Recruitment has started for the next two groups of forward-thinking English beef and lamb farmers to be part of AHDB Beef & Lamb’s progressive groups.

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The two groups will meet twice a year over a three-year period with the aim to develop members’ technical and business skills with the support of industry experts.

Group members will take part in visits and discussions that will challenge their current thinking, encourage sharing of new ideas and motivate participants to improve the efficiency and profitability of their own business.

The groups will look at various aspects of livestock production, including:

• Health and fertility
• Nutrition and feed planning
• Selection for slaughter and meat processing and marketing
• Breeding
• Profit generation, developing business and management skills, including benchmarking.

All producers will need to enter their data into the Farmbench business tool to be able to identify areas of the farm enterprise which could be improved.

Current progressive beef group producer, Tim Phipps, said: “The group has given me the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with people with similar interests to myself. Often, the best discussions were had at the end of the day over dinner and I’ve implemented changes based on others’ experiences.

“I have gained a huge amount of knowledge from the progressive beef group and I’d really recommend the groups to anyone looking to have a greater perspective on the industry we work in, in order to drive their business forward.”

The closing date for applications is 31 December 2018 with the first meeting in June 2019. To download an application form visit beefandlamb.ahdb.org.uk/returns