Free workshops announced to help farmers plan for the future

Farmers across Scotland are being encouraged to register for a series of free workshops to help them develop their farm business plans.

The workshops are the final stage of the national “Planning for Profit” initiative being run by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) to help farmers review their business and determine their future farm policy. 

The objective of the planning for profit initiative is to ensure farm businesses are competitive and well placed to benefit from the exciting opportunities ahead.

Johnny Mackey, Head of Industry development at QMS commented: “There is a real need to improve farm productivity to increase our competitiveness and a key objective is to provide a structured approach for farm business planning.”

The project, which launched in November 2013, has already produced a guide for farm planning for farmers and held a number of regional meetings and farm visits across the country.

Over the next two months 12 workshops will be held for farmers throughout Scotland. The aim of these workshops is to provide practical training on business planning techniques which support decision-making. 

Farmers who are interested in attending are encouraged to register for both the initial and follow up workshop. The first workshop will focus on training on farm business planning and how to review your business. The second workshop will allow participants to work in more detail on assessing their options, identify a future business plan, and to test it within the group.

Date

Location

Follow-up Workshop

Monday 15th Dec 2014

Finavon Hotel, Forfar

Monday 19th Jan 2015

Tuesday 13th Jan 2015

Pentland Hotel, Thurso

Monday 26th Jan

Wednesday 14th Jan 2015

Ramnee Hotel, Forres

Tuesday 3rd Feb

Tuesday 20th Jan 2015

Thainstone Mart, Inverurie

Wednesday 4th Feb

Wednesday 21st Jan 2015

Huntingtower Hotel, Perth

Thursday 5th Feb

Thursday 22nd Jan 2015

The Royal Hotel, Bridge of Allan

Tuesday 10th Feb

Tuesday 27th Jan 2015

Lodge Hotel, Carfraemill

Monday 16th Feb

Wednesday 28th Jan 2015

Windlestrae Hotel, Kinross

Wednesday 11th Feb

Wednesday 4th Feb 2015

Lochside Hotel, New Cumnock

Tuesday 17th Feb

Thursday 5th Feb 2015

Falls of Lora, Oban

Thursday 19th Feb

Thursday 5th Feb 2015

Cartland Bridge, Lanark

Thursday 19th Feb

Friday 6th Feb 2015

Woodlands House Hotel, Dumfries

Friday 20th Feb

The project, which is supported by the Scottish Government, QMS and NFUS, is delivered by SAOS, SAC Consulting and 2 Mennie Cooks Ltd.  For more information about the project please visit www.qmscotland.co.uk/planning-profit

Booking is essential for these events and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To book a place on one of the workshops please register by contacting Kirsty at QMS on 0131 472 4040 or email info@qmscotland.co.uk.  Demand for places on the workshops is expected to be high and places are limited so early booking is advised.