A REDDITCH farmer is singing the praises after agricultural investments allowed his business to thrive and flourish.
Sam Jones, a sheep farmer from Ham Green, just outside Redditch, is just one farmer to have benefited from a LEADER investment – a programme focused on growing the economies of rural communities.
Mr Jones has received around £10,000 from the programme over the last two years, and he says this has led to an increase in productivity of 30 to 40 per cent.
He said: “Farming is a great way of life. Hard work, long hours but being out in the fresh air and more or less being controlled by the weather is like no other profession. At one with nature.
“The investment has been fantastic. It’s made sheep-handling so much easier and saved us time, money and effort. We’re making savings of £4,800-5,000 per year.”
The investment has even helped him make his way to the last three nominees in the Farmers’ Weekly Sheep Farmer of the Year contest.
The horticulture sector as a whole contributes £2.6 billion every year to the UK economy and about 14 per cent of this is produced in the West Midlands – the vast majority of which will be from Worcestershire and neighbouring rural counties.
More than £644,000 has been invested into Worcestershire businesses to date through the Worcestershire LEADER programme since it was set up two years ago.
For more information visit https://www.24hoursinfarming.co.uk/about-24-hours/
