Supporting a resilient future: securing coverage in agricultural sector press

The Englefield Estate in Berkshire – a long-time retained client of KOR Communications – has worked with its tenant farmers to help them to balance efficient food production with sound environmental land management, and maintain successful businesses. 

When Britain left the European Union and EU farm subsidy was phased out, the Estate sought to help its farmers make the transition to new environmental support schemes introduced by the British Government. 

The Estate became the first private landowner in the country to fund places for some of its tenants on the Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) Farm Resilience Programme.  The programme, an initiative of Prince Charles - now King Charles - was founded in 2010 to help family farms and rural communities operate profitably and sustainably against a background of significant agricultural change. 

Englefield made the investment in training for its farm tenants under the Farm Resilience Programme from September 2021.  It provided business and environmental skills advice and instruction on a one-to-one basis, helping the tenants navigate the biggest changes in agriculture in 50 years. 

KOR’s rural affairs specialists put together a detailed media release which was picked up by the specialist farming press. 

Arianne Smart, account manager at KOR, said: “We have a very close relationship with the Englefield Estate and understood immediately that taking part in this programme, through support for its tenant farmers, perfectly illustrated the commitment Englefield has for sustainable farming.  

“The story was picked up by Farmers Weekly, and Farming UK, as well as the CLA.” 

The story, alongside a case study with one of the tenant farmers, was also featured in the Englefield Echo magazine, the Estate’s annual review. This prompted the PCF to get in touch with KOR about doing a similar case study in a feature they had secured in the CLA Land and Business magazine.