Saturday 04 February 2012
Headlines
Did you find this story interesting? (0) (0)
09/02/2010 13:20:44
Rural Enterprise Grant offers Packington Moor Farm a taste of things to come
An award-winning Staffordshire farm is boosting its business and creating new jobs after securing support from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE).
Backed by a £41,000 Rural Enterprise Grant (REG) from Herefordshire Council and Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and a £21,000 Redundant Building Grant, Packington Moor Farm is using the funding to diversify its business and generate new sales.
John Barnes, the third generation of his family to farm the land, has purchased new equipment for his farm shop, creating an on-site butchery and deli counter offering bespoke cuts of meat to customers. A new kitchen has also been installed supplying food to an enlarged cafe.
The farm, situated between Lichfield and Tamworth, makes an important contribution to the local economy and is noted for its award-winning wedding venue. It already employs around 40 people and the expanded farm shop has created ten new jobs with a new butcher set to start work later this year.
As well as boosting local employment opportunities, the expansion is expected to boost business and considerably improve turnover.
John said: "We recognised that our business needed to diversify and these grants have been vital in helping us to achieve our aims.
"What we needed were income streams not affected by rural payments and the wedding business and farm shop are helping to achieve this and supplement traditional parts of the company."
Market research undertaken on behalf of the business identified a potential customer base of around 200,000 people, who have the appropriate income level and 20 minute travelling time to service the farm shop.
However, a lack of space within the existing farm shop was holding back John’s expansion plans. With the aid of a Redundant Building Grant from Staffordshire County Council and AWM, he has converted a disused poultry shed to accommodate the enlarged shop, provide better parking facilities and also releasing additional space to improve the wedding venue.
"There are two Waitrose supermarkets within the catchment area – in Lichfield and Solihull – and ideally we would look to attract a similar customer to them.
"We are well located and have good access so getting here by road is easy. We are also lucky to the have the M6 Toll road very close by," said John.
The farm also surveyed its existing customers to get their thoughts and has attained a high approval rating for the plans. Many have said they would like to see a larger range of locally produced goods, while 86 per cent said they would like to choose their own meat.
In addition to securing the future of the farm, the expansion will also help support many local suppliers to the catering operation, while the enterprise will also enable the farm to develop its own Packington Pork and Lamb brands.
The pork is from a neighbouring farm but the lamb is Packington reared, while all the vegetables grown on the farm – together with the meat – are used to supply the on-site catering facilities.
Caroline Cattle, Rural Enterprise Grant Manager, was delighted at the impact the funding has had on the business.
"This is exactly what REG is all about...giving land-based companies and micro enterprises the opportunity to diversify and grow their business, many still based on traditional values.
"John and the team recognised a number of issues affecting performance and we have worked with him to make their ambitious plans come true. The excellent news is that the local economy is already benefitting with more jobs created and greater opportunities for local suppliers to the farm."
Packington Moor is now almost a 700-acre working arable and livestock farm growing cereal crops, potatoes, pick your own fruits and a 250 ewe flock producing fat lambs from Easter to December. In addition to the shop it also operates a successful wedding and catering business.
The scale of this success was underlined last year when it secured the title Best Banqueting Venue in the prestigious Taste of Staffordshire Awards.
The Rural Enterprise Grant (REG) is funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is managed by Advantage West Midlands and administered by Herefordshire Council.
The grants are available for farmers and micro businesses developing and diversifying into food and drink, environmental technologies and tourism improvements.
If you wish to find out more, the Rural Enterprise Grant team can be contacted on 01432 260662/383616.
For more details on Packington Moor visit http://www.packingtonmoor-events.co.uk
 | Caroline Cattle (Rural Enterprise Grants) James Hinton (Staffordshire County Council) and John Barnes (Packington Moor Farm) |
Backed by a £41,000 Rural Enterprise Grant (REG) from Herefordshire Council and Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and a £21,000 Redundant Building Grant, Packington Moor Farm is using the funding to diversify its business and generate new sales.
John Barnes, the third generation of his family to farm the land, has purchased new equipment for his farm shop, creating an on-site butchery and deli counter offering bespoke cuts of meat to customers. A new kitchen has also been installed supplying food to an enlarged cafe.
The farm, situated between Lichfield and Tamworth, makes an important contribution to the local economy and is noted for its award-winning wedding venue. It already employs around 40 people and the expanded farm shop has created ten new jobs with a new butcher set to start work later this year.
As well as boosting local employment opportunities, the expansion is expected to boost business and considerably improve turnover.
John said: "We recognised that our business needed to diversify and these grants have been vital in helping us to achieve our aims.
"What we needed were income streams not affected by rural payments and the wedding business and farm shop are helping to achieve this and supplement traditional parts of the company."
Market research undertaken on behalf of the business identified a potential customer base of around 200,000 people, who have the appropriate income level and 20 minute travelling time to service the farm shop.
However, a lack of space within the existing farm shop was holding back John’s expansion plans. With the aid of a Redundant Building Grant from Staffordshire County Council and AWM, he has converted a disused poultry shed to accommodate the enlarged shop, provide better parking facilities and also releasing additional space to improve the wedding venue.
"There are two Waitrose supermarkets within the catchment area – in Lichfield and Solihull – and ideally we would look to attract a similar customer to them.
"We are well located and have good access so getting here by road is easy. We are also lucky to the have the M6 Toll road very close by," said John.
The farm also surveyed its existing customers to get their thoughts and has attained a high approval rating for the plans. Many have said they would like to see a larger range of locally produced goods, while 86 per cent said they would like to choose their own meat.
In addition to securing the future of the farm, the expansion will also help support many local suppliers to the catering operation, while the enterprise will also enable the farm to develop its own Packington Pork and Lamb brands.
The pork is from a neighbouring farm but the lamb is Packington reared, while all the vegetables grown on the farm – together with the meat – are used to supply the on-site catering facilities.
Caroline Cattle, Rural Enterprise Grant Manager, was delighted at the impact the funding has had on the business.
"This is exactly what REG is all about...giving land-based companies and micro enterprises the opportunity to diversify and grow their business, many still based on traditional values.
"John and the team recognised a number of issues affecting performance and we have worked with him to make their ambitious plans come true. The excellent news is that the local economy is already benefitting with more jobs created and greater opportunities for local suppliers to the farm."
Packington Moor is now almost a 700-acre working arable and livestock farm growing cereal crops, potatoes, pick your own fruits and a 250 ewe flock producing fat lambs from Easter to December. In addition to the shop it also operates a successful wedding and catering business.
The scale of this success was underlined last year when it secured the title Best Banqueting Venue in the prestigious Taste of Staffordshire Awards.
The Rural Enterprise Grant (REG) is funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), which is managed by Advantage West Midlands and administered by Herefordshire Council.
The grants are available for farmers and micro businesses developing and diversifying into food and drink, environmental technologies and tourism improvements.
If you wish to find out more, the Rural Enterprise Grant team can be contacted on 01432 260662/383616.
For more details on Packington Moor visit http://www.packingtonmoor-events.co.uk
No Comments
Nobody has posted any comments on this story.
|
Farming items for Sale
|
Valtra 6300 - Dalbeattie(GBP 27300)
Powermaster 171 - Tenterden
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
John Deere 6920S AutoPower & TLS - Uckfield(GBP 36600)
John Deere 6220SE - Maidstone(GBP 24900)
Used Massey Ferguson 2008 MF8480 - Barnack
(Price on Application)
(Price on Application)
Related News
Siblings steal the show with rural enterprise award - 21 Oct 2007Lycetts, the UK's premier countryside insurance broker, and The Field magazine have crowned Ben and Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Community Land I...
The importance of rural enterprise - 17 Dec 2007- by Cllr Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council Most people will agree that farming is a tough livelihood. Stories in the press about pr...
Rural fund ignites a renewable enterprise - 08 Sep 2009Thanks to a ￡50,000 grant from the LEADER Fund, a brand new energy business has emerged in the North Wessex Downs. The new enterprise, Wesse...
Derbyshire rural enterprise open for business - 06 Oct 2009A Derbyshire landowner’s vision has seen the launch of a prestigious business base at a historic rural location. Hathersage Hall Business Cen...
Rural enterprise open for more business - 20 Sep 2010A revamp of old buildings in a historic Northamptonshire village is set to create new opportunities for local businesses. Six business units on the...
Pig industry grants on offer - 21 Dec 2006A GRANT scheme for pig producers, processors, retailers and foodservice companies in England and Wales who want to improve their supply chains has re-...
New rural grant scheme now taking place - 22 Jul 2007The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has recently produced further information with respect to the Rural Development Programme for Englan...
Benn targets bigger grants for rural businesses - 30 Apr 2009Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has announced measures to increase financial aid for rural businesses to help them through the economic downturn. ...
Corn farming: the new new thing? - 15 Jan 2008What do you do when you've made your fortune in the New Economy? Move on to the New New Economy - planting corn in the wide open farmlands of N...
United States Ten things you may not know about farm income and deductions - 27 Mar 2009A tax tip from IRS.gov If you are in the business of farming, here are some things you may want to know before filing your federal tax return. ...
