This year the Rotary Club of Alford and Mablethorpe is studying our local business environment through our Vocation Service Committee. We decided to look first at agriculture and arranged to hold our regular meeting at Farmer Brown’s at Huttoft where 32 members and guests enjoyed an excellent two course home cooked meal.
Our main speaker for the evening was Canon Alan Robson, the long serving County Ecumenical Agricultural Officer. Alan was one of the founders of the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network which helps farmers struggling with the pressures of farming today. He told us how farmers are having a bad time with poor financial returns on milk, grain and livestock and he is worried that it will get worse once Brexit kicks in and the farmers are no longer guaranteed income from the Common Agricultural Policy. Alan is involved in numerous initiatives at county and national level and has moved to Lincoln to help develop the city’s understanding of rural matters including establishing a city farm next to the hospital.
The evening was rounding off by our host , Darren Brown telling us about their mixed farming enterprise which includes making and selling a vast quantity of icecream. They also sell their own pasteurised milk in the farm shop and cafeteria. This helps protect them from the low prices that supermarkets pay to milk producers. It is a very much a family business with Jane running the farm shop and café and making all that lovely icecream.
It was a very enjoyable evening. The next event for the vocational committee is a tricky ethical quiz followed in the spring by a “back stage” visit to Butlins combined with a meal and a discussion about tourism by Butlins Director Chris Baron.