Jane King's blog

Badger culling and leaked news

Jane King — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:48:00 GMT

The FW team has been at the Royal Show, Stoneleigh for the last two days and it's been an excellent event from a news point of view but not necessarily the news we wanted to hear. Yesterday proved to be a critical day as we woke to leaked news on the BBC that the Government had made its long awaited decision on whether to cull badgers to control bovine tb. The news, as we had predicted, was not good. The BBC claimed a leaked source had said the decision, due on Monday, would be against a cull. Sir David King, the Government's former chief scientist was on tv and radio purporting dismay if this leak were true. It amounted to Government completely ignoring his own recommendations.

Leaked news can be tricky. Usually, it turns out to be true but until it is confirmed to be true journalists inevitably end up speculating. And that's what happened yesterday. The entire media crew at the Royal Show - from the BBC to Reuters, the daily nationals and regionals and Farmers Weekly - spent all day trying to substantiate the story.

I'm completely biased of course, but the FW team did a great job at covering the story with breaking news, farmer reaction and video interviews. There's also a video of Hilary Benn briefing the media at the show - although in reality he gave little away and kept urging everyone to wait until Monday for an announcement. He comes across as a man of integrity who cares about agriculture but recognises he still has a lot ot learn about it. I think his main problem on culling is that he isn't convinced it will stop the spread of disease and he's concerned about public acceptance of any actions. Two key practical issues which, in our opinion, can be overcome.

If it's true and Hilary Benn does make a statement to the House of Commons on Monday saying he does not believe a cull will control the spread of the disease, then it has far reaching consequences for farming families. Our view is that it is not only a travesty that Government has procrastinated for so long on this while farmers have suffered serious losses but it also risks damaging relationships big time.

Whatever farmers say about Defra and usually it's not complimentary, there have been significant improvements in the way industry and Government officals work together in recent years. We're at a fundamental stage in terms of co-operation, consultation and negotiation over cost and responsibility sharing on animal health in this country and one cannot imagine that issue going any further if a cull is not forthcoming.

There were farmers yesterday already threatening non co-operation and taking matters into their own hands. We fully appreciate how people are feeling but emotional knee jerk reactions now do not help farming one jot. It is essential that we get the right message across to the public about the consequences of no cull on cattle and the devasting effect on farming families. We cannot expect the masses to come with us but we should be able to communicate effectively the seriousness of the situation on livestock herds and help more of the public understand the issues better. The NFU is seeking legal advice and working on a communciation strategy to this end as we speak. There is a talk of action in the streets of London next week to manage the messages about the plight of farming families.

When I got home last night from the Royal Show, there was an email from an Angus Thomson. It read:

"There are those who believe that a cull of farmers would enhance the countryside, promote wildlife, improve nutrition, remove 15 minutes of snivelling a day from Radio Four and enable other people to get to the bar. It would certainly give bagders a laugh".

That's what we're up against..... and why we need to manage the messages very carefully. Have a good weekend.

Taking farmer wives seriously

Jane King — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:42:00 GMT

Many thanks for the feedback to my last blog about serious versus frothy and fun content. One of the issues to come up was women. We certainly do take women in agriculture seriously whether it's as a husband and wife farming team or women supporting rural families in many other ways.

In the last week, we've been out and about judging the FW Awards and visiting the 2008 finalists on farms. The involvement of women in all aspects of these businesses is impressive, particularly in giving the men in their lives the courage to develop and grow the enterprise. Sorry guys, but it's often the women who are willing to take the risks, change the approach and who give their partners the confidence and ideas to move forward. In farming, we are good at analysing our navels but sometimes you do have to bite the bullet and give something new a go. And women in agriculture are really making a difference here not just with diversifcation but also with mainstream farming.

There are well over 600,000 businesses owned by women in the UK, generating something like £80bn a year for the UK economy and rural women are at the forefront of this trend. The NFU tell us that its female membership has grown substantially as has female representation on NFU councils and boards. The gender balance is also moving in favour of women on many agricultural and related courses and thank goodness for that. I have a feeling it was only in 1979 that women were admitted to the Royal Agricultural College - a sign of just how sexist the industry was.

Nowadays, the big opportunities for women right across the food chain as producers, retailers, processers and marketeers mean we're no longer invisible in rural business. Think of the leadership that groups like the WI has shown in driving initiatives like the Great Milk Debate. It was the WI women who forced Justin King of Sainsburys and others to wake up to the plight of dairy farmers. They used their collective power as consumers who care about agriculture to have their say and boy did all those ladies frighten the big cheeses in the supermarkets.

This older female audience has also been pretty vociferous with FW. Many of them have grown up with the magazine on the farm for generations and a few have been uncomfortable with the changes we have made. As you would expect, FW magazine has to appeal to a broad church and so different people have different views about the purpose of our popular Farmlife section. It really is intended to provide something lighter from the technical content for the whole family, which is why we cover rural matters, sport, leisure, children, students and wider family issues. It is true that some of our older female readers assume that Farmlife is entirely prepared for them because for years it had a long tradition of providing recipes and was very involved in the former Farm Womens Club. I've had some complaints from older female readers that we don't provide the same volume of content for them like we used to and I'm afraid that is correct. Nowadays Farmlife should be appealing to an eclectic group of readers with its mix of views, features, pictures and interactivity. For example, Farmlife regular agony uncle Farmer Frank is probably appreciated more by blokes because the jokes are so smutty but then I could be wrong. What do the ladies think of Farmer Frank?

It will be interesting to see who (male or female) is driving most of the traffic activity on our new online dating service Muddy Matches. I will keep you posted on that if we can get some stats.... and we've agreed to have a massive celebration for the first couple to get engaged after meeting through the service.

Entertainment value is becoming more important to business brands like Farmers Weekly but we have to get the balance right between the serious and the fun. On that note, have a good time this weekend.

Serious content versus frothy and fun

Jane King — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:25:00 GMT

The purpose of this blog is to bring magazine readers and web users closer to our products by explaining why we do what we do and encouraging discussion. So this week I thought I would tackle the thorny subject of different types of content and ask the question - are we getting the balance right between the serious content and the lighter fun material?

Every day the team grapples with this issue as we try to provide a comprehensive information service for a very broad community both in the magazine and online. Deciding priorities and agreeing where to put resource, can sometimes be tricky and it's extremely difficult pleasing everyone all of the time.

Our number one priority has always been to work hard for farming's future by providing serious news, views, advice, case studies and analysis. We strive to deliver practical information, technical know-how, solutions and comment. Some of it is suppllied daily through www.fwi.co.uk and some through the weekly (FW) and monthly magazines (Crops, Poultry World and the Update series).

When we asked thousands of farmers a couple of years ago what they expected from us, they told us that in addition to the serious stuff they also wanted our products to reflect the lighter side of life in agriculture. They want us to project a more positive image of farming and to include more younger faces. This is why our design, both in print and on line, embraces more pictures these days and why we have introduced new youthful columnists such as Heidi Colthrup, Matthew Naylor and Hugh Broom. You may also have spotted quite a lot of coverage from the YFC convention in Blackpool too. We call this "frothy and fun content" because it's really entertainment.

Some readers and users appreciate the lighter material. For example, we got phenomenal traffic on the website for picture galleries from the YFC convention (all those youngsters keen to see pix of themselves having a laugh). But it's true that we also get criticism from some quarters that the lighter content is too much and irrelevant for some. These people argue that if they wanted "lifestyle content" they would buy a consumer magazine instead.

Last week we launched a new online dating service. Thanks to a linkup with Muddy Matches, the rural dating portal, FWi can now offer its users the chance to search for the perfect partner or friend in the countryside. We know there is a need for this kind of service and we see it as helping to expand the appeal of our website to a wider audience.

Next week, the countryside's most famous agony uncle Farmer Frank will be holding a live surgery on www.fwi.co.uk on June 19 to deal with queries on everything from aggressive bulls ro unsightly boils. Frank is making a name for himself answering questions on country matters in his own inimitable, unhelpful and occasionally very rude way. We think occasionally adding some comedy value to the products is a good way to differentiate what we do from the competition and reach out to those who want more in addition to the strong news and technical information.

One reader has set up a Farmer Frank Appreciation Society on Facebook with more than 280 members. It can be tough getting the humour right. Tim Relf, our Farmlife editor, says: "We want Frank to be old fashioned, a bit grumpy and politically incorrect, but we certainly don't want to upset or offend people". For another example of lighter content, check out Tim's blog at www.fwi.co.uk/blogs/rural-life.

So over to you. What do you think? Are we getting the balance right? Could we do any of this differently and why?

Local food - or is it?

Jane King — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:44:00 GMT

I get let out occasionally and this morning had the rather lovely task of walking across a field from my home in the sunshine to attend the opening of the South of England Show in Ardingly, West Sussex. By 8.15am, I was tucking into a full English breakfast entirely produced by local farmers - it's a hard job but someone's got to do it......

It's often said that the regional and county shows aren't agricultural enough but the South of England Agricultural Society works extremely hard to retain its farming roots. The livestock show element is a major part of the three days and this year there is a particular emphasis on a new pig village where the focus will be on special breeds and issues for the pig sector.

The hearty breakfast was organised by A Taste of Sussex which supports local suppliers and encourages tourism businesses in the area to source and serve local food. There's a real momentum right across Sussex to develop and market better homegrown products. For example, Brighton based company We Love Local delivers truly local food directly from regional farmers to homes, retailers, htoels and restaurants.

I say truly local because there is increasing concern about the fraudulent claims by the hospitality industry that their food is locally produced when it isn't. Something has to be done to insist that those businesses using "local" as a marketing tool can actually prove the provenance. How much evidence is there that this a widespread problem? any ideas?

Come and see us at Cereals

Jane King — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:38:00 GMT

It's amazing we haven't all gone grey overnight. The team has worked incredibly hard over the last couple of weeks to prepare for the Cereals show at Heath Farm, Leadenham, Lincolnshire next Wednesday and Thursday.

We welcome feedback on the event supplement, produced in conjunction with Haymarket Exhibitions and accompanying last week's issue of FW. At 116 pages, it was a block buster to get out and still no rest for the wicked....... we are now planning live coverage online - so look out for news,pictures, forum discussion, videos on www.fwi.co.uk next Wednesday. Once again, it promises to be a pretty spectacular event.with something like 22,000 arable farmers and industry experts coming together so fingers crossed for fine weather and enjoy.

If you are attending Cereals, why not pop into the Farmers Weekly stand and say hello? I will be there on the Wednesday and look forward to meeting anyone who fancies a coffee and a chat.

Bluetongue - all you ever need to know

Jane King — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:57:00 GMT

The Bluetongue vaccine should be available any day now and it's a relief that so many farmers have placed orders and are getting prepared. Large numbers of the Bluetongue carrying midges have been reported in Belgium and the Netherlands and, with warmer weather on the cards, these are worrying times.

Our message is to encourage everyone to be as vigilant as possible in looking for symptoms of this silent killer. Livestock editor Jonathan Long and FW photographer Jonathan Page have produced some videos, picture galleries and practical content as step by step advice to help you spot the signs and cope with the vaccination process.

There's a lot of material about on treatment options and prevention methods so make the most of it and keep us posted on anything else you require from us to help you through. Farmers can respond to this blog or use the website forums at FWiSpace share their experiences, express a view or just let off steam.

We need to hear your fears, concerns, ideas and thoughts and we need to know how our livestock content can best meet your needs this spring and summer. Keep us posted and we will respond.

Home truths in the Kendall household

Jane King — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:51:00 GMT

What would you cook if you had a strict vegetarian coming for Sunday lunch and he just happened to be the Secretary of State for the Environment Hilary Benn?

Well, Peter Kendall and his wife Emma sensibly chose vegetable quiche but their kids were decidedly put out that accommodating their important guest meant missing their usual Sunday roast fare and, according to the NFU president, "they were disrespectful about it". These kids will go a long way - why stand on ceremony for a politician.

The Kendall family were hosting another Hilary Benn visit to their arable farm in Eyeworth, Bedfordshire so a hearty lunch was pretty important to helping the day go with a swing. Making the most of the opportunity, Peter showed Hilary Benn around the business that he runs in partnership with his brother Richard.

The Kendalls are big fans of GPS technology and use it regularly to inform their decisions on 620 hectares of combinable crops. A demonstration on the benefits of precision technology in one field was a key part of the visit. All of which set the scene perfectly for Peter then trying to convince the Secretary of State that incentives are desperately needed if farmers are to invest in smart solutions.

You have to admire these tactics.... One of the big challenges is trying to convince Government just what agriculture can do. We need a lot more effort like this to get the politicians on to farms to see what's going on first hand. And it seems the politicians want more of it. On the introduction to his own website, Hilary Benn actually states "I believe in a fairer society ....and that practical politics can help us get there". So say all of us......

Calling all tenant farmers

Jane King — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:32:00 GMT

Today,. we've launched a survey in conjunction with the Tenant Farmers Association and the NFU to find out what sort of rent rises tenants are facing and the issues cropping up in their relationship with landlords.

If you are affected by a rent review, take a few minutes to look at the survey and fill it in at www.fwi.co.uk/rentreviews.

The tenanted sector is bracing itself for some tough negotiating as an unprecedented wave of rent increases looms. FW is determined to provide practical advice for all involved in the process this year but we need information from you if we are to provide a really useful service.

Alongside the online survey itself, you will also find other guidance on what to expect as the rental demands come in and discussions start with the landlord. If you've already kick-started talks on your farm about this, then why not share your views and experiences at www.fwi.co.uk/forums

What is it they say... a problem shared is a problem halved.... or something like that!

What can the NFU do better?

Jane King — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:43:00 GMT

Some interesting comments have come in on my last blog post about NFU bias. I don't think FW is biased towards the NFU and I tend to agree with Peter Wells when he says the NFU can do more to consult with its own members before entering talks with Government. A more joined up approach is definitely needed with members and other agricultural organisations if the industry is to speak with one, unified and more powerful voice. At times, not enough is done to reach agreements within the industry and so the politicians see internal squabbling and receive mixed messages. Arguments and misunderstandings about the future of the new levy boards were a classic example. I know the NFU is watching this blog with interest so here's an opportunity to direct your views at people who want to listen and can make a difference.

I disagree with Peter Wells on his point about the scope of the NFU. He suggests Peter Kendall and his policy team should concentrate entirely on farmer needs and leave politicians to worry about the interests of the nation. While the NFU's primary purpose is to represent UK agriculture, it cannot do this in a vacuum. For too long, farmers produced food without thinking about the end customer and look where that got us. We've ended up with a poor public image and consumers are ill informed about the origins of their food and the challenges farmers face.

Yes, we've got to talk more constructively to each other to find common ground but we've also got to do an awful lot more communicating beyond the industry. We cannot afford to leave it to politicians and celebrity chefs to do our batting for us.

NFU bias - what do you think?

Jane King — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:43:00 GMT

A well known farmer told a colleague of mine the other day he thought FW was completely biased in favour of the NFU. He argued that this was dangerous to FW's independence, particularly as he believed the current NFU leadership was not challenging Government anywhere near enough.

So what do you think? Our position in the last couple of years has been to support the NFU as best we can because we genuinely believe the organisation and its people work desperately hard to do the right thing for farming. Where necessary, FW will speak up and criticise but when it is necessary and certainly not all the time.

When I took over as editor in 2005, one constant complaint was that FW had been too whingeing, too negative and offered no hope for the future. We consulted with over 4,500 people in farming about how we should adapt to changes in the industry and new information needs. It became clear that farmers overwhelmingly wanted us to update our tone and be more solutions driven and positive.

I interpreted that approach as also trying to work more constructively with the key organisations like a critical friend. A critical friend doesn't just say what you want to hear, it will also be brutally frank when it needs to be. And that's how we see our relationship with the NFU. We are as independent as we've always been.

In the last couple of years, the NFU too has altered its stance. It's had to find a new way of communicating and working with Government, the EU and the media if it's to put British agriculture back on the map. The future is about constructive negotiation and keeping channels of communication open. Politicians rarely understand farmers and they need to wake up to the harsh reality that production farming really matters.

In our opinion, the current NFU leadership has made significant progress in breaking down barriers between the industry and the policy makers. There's an awful lot more to do before we have a government that encourages and enables but we're getting there through careful diplomacy and consultation. Being at war with each other and with Government will get us nowhere.

So, over to you. Could we be tougher on the key organisations?

French lessons

Jane King — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:15:00 GMT

Just returned from a few days in the French Pyrenees attempting to learn to ski with the family. A glorious break - no didn't break a leg - just completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the place and the quality of the food. It's often said that we Brits have a lot to learn from the French in terms of making the most of the provenance of our food. Regionality is such a big thing wherever you go in France...... cheese, wine, bread, meat......wherever you look there's choice beyond your wildest dreams and fantastic merchandising and information about the origins of the produce, how it was crafted and its connection with the local area.

Some pockets of the UK have cracked the local food opportunity though. I was recently in an Asda store in Kendal, Cumbria and stunned to see no less than 14 odd gondolas taken up with local food from local farmers. Much of it was under the Plumgarths label, pioneered by FW's Farmer of the Year John Geldard. John has been working with many Cumbrian producers to supply the local restaurant and hotel trade, Centre Parcs and Asda. Their achievements in gaining so much floorspace for home-grown grub in one of the major retailers is remarkable, particularly as it is not isolated off in its own location. All the local produce is mainstreamed with relevant products and sits alongside the big brands. In some cases, the local line is selling so well that it's taking space from traditional best sellers.

John Geldard's own free range eggs had three times as much shelf space as Asda's own label and were selling like hot cakes. Having cooked an omelette with John's eggs last night, I can see why. The store manager is totally committed to the local food concept because it's great for business and he's constantly looking at ways to expand the range and market the products better.

Asda deserve praise for their efforts on local food and the Kendal store is a fantastic role model for others to follow. Apparently, the retailer is now looking to expand the local food concept in Kent next.

Is anyone aware of other stores making their mark on local produce? Let's hear about it.

Great ideas - keep 'em coming

Jane King — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:14:00 GMT

This blog is paying off..... reader/web user Bridget Olds has a great idea for FW to provide more information on the pictures chosen for front covers. For example, where livestock images are used, Bridget suggests giving details of who owns the stock and the name and location of the farm. I'm sure we can incorporate this in front cover planning, we simply need to find a suitable home for the details.... our designer Grant Sherriffs is working on it.

Farmer David Christensen also had a good idea for adding more FW comment, analysis and context to stories by adding a separate box at the end of relevant pieces. This fits with our aim to be more practical and to really make the most of the editorial team's expertise. We will give this a go sparingly.

Any more ideas you have to improve the magazine and the website will be gratefully received. Simply reply to this blog.

People changes at Farmers Weekly

Jane King — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:16:00 GMT

Thanks (Tom Rigby in particular) for the feedback on our website and this blog. I agree with you that the design of the blog could be improved and the black background isn't easy to read...... we will work on that.

Lately, I've been heavily involved in recruiting within the Farmers Weekly Group. We've had a couple vacancies to fill and it's given us a great opportunity to bring on the young talent within the team. Possibly one of the most important jobs I can do as an editor is to make sure we put the right people in the right jobs and build a strong team.

So I'm pleased to report that we've been able to promote three members of staff into more senior positions. They are: David Cousins as the new Machinery and Features Editor; Ian Ashbridge as the new Business Editor and Caroline Stocks as the new deputy news editor. All three take up their posts shortly and more information on content plans for their areas will follow shortly. The two section editor posts have come about as a result of Nick Fone (machinery) and Andrew Shirley (business) leaving for new ventures outside Farmers Weekly. Both will still be involved in farming related businesses and I'm hoping we can still use their great writing and editing skills by inviting them back to work with us from time to time. Good luck to everyone in your new jobs.

Listening to farmers

Jane King — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:53:00 GMT

The FW team has had an interesting week listening to our customers - farmers. Last Friday, a group of livestock producers spent a day in the FW office in Sutton, Surrey to tell us what they thought of our products and how we could improve what we do. As always, it was invaluable feedback, particularly in learning how we can mix and match content in the magazine with the website offering. Space in print is pretty restricted these days but we have this limitless resource with www.fwi.co.uk and the key is to use it and our time wisely on the things that farmers find most useful.

One of the main lessons for me from this meeting was the need to "keep it simple" and spell out what things mean for the ordinary farmer at grassroots. The guys told us that they want the bigger picture stuff in terms of industry news and developments but we could do more to explain how this impacts on Joe Bloggs the farmer, depending on his/her type of enterprise. I guess we already knew this but it's important to be reminded of it. So for example on the issue of the blue tongue vaccine, more detail on the likely costs and implications for a typical beef producer and not just the topline on what it costs the whole industry. Obvious really, but sometimes you get so close to the story that it's easy to miss the basics.

Yesterday we also had fantastic feedback from web users on early proposals for changes to our site. Researching audience needs before we revise the products is absolutely key. So we've conducted a series of face to face, in depth interviews with typical website users to find out their attitudes to the internet, to fwi itself and to our plans to update and improve it. We call it useability research and it included business farmers, an agronomist, a farming student and someone in an environmental role. What did we discover? Well most of these people are frequent users of fwi and other websites so they are pretty web savvy, clued up and very clear about what they want and don't want. They've given us a fantastic steer on how to move the site forward - making it easier to access, more relevant and an essential tool. I won't say any more at this stage because it's such early days and I don't want to give anything away to competitors. Suffice to say that we were pleased by the wholly positive reaction from users to the changes we are looking to make. More details later. Website traffic has hit record levels in the last couple of months so we are reassured that we're doing something right but there is always a lot of room for improvement.

My blog is about encouraging customers - farmers and advertisers - to talk to us about everything we do. So don't hesitate to get stuck in and have your say..... good and bad comments...... we need to listen and will respond. Comments please?

Farmers Weekly to have new owners

Jane King — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:33:00 GMT

Out of the blue on Thursday we heard that Reed Elsevier is to sell off Reed Business Information, which amounts to all its global print and online businesses that are dependent on advertising revenues, including the Farmers Weekly Group. As you can imagine, it's been an unsettling time for us as we get to grips with what it all means. Firstly, Elsevier has decided to divest because it sees advertising led businesses as too cyclical and it wants to concentrate on other business models such as user pays and data services instead. It will sell all its magazines and websites in the UK, US and Europe. Farmers Weekly is one of the strongest brands in the UK stable and inevitably is getting picked up in press headlines, which makes it sound a bit like we are the only titles to be sold but in truth we are one of many. Our leaders tell us that there has already been a phenomenal amount of interest in the group and is hopeful that all the products will be sold as a whole. It may be many months though before there is any definite news. I will keep readers posted about developments as soon as I have them. Our view at Farmers Weekly is that it is business as usual and that we must focus on continuing to deliver quality information products for farmers and the industry. Without doubt that's the most helpful thing we can do for any prospective buyer interested in taking over. We're confident but not complacent. Under Reed Elsevier's ownership Farmers Weekly has flourished and therefore there's always a sadness to leave a good parent. However, the future under a new owner could be even more exciting and open up new opportunities for the brand. That's the way I want to look at it right now.