Farming families come together for The Ryedale Show

We had the great pleasure of attending The Ryedale Show near Kirkbymoorside last month. This is a fantastic, traditional and very successful farming event, which is growing in number every year.

This year’s show saw the usual judging categories of prime cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats. Favourite family activities returned, such as the fur and feather sections, produce, children’s classes and fun dog shows, as well as over 200 trade stands. On our stand we took the opportunity of meeting with friends to offer some coffee, cake and welcome shade from the fantastic weather!

Agricultural shows are a really important part of farming life. They provide a valuable opportunity for the local farming community and families to come together, relax and enjoy a fun day out. For professionals, like ourselves, it’s also a good chance to catch up with clients and, hopefully, forge new relationships.

Harrowells work closely with many farming families in North and East Yorkshire, and we understand the complications which can arise when family and business become intertwined. It can be difficult to navigate the different challenges and opportunities the business faces, whilst encompassing the varying views of family members from different generations.

In our experience, it’s the farming families who talk through their opportunities and issues who are more likely to succeed in positively developing their business. Sometimes the thought of such conversations is a daunting prospect and there is a reluctance to get around the table and have a frank discussion to try and come to a consensus. This is where solicitors and other professionals such as land agents and accountants, can help in facilitating discussions around the unspoken topics such as, succession and diversification.

Time spent having these discussions can really pay dividends as it enables the professionals to work together towards achieving the goals of the family. It can help to avoid wasted time or possibly even duplication of work. Time spent now can save you and your family time and money later!

In our view, there can be more serious costs to procrastination and avoidance. Delay can compromise commercial opportunities or even lead to conflict, which can detrimentally impact on the day to day running of your business.

In the spirit of the Ryedale Show, we look forward to continuing to bring family members of all generations together to have the discussions which will hopefully ensure the continuing success of your family business, whatever the time of year, whether rain or shine!