It was great to see some of you at the NMR/RABDF Gold Cup open day last week at Bisterne Farms in Hampshire to celebrate George Brown and his team winning the competition in 2023. As with all our events, a massive thank you goes to our hosts, speakers, sponsors, and trade stands, without whom such an event would not have been possible.
This week we launch the 2024 Gold Cup competition so please contact the RABDF office or our award sponsors, NMR , for more details and to find out how to enter dairy farming's most prestigious award. Recognising all round dairy excellence, the judges are looking for strong herd performance, including high herd health, welfare and fertility. A profitable business with good staff and environmental management, building a sustainable dairy business fit for the future. The closing date is 22nd July so get your entries in as soon as possible.
We now move our focus on to our regenerative farming event, Down to Earth 2024, this year hosted by Grosvenor Farms in Cheshire on the 3rd July. This year's event promises to be a bumper day with a packed program of informative speakers and exhibitors on an outstanding dairy farm. Tickets are available via links on our social media feeds, available also on this newsletter.
In other news, we are delighted to have received confirmation that His Majesty King Charles will be our new Patron. The King, who has a longstanding interest in British farming and a passion for the environment, succeeds the late Queen Elizabeth II in his patronage.
It follows a review of more than 1,000 royal patronages since the King ascended to the throne in 2022, bringing the total number he holds to 669.
The RABDF has a long-established relationship with the Royal Family, providing vital publicity and recognition for the work of the Association and the dairy industry.
The Royal Family has supported many dairy awards organised by the RABDF, including the Royal Dairy Innovation Award and Princess Royal Award, the latter of which was presented to former Arla Chief Executive Ash Amirahmadi last month.
Lastly, RABDF - CEO recruitment is now underway, as we progress through this process I will keep you informed. If anyone would like more details about the role please either get in touch with me or Paul Harris at Real Success. Hopefully I'll be in a position to make an announcement later in the summer if not before.
Kind Regards,
Robert Craig, RABDF Chairman