ASPIRING dairy farmers only have a short time left to apply for a new business training programme at Newton Rigg College, Penrith.

Entrepreneurs in Dairying offers specialist instruction and a mentoring scheme for those wishing to progress their careers and develop their farming business.

Fifteen places are available for the course which starts in September. The deadline for applications is August 15.

The course features eight weekly, three-hour sessions and costs £250 plus VAT. The minimum age is 21 with no upper age limit.

The programme has been launched by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers in collaboration with DairyCo, the NFU and The Andersons Centre.

National industry specialists, accompanied by a local farming business, will attend the weekly sessions. Areas covered will primarily focus on succession planning, and better business and financial management.

Each student will have the opportunity to be matched with a fully-trained mentor, who will provide help and guidance for the following 12 months.

Tim Brigstocke, RABDF policy director, said: “RABDF has discovered firsthand from its previous training and knowledge exchange activities that there is a need among people already working on farms, for example those five years out of college, herd managers and farmers’ sons and daughters without a future on the family unit.

“They are all keen to progress up the ladder.

However, to do so, they require training in specialist areas, such as how to farm in their own right through joint ventures or contracting arrangements and how to run a business.

“We believe the opportunity for mentoring is an important element to business training which has been sadly lacking in agriculture whilst it is commonplace in other sectors.”

Natalie Parker, from Newton Rigg, said: “The UK dairy industry needs enthusiastic committed young people to lead the industry forward in such an exciting and opportunistic time.

“I believe they are out there, and we as an industry need to give them every opportunity and support for them to aspire into these roles.”

For more details, email Natalie.Parker@newtonrigg.ac.uk or emilyrowley@ rabdf.co.uk.