A couple of days at the NFU Conference made a change from my usual working week, it was my first time at the conference.
The North East team were highly amused at me getting lost in Birmingham, twice. It must seem like I聮m a real country girl, but farming as close to cities as we do, that聮s not the case.
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I simply need to get over vanity issues and wear my distance spectacles all the time, so I can actually read signs.
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The political aspects of the conference have been widely reported, but I聮d like to correct something that has been misreported by mainstream media 聴 the delegates didn聮t 聮boo聮 Therese Coffey, it was essentially a collective 聮ooh聮 when she blamed the conference running late for the lack of time she had to answer questions.听
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The Secretary of State聮s irritability aside, the conference was excellent and I聮ll definitely go again.
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The dairy breakout session was a great opportunity to question three of the biggest processors on many topical aspects from sustainability, the Bovine TB vaccine to international markets.
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The great British dinner was spectacular, perfectly done beef served to 1,200 people was extraordinary.
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The special guest, female impressionist Jan Raven, mimicked Liz Truss, Theresa May, Nigella Lawson and others, obviously she hasn聮t quite nailed Therese Coffey yet, but I聮d like to think she聮d have got a bit more material from her appearance in the conference hall the next day.
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As always I聮ve had a busy few weeks. It will be nice sometime to say it hasn聮t, I doubt that will happen and that聮s undeniably my own fault.
I organise my life with very little to spare, like many women in the farming sector and beyond, I take on too much. There is often a great deal of eye-rolling at home when I say what I聮ve agreed to do.
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Although I am learning and, before I take on something new, I try to offload something else, not always successfully I have to admit.
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There are certain things that are non-negotiable, whatever the resistance. Farmers markets for instance, although a lot of hard work, they are a great time to connect with the public and, more often than not, I come home feeling it聮s all worthwhile as I聮ve chatted to people who seem to really appreciate what farmers do.
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But being at the NFU Conference had a price to pay and that was me running around like the proverbial blue backsided insect to get everything in place for the first Baildon Farmers聮 Market of the year.
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It聮s always good to get the first market under our belts, let聮s hope farmers聮 markets can weather the storms 聴 physically and fiscally 聴 in the coming year.
