Getting more out of farmer meetings: a practical guide for advisors

Farmer meetings, discussion groups and workshops are common and useful tools used by farm advisory services and agricultural extension organisations. Throughout the UK and Ireland, various organisations provide and co-ordinate group meetings for farmers, such as Innovation for Agriculture, Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Teagasc (Agriculture and Food Development Authority), and numerous veterinary practices and consultancy firms. Farm discussion groups have a long history in the UK and take many shapes and forms. AHDB run several discussion groups and interactive meetings on business planning, succession planning, livestock health programmes and environmental issues, such as improving soil health, all delivered through their dedicated Knowledge Exchange Managers (currently moved to online platforms) (AHDB, n.d.). In veterinary practice, getting groups of farmers together is used to relay information about changes to regulations (e.g. on bovine tuberculosis eradication), disease control strategies (e.g. bovine viral diarrhoea — BVDfree England) and improving knowledge on animal management (e.g. National Milk Laboratory meetings on Johne's disease management). Getting farmers together at a meeting or in a discussion group has also been used to engage with existing and new clients, sell a product or build rapport between participants.