Anglia Farmers trims down as directors retire
TWO directors instrumental in the creation of the Anglia Farmers buying group have retired from the board.
Henry Edwards and Jim Alston, both Norfolk farmers, chaired the predecessor groups Mid-Norfolk Farmers and Loddon Farmers. Each were actively involved in running Anglia Farmers throughout its seven-year history.
Realising their own respective co-operatives had the problem of declining incomes and rising costs, both men were instrumental in helping Anglia Farmers become the success it is today, said chairman George Bell.
“Rather than wringing their hands and doing nothing they were pro-active. Anglia Farmers is the upshot which is proving to be a pretty good solution.”
Mr Edwards regular chaired the Anglia Farmers membership executive as well as sitting on the organisers’ committee for the Norfolk Farming Conference.
Stepping down from the board will give him more time to help his son run their 1000ha (2,500 acre) farm at Hardingham where his interests include managing the wild bird shoot he started in 1971.
He is also involved in church and parish matters. Away from home, he is chairman of the West Norfolk Hunt, president of the Mid-Norfolk Conservative Association and Norfolk secretary of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
“It was an honour to follow Robert Pickering and the founder Norman Salmon as chairman of Mid-Norfolk Farmers,” said Mr Edwards. “Knowing we needed to expand, it was fortuitous to find Loddon Farmers had the same intention.
“The amalgamation didn’t happen overnight because were small differences to iron out. But both boards were constructive and with the help of Charles Whitaker of Brown & Co as facilitator, Anglia Farmers was successfully born. “
Jim Alston is a director of Calthorpe Farm Limited with 600 acres of arable crops and grass plus a beef-fattening unit. He manages arable operations for Calibre Farming, a joint company managing 1200 acres of arable cropping.
His wife Marion runs Jemco Safety Signs serving agriculture and local business. For the past four years he has produced the Anglia Farmers Agricultural Inflation Index which is now widely recognised within the farming industry.
His recent role at Anglia Farmers was chairing the risk management executive which set in place improved risk perception procedures and improved methods of dealing with that risk.
Mr Alston said: “I am proud to have played a part in the development of Anglia Farmers which has become a highly significant buying group. I enjoyed the experience and look forward to seeing it develop further.”
The overall retirements, which include that of Robert Markillie earlier in the year, complete the planned transition for the new entrants – Richard Hirst, Robert Salmon and Keith Thompson – who joined the board last year.