A 200-year-old business serving the farming community across South Cumbria is expanding its farm advisory service.
Caroline Raine has been appointed as head of farm advisory at North West Auctions Professional (NWAP) farm advisory offering, which was set up in 2006 by Rodney Coward who is still with the team.
Caroline joins the firm, part of the L & K Group, at a critical time. She said farmers face some of their biggest challenges yet – from the impact of climate change and weather conditions on cropping to Covid and supply chains plus the rewriting of farm support post Brexit.
She said: “Farmers are resilient, and I am sure many won’t underestimate what all this change means for them. We’re here to assist by providing business help and guidance through the agricultural transition period and beyond.”
The mum-of-two added: “I grew up on a dairy farm in Cartmel and showed calves as a child. I went on to graduate from Newcastle University in 2005 with a degree in agriculture with farm business management.
“I then worked in an estate agency for 12 months before starting at NFU Mutual in Broughton in Furness as an agent/group secretary.
“I am married to a beef and sheep farmer, who works with his parents on the family farm, and we live near Penrith. I continued to show my own dairy cattle until a couple of years ago, competing at national level.
“My last job was as an NFU Group Secretary for Appleby. I loved the interaction with farm businesses and families and the feeling of being part of the community.
“The attraction of this new post was two-fold. I have always watched the development of NWA/NWA Professional with interest as it’s a business that’s always been at the heart of the local farming community.
“I wanted to do something different and was up for the challenge of developing the farm advisory offering of NWAP. I bring expertise in BPS and the upcoming ELM scheme and have a well-rounded farming knowledge base.
“Working on the Future Farming Resilience Fund is a fantastic opportunity to work individually with 60 different types of farms to look at the impact in the reduction of BPS and how the new grants and schemes will best fit their business. We’ll also be looking at possible opportunities for farmers under the development of the Environment Bill and beyond.”
