Choosing farming leaders with the X factor
February is always a big month for the NFU with our national conference and annual general meeting which will be attended by Shropshire farmers and those from across the country.
In the run up to the event, tomorrow and Wednesday, our regional commodity boards elect chairmen from the county nominees put forward at the end of last year.
NFU Conference is an important showcase for the organisation and an excellent way to connect with members.
What’s more, the annual general meeting is an important constitutional exercise, with officeholder appointments, ratification of NFU business and other such formalities.
This year is an election year and we wait with bated breath to discover who NFU Council members elect to lead the organisation as President, Deputy President and Vice President.
Leadership is important to the functionality and efficacy of any organisation.
In the NFU, where so much relies on the efforts and collaboration of members, good leadership is absolutely vital.
Leaders who care about the industry, the organisation and its members and who can inspire the staff team are without doubt the ‘x-factor’ when ensuring our continued success.
Reflecting on the way our officeholders serve members, integrate their lives with the organisation and importantly lead the NFU team and wider industry, I have been delighted by the passion and capability of this year’s prospective candidates, who presented at the West Midlands hustings event in Telford in January.
I am thrilled to see two candidates from the West Midlands throw their hats in the ring and for my part I am determined to do all I can to ensure our region does what’s necessary to enable and facilitate the development of the organisation’s future leaders.
To this end we held a next generation members event at Harper Adams in January.
Bringing together some of our brightest and keenest young members, we heard from Harper about the exciting work they are doing and went on to use the meeting to outline the opportunities for young farmers to shape NFU policy, via the Next Generation Forum.
Based on this and all of our regional commodity and county meetings, I’m confident we have a huge reservoir of talent in this organisation and I’m confident West Midlands members will continue to step up to the leading roles in the NFU.
Regarding the national officeholder elections, I want to wish all the candidates the best of luck and I look forward to introducing the new team to you, the members at shows, meetings and events in the year ahead, so watch this space.
NFU regional director Robert Newbery
