The extended great spell of weather we have had has certainly helped as we come to the end of our seventh week of lockdown. My last face to face meeting with someone was on 16 March but I have been really pleased that since then despite the restrictions the Service has still been able to operate.

Since the website launched on 8 April there have been 23 new registrations of interest as well as 6 direct telephone contacts which is really encouraging. Most registrations are still coming from people looking for opportunities though I am pleased that there have been some new and different opportunities coming forward since the website went live. These are all on the notes page of the website and if any are of interest please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Of course, the restrictions have meant that meeting people has been impossible and therefore to keep things moving I have been having very helpful telephone conversations getting more detail on people’s objectives and discussing what their options might be.
The knock-on effect on making introductions is obvious but I have been able to make some “virtual” introductions where people are going to contact each other by telephone in the first instance. Hopefully that can lead to a face to face meeting, when that can take place safely, and build the relationship further.

When I spoke at the NFUS Argyll and Islands AGM in Tarbert back in January the point was raised not to forget that farm management was also a very useful and helpful way into the industry particularly in gaining valuable experience in operating a business.

There are not as many farm managers posts available as there used to be, but it is something that could be worth looking at as a route into establishing a future joint venture. As I have said many times before joint ventures are about building relationships and trust. Farm / enterprise management as part of initial steps in building a relationship that develops into a joint venture may well be an option worth considering.

Ian Davidson