Farming Talk: One-day show a shop window for agriculture
Today with the world population rising, pressure being placed on food production and physical working areas lost to development there is an ever increasing need for farming enterprises and agricultural knowledge to be disbursed to the wider community.
Today with the world population rising, pressure being placed on food production and physical working areas lost to development there is an ever increasing need for farming enterprises and agricultural knowledge to be disbursed to the wider community.
Shropshire is the biggest inland county in the country extending to 3,197 sq km and agriculture is the predominant land use – 86 per cent of the total area.
The Shropshire County Agricultural Show aims to promote the rural community to a wider audience and we are looking to that community to support us in 2012.
The West Mid Show has been held on the Berwick site in Shrewsbury for more than 110 years and financial support of the show, however small, is critical to its staying power, long-term future and success.
The newly styled one-day show which will be held on May 26 this year will act as a shop window for agricultural marketing and promote the ethos of 'gate to plate' with specific focus on the origins of food.
We are appealing to agricultural-based businesses across the county who are deriving an income from rural and agricultural clients. Supporting the Shropshire County Show, in whatever way you can, is going some way to putting something back into the rural community.
And if you cannot support us with sponsorship we hope to see you and your families there on the day.
As part of the West Midlands Agricultural Society's aim to support the wider community a special offer is available for small businesses. For £75 businesses can sponsor a class at the show and receive two sponsors' badges as well as the name of the business on the show literature – and they will be given a special mention as a sponsor on show day.
There are a number of packages available for larger businesses, going up to a £2,000 package which gives the business 25 sponsors' badges, a banner in the main ring, a full-page advert in literature and a meal for six on the day.
Mary Hopkins, general manager, West Midlands Agricultural Society
