Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) is a trusted resource deeply rooted in the agricultural and horticultural community it serves. We have worked collaboratively to provide support for specific challenges faced by farmers and growers across Lincolnshire since 1999.
LRSN relies completely on income received from grant funding, NHS partnerships, individual giving, legacy gifts, corporate partnerships and income gained from businesses and other organisations that we go to help.
This income is not guaranteed and varies each year, whilst demand for our services grows. This is why creating partnerships with local businesses is essential to ensure we can continue to provide all our invaluable services and expand our reach throughout the county to as many people as possible.
Recent demand for our services is increasing from teenagers to pensioners and business owners and people from all walks of agricultural and horticultural life. We are now working hard to enhance our offering to more people in need than ever before, and the costs of providing such a crucial support network sadly continue to rise.
There are so many ways in which your business could help LRSN to continue to this vital support throughout the county. Choose LRSN as your charity of the year, help to provide lots for our annual auction, hold a company charity event, help to sponsor LRSN events or activities or volunteer for us, offer us your services or expertise. Partnerships between LRSN and our business friends are fundamental to our fundraising strategy and help sustain all our services.
We are extremely grateful to the businesses who have partnered us for many years, supporting specific events, sponsoring our services, or just helping us raise awareness of our activities, which in turn helps others to raise money and organise fundraising events. There are many benefits to working with us, like helping to improve your Corporate Social Responsibility and helping to boost staff morale and local awareness. Helping a charity close to home ensures that you see first-hand the impact your team and your business make on your local communities.
Graham Main, Managing Director at Peacock and Binnington, long standing supporters of LRSN, agricultural dealers in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire says “The farming and associated trades relationship is not just one of custom, it’s one that goes hand in hand with great friendships. Our LRSN association has enabled us to support those friends in their time of need, our contribution to a local charity for local farmers has always been close to our heart.”
LRSN provides a lifeline to members of the agricultural and horticultural communities and allied industries. The LRSN helpline (0800 138 1710) is available from 8am – 8pm every day, fully trained volunteers are at the end of the phone ready to listen, there is also a helpline email helpline@lrsn.co.uk for those who don’t feel confident to pick up the phone.
The LRSN vision is that no one in Lincolnshire’s agricultural and horticultural communities should face difficulty alone.
Thanks to the generosity of farming customers and supporters, the nursing support at Melton Mowbray Market will shortly be able to provide simple ECG heart health tests for farmers.
The Melton & Belvoir Agricultural Society, which organises the annual fatstock show and sale and the Market itself today presented cheques totalling £3,070 to the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (“LRSN”) help pay for the additional equipment.
The LRSN provides a nurse at the Market on a fortnightly basis in a free unit shared with the Farming Community Network and this can provide an early warning system for farmers who often fall through the NHS net. The nurse already provides blood pressure and cholesterol checks alongside a friendly chat and makes referrals if there is anything of concern. The addition of the simple ECG machine will only add to their ability to spot a problem or allay farmers’ concerns.
Hugh Brown, CEO of Melton Mowbray Market, said:
“It is clear that the nursing support at the Market is highly valued by our farming customers and they have generously donated to this cause.”
Jonathan Thompson, Chair of the Melton and Belvoir Agricultural Society, said:
“The Society acts to promote agriculture in the region for this and future generations. As a result of a generous donation, we are delighted to support the LRSN nurses at Melton Mowbray Market.”
LRSN said:
“We are extremely grateful for the support of the Melton & Belvoir Agricultural Society, the Market and their members. The LRSN nursing team offer a vital service to the farming community, and we are excited to be able to add this new test to our offer. We know that many in the farming community struggle to prioritise their own health over the health of their business, stock or crops, so it’s important that the LRSN nurses are able to offer accessible routine health screening.”
Given the ongoing inflationary pressures facing farming businesses, there is an increasing trend in assessing alternative ways to farm more effectively, managing the relentless rise in costs.
Contract Farming Agreements (CFAs) are becoming an increasingly attractive option for farmers, offering a flexible and more cost-effective approach to agricultural production. These agreements allow landowners and contractors to share responsibilities, risks and rewards while maintaining independence and control over their businesses. The agreement also allows the farmer to retain certain tax status and reliefs where applicable.
In a typical CFA, the landowner retains occupation of the land and provides resources such as buildings and fixed assets. The contractor is responsible for the operations and typically provides the machinery and equipment. At the end of the cropping year, profits are shared according to a pre-agreed formula, typically after paying a basic return to each party for their contributions.
For landowners looking to reduce their involvement in hands-on farming, or those without the capacity to manage operations, CFAs offer an alternative to generate income while preserving long-term land value. It also provides additional benefits from professional management and economies of scale.
For contractors, these agreements offer access to additional land without the need for substantial capital investment or costly tenancies. They also enable business growth by increasing scale and spreading costs across a larger area.
CFAs require careful planning and legal oversight. Clear terms on profit-sharing, decision-making, and dispute resolution are essential to ensure a successful partnership.
Brown&Co manage over 25,000 hectares of land on Contract Farming Agreements and have an in-depth knowledge on the systems required to implement and manage these ventures. The coverage of land allows up to date benchmarking figures to compare the financial and operational performance of a business against industry standards or peers, serving as a vital tool for identifying areas for improvement and enhancing overall efficiency.
Contract farming agreements are well-placed to support further collaboration, innovation, and cost saving resilience in a changing economic and environmental landscape.
ADM Agriculture has very generously funded a new clinic in the north of the county that will be hosted by Peacock and Binnington at their Brigg (DN20 8NR) and Corringham (DN21 5QP) depots. The clinic will be fortnightly, alternating between the two venues and will offer a free health check to anyone involved in the agricultural and horticultural communities. Just like all LRSN clinics there is no need to book an appointment, our nurses will be available from 10am – 2pm on clinic days. Whether it is a blood pressure check, a look at your cholesterol or you are just looking for some general health advice, our nurses are always happy to help.
For details of the clinics visit
We have teamed up with Woldmarsh Producers once again to run our annual golf day. We’re incredibly pleased to be going back to Elsham Golf Club on Friday 16 May, after such a successful event in 2024 we hope to see another great turn out of teams and supporters for this year’s competitions.
For more information about supporting the 2025 Golf Day or to enter a team, please email sarah.poucher@lrsn.co.uk
The Chairman’s Drinks Reception and Charity Auction held in October was a fantastic occasion raising over £21,000 to help support the LRSN’s frontline work. We were delighted to welcome over 200 guests to the evening, an evening which took on a new format for the 25th year. We saw a slightly smaller live auction and a very exciting silent auction that created a competitive bidding frenzy right up to the last second.
The evening was a celebration of not only the past year but the past 25 years of LRSN, so we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and supported us during the auction and those who have supported LRSN over the past 25 years.
Following the success of the social events we held at the markets during our 25th year, we decided to host them once again. Lincolnshire County Council and the Rapid Relief Team, Stamford kindly supported us by buying your breakfast bap for you! Members of the LCC team came along to both Louth and Spalding to share information about their services, this was a great opportunity for market visitors to ask any questions. We were delighted with the increased interest in the health checks at these events, our nurses were certainly kept busy all day, while the market visitors took the opportunity to chat with LRSN representatives and made all three days extremely enjoyable socials.