Contract Farming Enquire Now Andersons has been involved in the development of Contract Farming Agreements since their earliest days in the 1970s. Over the decades, the principle of two or more farm businesses working together has proven its value time and again, and its relevance has only grown in today’s farming environment. While Contract Farming Agreements are well established in the arable sector, they are now increasingly popular in livestock and dairy enterprises too. When structured and managed properly, a joint venture can bring clear and lasting benefits, including: Continued involvement in farming with reduced day-to-day workload Income and capital taxation advantages Improved machinery and labour efficiency, lowering capital requirements Access to skilled people and expertise, ensuring long-term viability Opportunities for business growth, particularly for younger or expanding farmers Stronger buying power and improved marketing opportunities Lifestyle flexibility and work-life balance improvements The Andersons Centre has extensive expertise in setting-up and supporting Contract Farming Agreements. Our proven templates are widely regarded as the industry standard, and we have worked with a range of organisations to develop guidance materials that encourage successful joint ventures across UK agriculture. Want to explore a joint venture? To explore how a joint venture or contract farming arrangement could benefit your business, please contact our team for a confidential, no obligation, initial discussion. Key Contacts Oliver Hall Partner & Senior Farm Business Consultant Contract Farming Partner & Senior Farm Business Consultant Oliver is a Partner and Senior Farm Business Consultant within the Andersons Consultancy Team. He plays an active role in his own family livestock enterprise and also invests in several dairy businesses across the UK, giving him first-hand insight into the commercial realities faced by farmers. Oliver’s specialist skills include developing farming joint ventures such as contract and share-farming arrangements, as well as providing farm business management advice, budgeting support, and long-term strategic and succession planning. He undertakes detailed investment appraisals and loan applications, alongside coaching businesses in high-utilisation grassland systems. His dairy expertise covers infrastructure design, technical KPI development, and quantifying the financial benefits of performance improvements, as well as overseeing transitional and turnaround management. He also facilitates farmer-led dairy discussion groups. Outside of work, Oliver enjoys weekend farming. He also values time with his family and takes every opportunity to play sport and keep active. Qualifications & Experience 2021 - Partner, The Andersons Centre 2017- Senior Farm business consultant, The Andersons Centre 2014 –ILM- Lean Management In Dairy Farming 2010 - Co founder of Evolution Farming – Multi Site Pasture based dairy business 2009-2010 – Farm business consultant, The Andersons Centre 2008- Family farming partnership, West Yorkshire 2005-2008 – The Royal Agricultural College – Bsc (Hons) Agriculture Areas of Expertise Farming Joint Ventures, Contract Farming and Share Farming Farm Business Management and budgeting Farm Strategy and Succession Planning Farm Investment Appraisals and Loan Applications Grassland management Practical knowledge of farm management Anna Bowen Farm Business Consultant Contract Farming Farm Business Consultant Anna is a Senior Farm Business Consultant at The Andersons Centre, specialising in dairy consultancy and nutrient management planning. Her work encompasses financial, strategic, and technical advice for dairy farmers; succession planning and people management, benchmarking; facilitating a number of dairy discussion groups across England and Wales, and working alongside the research team on dairy projects. Anna is FACTS qualified. Prior to Andersons Anna spent ten years working for a dairy consultancy in West Wales and read BSc (Hons) International Equine and Agricultural Management and MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security at the Royal Agricultural College. Anna manages a spring block calving dairy farm through a contract farming agreement and grew up on a dairy farm in West Wales. She sits on the AHDB Dairy Sector Council as a farmer representative and from 2023 to 2025 was a Trustee of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust. Qualifications & Experience February 2022 to Present Day – Farm Business Consultant at The Andersons Centre Previously worked as a farm business consultant in West Wales Contract farms a 300- cow spring block calving herd in Ceredigion FACTS qualified RoMS accredited mobility scorer Approved Mastitis Control Plan and QuarterPro deliverer 2021 Nuffield Scholar- “Can the UK improve the ethics of its dairy calf management whilst retaining profitability?” 2019 Entrepreneurs in Dairying course 2017 Richard John Memorial Trust Scholarship, studied the sustainability of the Australian dairy industry 2016 MSc Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (Royal Agricultural College) 2014 BSc (Hons) International Equine and Agricultural Management (Royal Agricultural College) Fluent Welsh speaker Areas of Expertise Farm business consultancy and budgeting Business reviews and strategic planning Practical experience of farm management Dairy farming, particularly spring block calving Nutrient management planning (Farming Connect approved) Herd health Publications Bowen A. (2023) Cow Calf Contact: Dairy’s Ethical Future Interim Nuffield report investigating the prevalence of calf euthanasia on UK dairy farms Amelia Rome Farm Business Consultant Contract Farming Farm Business Consultant Amelia is a Farm Business Consultant at The Andersons Centre. She works with numerous clients across England, specialising in the arable sector. She provides services such as budgeting and cash flow monitoring, investment appraisals, borrowing proposals, contract farming agreements, grant applications, environmental scheme applications, and whole business reviews. Amelia comes from an arable family farming business in Cambridgeshire and holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Agriculture with Farm Business Management from Harper Adams University. Qualifications & Experience Joined The Andersons Centre in November 2020 BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Farm Business Management (2:1) Harper Adams University (2019 Graduate) Placement year was spent with Andersons Northern in Edinburgh Delegate at the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth 27th Agricultural Conference A continued involvement with the family farm business in Cambridgeshire. The farm enterprises include combinable crops, sheep and beef Areas of Expertise Experience in most aspects of lowland agriculture, but specialising in arable systems Practical knowledge of farm management Farming Joint Ventures and Contract Farming Technical Farm Business Advice Farm Strategy and Succession Planning Farm and Rural Grant Applications Business consultancy advice, budgeting and financial planning for agricultural businesses Accounts analysis; investment appraisals; business reviews; strategic planning and enterprise costings Paddy Denny Farm Business Consultant Contract Farming Farm Business Consultant Paddy is a Farm Business Consultant at The Andersons Centre, specialising in dairy and business management consultancy. He works with progressive farmers to strengthen financial performance, build resilient business strategies, and make confident investment decisions. His consultancy spans financial planning and analysis, technical and strategic support, investment appraisals, and preparing finance applications; all with a practical, commercially minded approach. Before joining Andersons, Paddy spent seven years in hands-on farm management, including running a Contract Farming Agreement in Somerset. This experience underpins his advice with real-world operational insight and a clear understanding of the pressures and opportunities within modern farming businesses. Paddy holds a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture with Animal Science from Harper Adams University and was awarded the RABDF Dairy Student Award. He brings a blend of analytical skill, sector knowledge, and practical experience to help clients navigate an increasingly complex and fast-moving agricultural landscape. Qualifications & Experience 2024 - Farm Business Consultant, The Andersons Centre 2023 - Contract Farming Agreement 350-cow organic spring block calving 2019 - Entrepreneurs in Dairying 2019-2023 - Manager of 500-cow spring calving dairy unit. 2014-2018 - Harper Adams University - BSc (Hons) Agriculture with Animal Science. Areas of Expertise Farming Joint Ventures, Contract Farming Agreements Farm Business Management and budgeting Farm Investment Appraisals and Loan Applications Grassland Management Organic Farming Practical experience of farm management.
