business structure
Technology and innovation in farming
Diversification and evaluating new opportunities
Building resilience and long-term sustainability

Whether you run a small family enterprise or a larger operation, the core skills are the same. The programme is designed to be relevant across sectors and business sizes, because the principles of running a resilient business are transferable and timeless.

Workshops will be delivered as a combination of in-person and online sessions, making it easier to take part around the realities of farming life.

In person events create energy, discussion, networking and the kind of conversations that only happen face to face.
Online sessions provide access with greater flexibility and the option of recordings so you can catch up or revisit key points.

Each session will include a mix of presentation, discussion and Q&A. SRH Agribusiness will have at least two consultants present for every in-person workshop to keep things practical, interactive and useful, and to encourage peer to peer learning. This is not a lecture series. It is designed to be an environment where farmers can talk openly, test ideas, challenge assumptions, and take away approaches that work.

Your first session will be an in-person Core Meeting, where the focus is getting clarity on your current farm position.

SRH Agribusiness will help you answer the questions that matter:

What does your farm business really look like today?
What are the key numbers in your accounts, and what do they actually mean in farming terms?
How do your plans fit financially and practically?
What challenges and opportunities could be ahead, and how do you prepare?

You will leave with a stronger handle on where the business is now, and a clearer sense of the next steps you want to take.

And there is a bonus: it costs you nothing to attend, and supper is provided at the Core Meetings held in the opening and closing weeks. The evening is free.

Why should you attend? Because better decisions come from better understanding. The programme is designed to give farmers the confidence to manage change, improve performance, and strengthen long term resilience.

You will get practical learning, supportive discussion, and access to materials and follow up resources to keep using after the sessions.

Places are limited, and attendees are encouraged to join multiple sessions to build a stronger picture over time, while still being able to attend individual workshops if preferred.

If you want independent advice, practical tools, and an opportunity to learn alongside other farmers, the Farm Business Support Programme is worth your time.

To learn more about SRH Agribusiness, visit www.srhagribusiness.co.uk.

Interested, and ready to register? Click here.

Programme Details

The programme includes two in-person core workshops and a series of optional online workshops delivered via Zoom.

In-person workshops are mandatory and form the core opening and closing sessions of the programme.
Online workshops are optional, recorded, and scheduled across different weekdays for flexibility.

In-Person Core Workshops

These workshops include food, open discussion, and peer support, and will be delivered in three locations during the same week so participants can attend the most convenient venue.

Opening Core Workshop – Introduction to Business Planning and Farm Business Skills

Creating a plan together and what to include
Understanding farm accounts, profit and loss account, balance sheet, cashflow, budgets, gross margins
Setting mission statements and key performance indicators
Circle of control versus circle of influence
Defra total factor productivity
Office management tools
How do we go from being a family farm to recognise ourselves and operating as a business

Opening Core Workshop – Event Details

Date	Time	Location
Monday 16 March	6.30pm–9pm	Leyburn Auction Mart, Leyburn, DL8 5DP
Tuesday 17 March	6.30pm–9pm	The Whole Hogg Farm Shop & Tearoom, Howe Bridge Farm, Malton YO17 6RQ
Wednesday 18 March	6.30pm–9pm	Niffany Farm, Broughton Road, Skipton BD23 3AA

Closing Core Workshop – Strategic Planning for the Future

Considering and developing the farm’s business plan
Setting objectives – Insight, hindsight, foresight
Preparing for future challenges
Review, evaluate, update

This is the closing workshop of the Farm Business Support Programme, bringing everything tog

Closing Core Workshop – Event Details

Date	Time	Location
Monday 13 April	6.30pm–9pm	Leyburn Auction Mart, Leyburn, DL8 5DP
Tuesday 14 April	6.30pm–9pm	The Whole Hogg Farm Shop & Tearoom, Howe Bridge Farm, Malton YO17 6RQ
Wednesday 15 April	6.30pm–9pm	Niffany Farm, Broughton Road, Skipton BD23 3AA

Online Workshops – Dates for each webinar will be announced soon.

These workshops will be hosted and recorded on Zoom, with participation optional.

Dates will be confirmed soon, but they will be scheduled across weekday lunchtimes (12:30pm–2:00pm) to maximise accessibility.

Week 1 – w/c Monday 23 March

Event Details – *Dates will be announced soon.*	*Topic*
Webinar 1	Policy Changes and Compliance Rules change, inspections happen, and mistakes can be expensive. This workshop cuts through the noise and focuses on the practical compliance issues that affect day to day farming. We cover key legislation and where farmers often get caught out, including FFRW and SSAFO rules, slurry storage requirements, livestock identification and recording, and waste licensing. We also look at the basics of HASAWA, employment contracts and simple health and safety policies that actually work on farm. We finish with assurance schemes and how to stay audit ready without drowning in paperwork.
Webinar 2	Technology and Innovation in farming Technology is moving fast, but what is genuinely useful on a working farm? This workshop looks at practical innovation that can save time, improve decisions and reduce cost. We explore where artificial intelligence tools can help, from planning and benchmarking to paperwork and simple decision support. We discuss automation options and how to judge the return on investment, not just the hype. We also cover data and recording, getting the basics right so information is usable, and the real world uses of drones for mapping, monitoring and evidence.

Week 2 – w/c Monday 30 March

Event Details – *Dates will be announced soon.*	*Topic*
Webinar 3	Grants and Schemes Grant windows open and close quickly, and the best applications are the prepared ones. This workshop focuses on how to get your business ready before a scheme launches, including using tools such as Land App to organise mapping and evidence. We cover where to find Defra grants and schemes, how eligibility works, what assessors look for, and how to improve your chances of success. We also discuss when a loan might be the better option, how to assess affordability, and what alternative funding sources may be available for your plans.
Webinar 4	Farm Succession Planning – Planet (part 1) Succession is not only about people and paperwork, it is also about the land you pass on. This workshop focuses on the “planet” side of succession planning: how to protect and enhance your natural resources while keeping the business viable. We look at sustainability in practical terms, including environmental schemes, habitat and nature reporting, and what ESG expectations can mean for farms. We explore soils, water, air quality, biodiversity and greenhouse gases, and how better management supports long term resilience. We also build on mapping skills using Land App to evidence and plan improvements.

Week 3 – w/c Monday 6 April

Event Details – *Dates will be announced soon.*	*Topic*
Webinar 5	Farm Succession Planning – Profit (part 2) Succession needs a business that can stand on its own feet. In this workshop we look at the “profit” side of succession planning, starting with where the business is now: the finances, infrastructure, and the regulatory pressures that shape costs and risk. We then explore where the opportunities may be, including market influence, future markets, diversification options and planning considerations. Finally, we work through how to build a realistic plan to get there, covering different types of agreements and the role of simple financial models to test ideas before you commit.
Webinar 6	Farm Succession Planning – People (part 3) Succession is often avoided until it becomes urgent, but the best outcomes come from early, practical conversations. This workshop focuses on the “people” side of succession planning: the business structure, who is involved, and what roles actually exist. We look at identifying the need for a successor, the different types of succession that can work for different families, and the skills the next generation may need to succeed. You will take away practical tips to start the process, reduce friction, and build a plan that is fair, workable and future proof.

Register now

Businesses may send multiple delegates, but if space is limited we may restrict attendance to two places per business. Please register each attendee separately and we will confirm places on the programme.