The Business of Farming

Available for over a year

58,000 hectares of UK farmland is managed by just one company. Velcourt Ltd provides farm managers for over 120 holdings, working on the principle that land management and land ownership can be separated. The company's management training scheme attracts people from agricultural college as well as those with no farming experience. Managing Director, Nick Shorter, says farm management can be a way into the industry for those without access to their own land. Charlotte Smith visits two farms run by Velcourt - one an arable farm in Wiltshire and the other a large dairy operation in Somerset. Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons