LJM Associates Ltd

  Amazing sunrise over Charnock Richard Services on my way to University of Lancaster to lead a session on "artificial intelligence and sustainability in food supply chains.

Just arrived in Birmingham for two days of the NFU Conference - lots of great topics to think about from artificial intelligence through to the core theme of the conference - resilience. I love the Birmingham Bull in the Bull Ring at New Street Station.. especially his head rolling and flashing eyes..  

  Back in London for a Defra Food Data Transparency Partnership meeting. Back to work after a little bit of time away. 

 I am away for a few days recharging my batteries.. it is good for everyone to step back for a few days every so often.. back soon

  Really enjoyed engaging on the topic of a good future for UK agriculture at the BASF Common Ground meeting at the start of February.

    Asking “what can we do instead?” is the first step in turning awareness into action. It shifts our focus from what isn’t working to what might work, if we are willing to pivot in our roles, our teams, and our organisation.  This question opens the door to better working practices, smarter choices, and more meaningful progress toward what we want to achieve. Instead of defaulting to familiar habits and established working patterns, we pause, reflect, and choose responses that align with our goals and values, setting us on a path toward the outcomes and impact we hope to deliver.  Small, evidence-based changes, applied consistently, can reshape results over time. This question reminds us that we always have choices in how we move our organisations forward, and that growth often begins with a single, intentional step in choosing, in some way, to do things differently.

  Really enjoyed presenting the OFC report to the Farm Herefordshire Board at the end of January and what it means for farming, food production and nature restoration delivery in Herefordshire.

We should stop doing work that adds little economic, environmental, or social value to our businesses or our roles. We should stop doing things simply because “that’s how they’ve always been done,” when better options are within reach. And we should step forward into the challenges of change, rather than shrinking from them. We need to be honest about what is working and what is not, the risks of continuing as we are, and the impact of choosing to stop. Most importantly, we should stop doing the things that drain our energy and resources, limit learning and growth, or prevent people from doing their best work.  Letting go is never easy, especially when familiarity feels safe. But letting go creates space, space for clarity, stronger focus, better decisions, and meaningful new opportunities. Because progress doesn’t come from holding tighter to what’s familiar, but from embracing the challenges and opportunities of change.

It was good to be at the NFU Council last week and meet with representatives of farming counties across  England and Wales. There was so much to think about with the changing regulatory and policy in England and how this will affect farming businesses and the agri-food supply chain.

I was really pleased to be asked to speak on a panel at the Kent Agricultural Society Conference on the 21st January. Great discussions on the future of UK agriculture and strategic actions that farming businesses need to consider.  

Once we know what we are trying to achieve with our organisation/business the next question is "what will we keep doing?"  We should keep doing what adds value to us, our organisation and the people involved in it. We should keep listening to our customers about what they like, and don’t like about the products and services we produce.  We should act on their feedback. We should test new ideas and learn quickly from the outcomes and also from the missteps we take. We should keep collaborating with others, give credit for success generously, and share feedback and feedforward with others with respect and integrity. We should keep prioritising clarity and clear thought over noise, and long-term impact over short-term wins.  We should keep showing up for ourselves and others, be curious, accountable, and kind. We should recognise when elements of the organisation are working, and not working, and take the actions we need to take to make the organisation robust, resilient ...