Openfield hoping to help farmers at Midlands Machinery Show after difficult year

Openfield hoping to help farmers at Midlands Machinery Show after difficult year 

As the only British farmer-owned national grain marketing cooperative, Openfield works with over 4,000 farmer members across the country and will be returning to the Midlands Machinery Show this year. 

As well as marketing grain, trading cereals and oilseeds, and supplying farmers with fertiliser and certified seed, Openfield looks to help the farming community after what has been a difficult year for the industry. 

“The Midlands Machinery Show has been important for us for the past six or seven years,” says Jerome Fielder, Head of Farm Business Team at Openfield. “Our head office is based in Lincolnshire, which is the heartland in terms of where the majority of our Midlands team trade, so it’s a local show for us and gives us the chance to meet a lot of people from the area.” 

Although it is a machinery show, Jerome and the Openfield team see it as the perfect opportunity to mix with farmers and touch base with them at a time of year which is quite quiet after most have drilled their cereal crops. 

“Farmers haven’t had it easy the past couple of years, particularly in the Newark area,” says Jerome. “We’ve had some horrendously wet autumns as well as some very dry springs and summers, so it’s been a real challenge. 

“I think farmers are questioning things more than ever in terms of what they’re going to put in the ground, given the tight margins on growing cereal crops at the moment, and the lack of any safety net of the single farm payment which they used to have. Whatever the question or topic of conversation, we’ll be there at the show to try and help.” 

One thing that Jerome and his team is looking to stress is Openfield’s unique selling point that it is the only British farmer-owned national cooperative, with no time like the present for that message to hit home. 

“We’re looking to market British grain to supply local homes, and in cases, export grain as well to different parts of the world,” says Jerome. “We’re always on the side of farmers, especially during this difficult time, so I think it’s important that the farming community sticks together. We are here to support and help where we can.” 

Being able to see the people that it works with in person is one of the main draws of the Midlands Machinery Show for the Openfield team. 

“The show is well worthwhile for our Midlands team, we can never get around 250 plus farmers in a day driving around,” says Jerome. “We really like the feel of the show, and we’re finding that people are starting to come from further away to attend so we get to see more people as well. 

“We’re keen supporters of the Midlands Machinery Show.” 

The Openfield stand will be found in the Lady Eastwood building at the Midlands Machinery Show at Newark Showground on 19 November. Book free visitor tickets here: https://midlandsmachineryshow.ticketsrv.co.uk/tickets/visitor