Henry Plumb Foundation Moving On

During the middle of May our Trustees undertook the Zoom interviews of a group of seven candidates who’d been shortlisted for support. At the moment, no names, no pack drill! Suffice to say they were as usual a group of enthusiastic young people from a wide variety of backgrounds who’d come to us for help to further their entry into farming or a farm and food related enterprise.

I’m delighted to report that each one succeeded with their applications and consequently we are now working with our contacts to help them take the next steps. Many of them will need more than one mentor, one on the business side and another more technically orientated and I have no doubt that the ambitions of each will be moved in a positive direction by The Henry Plumb Foundation experience.

Wide Variety

As ever the variety with which we were faced was the most surprising aspect. Our applicants ranged from individuals who required help with establishing a very seasonal Pumpkin growing and marketing enterprise, another who wanted help with establishing a new vineyard and wine marketing business on an existing family farm. Then a couple who had already got a 15 year FBT who wanted help in setting up a Milk Vending enterprise to run alongside their developing dairy unit. We then interviewed a young man who is running a successful vegetable growing and marketing operation following the principles of agroecology and minimal soil disturbance. Everything on his farm is sold within a 15 mile radius of the farm and he requires help to branch into a cut flower enterprise running alongside the vegetables. On more traditional lines we had an application for help with developing a sheep unit which would work with existing arable farmers on a system which would allow stock to be moved potentially from one farm to another to graze areas of planted  green crop or grass on a carefully regulated grazing system. Finally two other applicants required help on the educational level, one with training in agronomy and the other with the technical side of  Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer.

Altogether we interviewed them over two days and were delighted with the standard already achieved and the tangible enthusiasm which they exhibited.  We are now looking for the late Summer early Autumn intake with closing dates for Applications being 2nd September 2022.