Lincolnshire NFU has a new chairman: dairy farmer Minty Willoughby, from Thurlby near Alford has taken over from Sleaford farmer Chris Godson. She will serve the county’s farming organisation for two years, representing NFU members locally and regionally and on the organisation’s ruling body, NFU Council.
Minty and her husband Kevin run the family farm which includes the Marshdale herd of pedigree Holsteins and 330 acres of arable crops and grassland. As well as 100 acres of permanent grass, the farm grows winter wheat, oilseed rape and spring barley.
The couple’s pedigree dairy herd has been a closed herd since the early 1970s, breeding is carried out by artificial insemination with heifer calves reared as replacements and the bull calves reared at home for beef, sold deadweight through Meadow Quality Limited.
Minty’s particular jobs on the farm include all the baling (silage and straw) and the office work including Farm Assurance, Basic Payment Scheme, the accounts and all the other lengthy paperwork that goes with running a business!
Speaking after the NFU’s annual meeting held last week, Minty said: “There are so many challenges facing farmers, growers and our whole industry, from market volatility to ensuring that children grow up knowing where their food comes from.
And I know that NFU is the organisation to lead our industry through these challenging times. I want to encourage more involvement in NFU by local members, so I know I have my work cut out for the next two years. Local NFU branches should have more influence in the way NFU is run and I want to involve them not just in discussing NFU policy but in more social activities, too.
“On a personal note, I’m challenging myself to raise as much money as I can for our county’s two farming charities, LRSN (Lincolnshire Rural Support Network) and RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution), so every meeting I attend I’ll be taking my Chairman’s Charity Churn with me to encourage everyone to help these two worthwhile and very necessary causes.”
Minty thanked her predecessor, Chris Godson for his two years stewardship of the county NFU: “Chris came into the NFU chair as the new county structure was being implemented across the NFU and I’d like to record my thanks for his hard work his passion and his commitment to NFU during his term of office.”
She went on to say: “The farming industry’s confidence has taken a knock in recent months, particularly for arable and dairy farmers, but across the whole industry, as well. It’s a tough time for us all and I know I’m coming into the county chairman’s job with a lot of work to do to help farmers through these difficult times. But I will do my best to represent their views and needs on all fronts and hope that farmers across Lincolnshire will contact me to let me know how they’re feeling.”
Minty has recently completed the NFU East Midlands’ Farming Ambassadors training course. Her other roles in farming include secretary to the Lincolnshire Dairy Herd Competition and treasurer of the East Lincolnshire Stockman’s Club. She is past vice chairman of the NFU’s regional dairy board and past chairman of Alford NFU.
