If you’ve met someone from my team at an auction mart, a town hall, or an agricultural show, you’ve experienced a small part of what we call 'engagement.'
Engagement means having the right conversations with the right people at the right time. We do this year-round in different ways.
We hold regular calls with organisations that represent rural interests.
Online, we engage through the Farming blog and webinars, which help us reach thousands of people quickly. But we know not everyone wants to get their information from a screen. That’s why face-to-face engagement is just as important, as it allows us to meet people where they are.
The conversations my team and I have aren’t always easy, but they’re always open. There might be frustration or disagreement, but every time we hear from you, it’s valuable for us – and I hope for you too.
Talking and listening to you helps us understand what’s working, what’s not, and the local challenges you’re dealing with – often before they show up in reports.
We take what we hear back to the teams shaping policy. What you share – your experiences and the everyday detail – really brings these situations to life.
Not everything can be changed immediately, but your feedback helps guide decisions and priorities. And if you need advice or support on a specific issue, we can point you to the right people or resources. We’re typically joined by colleagues from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF).
Every year, we meet thousands of farmers at events all over the country. This year we’ve been to 60. And it’s not just our team.
Both our farming minister Daniel Zeichner and Secretary of State, Steve Reed, have also been out and about, from the Royal Cornwall Show to the Great Yorkshire Show, hearing your views first-hand.
We’re keen to keep up momentum.
As we shape the roadmap for the future of farming, we want to hear from you. If you’d like to share your vision for farming in 2030 and 2050, you can find us at shows across the country for the rest of the summer.
You can see the events we’ve currently got lined up on the Talk to us page.
I'll share them here for ease:
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 6 September | Moreton Show | Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire |
| 6–7 September | Wolsingham Show | Bishop Auckland, County Durham |
| 10 September | UK Dairy Day | Telford, Shropshire |
| 10–11 September | Westmorland County Show | Milnthorpe, Cumbria |
| 13 September | Penistone Show | Barnsley, South Yorkshire |
| 13 September | Romsey Show | Romsey, Hampshire |
| 20 September | The Collingham Show | Collingham, Nottinghamshire |
| 20–21 September | Newbury Show | Thatcham, Berkshire |
| 1 October | The Dairy Show | Shepton Mallet, Somerset |
| 11 October | Alwinton Show | Alwinton, Northumberland |
| 31 October | Borderway Agri Expo | Rosehill, Carlisle |
We’re always looking for new places to visit and new people to hear from. If you have ideas for where we could go next, whether it is a stand at a county show or a chat in a village hall, you can get in touch with me by leaving a comment below. And if you know friends, family, or neighbours who would benefit from a face-to-face conversation, send them our way.
4 comments
Comment by Kevin posted on
Love the way you have avoided Dartmoor.
All you need to know is that you need to fix IHT bought on by your boss Mr Reeves. There is no point in doing any improvements or even trying if we cannot pass our land on without having to sell.
Poorly done
Comment by alicebrown posted on
Thank you for your comment. It’s not our intention to avoid any area – we’ve been actively engaging across the South West to hear your perspectives, including on issues specific to Dartmoor. This year, we’ve attended a number of shows in the South West, including Launceston, Camelford and NSA Sheep South West but we’re open to suggestions if you think we’ve missed something.
Last week, we visited three auction marts across Devon and Cornwall. Michael and Phil from the team will be at Tavistock mart tomorrow morning if you want to share any feedback in person.
More widely, the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group brings together farmers, landowners and commoners, Natural England, environmental NGOs and other key stakeholders to implement the 25 recommendations in the government response to the Dartmoor Review.
Comment by Mrs Denise Seely posted on
Well done - this is excellent! But I would like to 'engage' with the same person when there is a problem to resolve. That person will take responsibility for resolving the problem. It is so frustrating for both parties constantly repeating the problem and so time consuming. Onwards!!
Comment by alicebrown posted on
Thanks for getting in touch – we really appreciate your support and completely hear you. We know it can be frustrating to go over the same issue with different people. We try to match staff with the ag show/auction mart locations they’re geographically closest to for a sense of familiarity and continuity, but in case your comment relates to the RPA contact centres, we’ll make sure to pass your feedback on to them.