Welcome to Andy Guy Consulting

Bespoke Consultancy Services for Sustainable Food and Farming Management

Specialist Advice

Arable & Upland
Beef, Sheep, Dairy & Poultry
Vegetables & Potatoes
High Value Specialist Crops

Meet Andy Guy

Expert in Sustainable Food and Farming Management

Andy Guy Consulting is a modern consultancy company offering sustainable food and farming management advice to farmers and food businesses. With a personal and friendly approach, we aim to provide bespoke, professional consultancy services tailored to your specific needs and challenges. Our goal is to help you achieve sustainable and profitable outcomes in the ever-changing agricultural industry, leveraging our expertise and industry recognition.

What I Specialise In

Facilitation for Family Succession Meetings

Integrated Farm Management and LEAF Marque

Business Reviews and Strategic Planning

Conservation Advice and Schemes

New Entrants

Producer Groups, Cooperatives and Retailers.

Training, Workshops and Bespoke Courses

Start your journey towards sustainable farming and food management today. Schedule a consultation with Andy Guy Consulting.

"Andy was really impressive from start to finish, and I would have no hesitation in whole heartedly recommending them. Andy has an innate ability to be able to understand both the business and us as directors, and was able to use this to provide comprehensive, useful and practical advice. He helpfully challenged our thinking, delivered what we wanted (on time and to budget too, which you don't normally say about consultants!), and as a result we feel re-energised and confident that we too can achieve what we want to, which in today's farming climate, is a rarity. We would definitely use him again, and recommend you do the same!"

James and Emma Loder-Symonds, Nonington Farms Ltd

Discover Sustainable Food and Farming Insights

Had a wonderful evening in Lincoln Cathedral for the Festival of Chaplaincy dinner. Thanks to @lindsayrubie from @HSBC_UK for the invitation and the company. Excellent evening raising money for good causes!

I wonder what @janethughes is thinking today? Janet put her heart and soul into the co-design of the #SFI and, whilst it wasn’t perfect, it was one of the best agri-environment schemes we’ve seen for a long time. To close it, especially at such short notice, is another Government gaff, IMHO

After a great day at the @isleofwightfarmingconference I’m onboard the @wightlinkferry ferry. A well planned and informative event which attracted a sell-out crowd of farmers. It was worth every minute and a privilege to be invited to speak. #backbritishfarming🇬🇧 #sustainablefoodandfarming #sustainablefoodandfarming @robynmunt @esteephillimore @clairerobinson99

The #IsleofWight farming community are gathering at @EastAftonFarm for the @IsleofWightFarmingConference, today. There’s a real buzz in the air! #backbritishfarming @wightruralhub #sustainablefarming #sustainablefoodandfarming @nfulife #farming #farminglife #sustainablefarmingincentive #farminguk #farminguk

I’m very pleased to be one of the founding members of the @succession_alliance, striving to help farming families tackle the difficult conversation about farm business succession. It’s not just about reducing the burden of #APR & #BPR or creating legal structures. It’s about what the individual family members want from the business and that’s sometimes the hardest part. How to initiate that conversation and how to ensure that everyone is heard. #farmsuccession #farmsuccessionplanning #iht @nfumidlands @nfulife @countrylandandbusiness @rhonda_thompsont40 @backbritishfarmingnfu @__emma28 https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/business-management/succession/farm-succession-support-offered-by-new-not-for-profit-group

I’m driving down to the #isleofwight on Wednesday 26th Feb for the #IOWfarmingconference2025 which takes place the following day. I wonder whether there are any farmers along the route who fancy a chat about sustainable farming and their business or how to talk about family farm succession with their relatives. No charge except for a nice cup of coffee! #100cupsofcoffee @wightruralhub

It’s great to hear David Fursdon opening the #lincsfarmingconference2025 talking about his experiences of succession in his own family farming business. family Strategy Meetings with third party experts to guide the meeting, beginning long before the matter becomes urgent. As a fully trained Family Meeting Facilitator, perhaps i’m the right person to help facilitate your family discussion? #succession #farmsuccession #farmsuccessionplanning #lincolnshirefarmingconfererence

There are a few things that I'm passionate about. I'm very passionate about #sustainablefarming and I love to #givealittleback" by delivering the farm business module at @ntu_ares. I like to walk the talk too and I sometimes like to cycle into Brackenhurst. It's a weather thing.... I'm not a #mamil or willing to brave the worst of the weather but it's refreshing to cycle in on a bright spring morning and it lifts my mood. #cycling #cycletowork #bike #biketowork #healthylifestyle #livelongandcycle #sustainableliving #carbonfootprint #treadlightly

What a thought provoking, informative and inspiring day I’ve had at the LEAF Conference in London, today. Highlights included Dr Douglas Gurr from the Natural History Museum talking about Climate Change, Nick Evans, from Oxbury Bank, and Grace O’Dwyer, from HSBC, explaining why each, in their own way, are supporting LEAF farmers with discounted banking and Sarah Bradbury, from the IGD, speaking about the food chain and the way it is tackling Carbon emissions. Lots to digest but a great day! #sustainablefarming #sustainablefood #backbritishfarming🇬🇧 #farming #britishfarming🌾🚜🇬🇧

Well, what an amazing couple of days at #ofc25 the Oxford Farming Conference! Some inspiring speakers and fantastic conversations not to mention the surroundings which were beautiful.

I’m looking forward to my first visit to the Oxford Farming Conference, in January. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to finally get there!
I’m wondering whether there is anyone driving down to Oxford on Wednesday 8th who might be willing to share a car? I’m very happy to contribute towards the cost.
I’m based near Newark, in Nottinghamshire but would be pleased to meet up somewhere convenient if that would help?
Got to be a good idea to reduce travelling costs and #carbonfootprint hasn’t it?

Trying to keep the conversation with the consumers, in Newark, positive but encourage them to write to their MPs, I helped local farmers give away carrots and hay for the reindeer to nibble on Christmas Eve. Great support from passers by and some really good conversations with councillors and journalists too. Hopefully, Government will begin to see that the farming community isn’t going to give up on the battle over APR/BPR and National Insurance hikes that threaten to cripple their businesses. #BackBritishFarming #stopthefarmtax #sustainablefarming #sustainablefarminguk

I’ve been invited to join a panel at the Isle of Wight Farming Conference in February, next year, to discuss the changing landscape of Farm Support and how farm businesses can maintain or improve the sustainability of their farms. Could be an interesting session! #sustainablefarming #farming #isleofwight #IoWFarmingConference #backbritishfarming🇬🇧 @wightruralhub

A small holding for a start-up business? @Warwickshire_CC are letting a farmstead and adjoining land in two lots and it might suit a new entrant or a grazier looking to consolidate? You’d need a plan though. Perhaps I can help? I’ve worn the new-entrant wellies & know the feeling!
I’m happy to have a chat, without charge or commitment, with anyone thinking about this farm or others. #firsttimefarmers #firsttimefarming #farminglife #farmlifeuk #farminguk #backbritishfarming #FBT

Somewhat eclipsed, in the Budget, have been some other important proposals, apart from #APR #inheritancetax. A tax on imported fertilisers, and increase in employers #nationalinsurance contributions and a change in the VAT on double cab pickups are, perhaps the biggest. All these need factoring into farm business plans so that farmers can make informed decisions and yet, according to AHDB, only 19% of farm businesses have a written business plan. With the changing farm business environment, perhaps now is a really good time to make sure that your business is fit for the future? AHDB offer guidance about writing a business plan, on their website (https://ahdb.org.uk/business-planning/writing-a-business-plan) but many farmers prefer to use an independent consultant, like me, who can undertake a strategic review of the business and help you write a really powerful business plan. Is now the time to call me for a chat? 07738 121883 andy@andyguyconsulting.co.uk

There numerous great reasons to adopt sustainable farming techniques but @hsbc_uk have added another! Farm businesses who complete the @leaf_farming LEAF Sustainable Farming Review and works towards LEAF Marque can get a discount on the arrangement fees for certain financial products from the bank. There is more information about the deal on the HSBC website and, as a LEAF Endorsed Consultant, I might be able to help you complete the LSFR and smooth out the journey towards LEAF Marque. Feel free to give me a call if you think it might be useful? 07738 121883, andy@andyguyconsulting.co.uk https://www.business.hsbc.uk/en-gb/solutions/hsbc-sustainable-farming-pathway#:~:text=The%20HSBC%20Sustainable%20Farming%20Pathway%20enables%20eligible%20LEAF%20Marque%20certified,when%20applying%20for%20applicable%20products.

With farmers reeling from the announcements in the Budget, last week, perhaps it’s time to have a conversation about succession? Many families find this a painful topic to broach so employing the services of an experienced & fully trained facilitator might be the answer for you? I can will manage the discussion, ensuring that everyone is heard. I will make certain that all the important issues are discussed and I’ll help your family reach an agreement about how you want to pass the assets and control of your farming business to the next generation. A telephone call to discuss how I can help costs nothing so why not pick up the phone or send me a message? 07738 121883, andy@andyguyconsulting.co.uk or DM. #successionplanning #farmsuccession #agriculturalpropertyrelief #apr

Well, the photo just about sums up the season! I’ve been on farm in Essex, today. No winter cereals in the ground & little prospect of drilling in the near future. I’m a little puzzled why my wellies seem to be different heights though, Hmm? Is my right leg sinking into the clay? #farmadvisor #wetweather #backbritishfarming #britishfarming

In the 1990s, I was a #newentrant into farming. I started out on a 65 acre County Council holding which I quickly out grew!
I’ve recently been working with an ambitious couple who are trying to find their own way onto the farming ladder.
They have submitted their tender for a County Council farm, this morning, and we’ve had so many Zoom calls and phone calls over the last fortnight, as they crunched their numbers and composed the words for their submission.
We were still talking at 8.30 and again at 10.30 this morning (Sunday) before their deadline of 11.00am but I feel privileged to be the consultant that they have trusted to help them and I’ve done my best to support them as they’ve developed their business plan.
I’ll have to charge for my time but I won’t be greedy because this wonderful industry needs new blood, like the couple I’ve been helping.
#farmbusiness #farmbusinessconsultant #firsttimefarmers #sustainablefarming #backbritishfarming #sustainablefoodandfarming #farminguk #regenerativeagriculture #britishfarming

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun,
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’s cottage trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until the think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o’er brimm’d their clammy cells.

When many County Councils have cashed in their farming estates, it’s good to see that Wiltshire County Council still have farms to offer. Symonds & Sampson are advertising this one in @farmersweekly this week.
Having started my own farming career on a @gloucestershirecc holding in the 1990s, I understand the importance of these holdings. I quickly outgrew the farm I started out on and graduated to an FBT on a privately owned farm, in Nottinghamshire, where I farmed for the next decade before launching my consultancy business in 2010.
Why the long story? Because it explains why I am so well placed to help farmers and new entrants prepare really strong tenders for farms like this one. I’ve worn the wellies and walked the fields, myself, and I can help to write a practical and realistic plan.
If you, or somebody you know, are looking for some help to prepare a business plan to tender for this farm or another one, perhaps a call to me might be worthwhile? andyguyconsulting.co.uk 07738121883

Bumble-Bird mix looking a picture in #Nottinghamshire today. #SFI has its critics but it’s providing funds for some great work on farms. Used strategically, it can be a great addition to the farm conservation plans.

I’ve come across an ambitious young man who’s trying to start in #dairyfarming. He’s been renting land & rearing his own dairy heifers, hoping to find a farmer who’d consider a partnership/sharefarming/tenancy. He’s funded by @OxburyBank and supported by me. Ideally Cheshire/N Wales and surrounding counties but open minded and willing to consider relocating further afield. Any takers? Cow pic just to catch the eye, aren’t they beautiful? #backbritishfarming #newentrant #dairyfarming #dairyfarminguk #firsttimefarmers #farming #farminguk @cla_north @wainwrighthelen @nfunorthwest

Harvest is well underway in #Nottinghamshire after a shocking autumn and winter. Farmers will be pleased to see the back of this growing season and they’ll be looking forward to a better year in 2024/25. How’s it going where you are? #harvest24 #harvest #wheat #wheatharvest @fendt_ukireland #fendtideal10t #combineharvester

I am often asked where I live and whether I can provide my services to farmers in far flung parts of the UK. I actually live in Nottinghamshire, close to the A1, M1 and A46 which give me great access to the road networks and allow me to travel anywhere. I was recently given a scratch card map of the UK and so I spent a few minutes locating some of the clients I have worked with recently. No names mentioned, just approximate locations. I’ve had clients as far South as Jersey and as far North as Banff. In the West, I’ve been close to Lands End and near Dover on the East. I’ve even worked on Germany and the Czech Republic, although the map doesn’t reach there! No where is too far away and the advent of Zoom means that we can have face to face meeting efficiently while keeping the costs to a minimum. I love my job and I love the great farming businesses and the people I meet. If you’d like to have a chat about my services and how I might be able to help you, I’d welcome a message or a call! #LEAFMarqueOptimisation #FamilyMeetingFacilitation #StrategicFarmReviews #BusinessBudgetting #SustainableFarmingAdvice #RedTractorCompliance #FarmBusinessStartupAdvice #FarmDiversification #SuccessionPlanning

Most forms of transport, dating from 1973, have been consigned to the scrap heap. Today, I have travelled on a 51 year old machine that is still in daily service, performing a vital transport function. It’s not the hardy Ford 4000! Answers in the comments if you know what the machine is and where I am! #vintage #vintagevehicles #whereami #1973 #ford4000 #ford5000 #fordtractor

Now here’s an interesting opportunity for somebody. I know this farm and @gamewildlifeconservationtrust and can recommend this job to anyone looking for a new challenge in farm management. https://www.allertontrust.org.uk/staff/jobs/

That’s been a great first day @groundswell_agriculture meeting old friends and making new ones, networking with clients, past and present, learning and debating. There was even time for some great food and beer! Looking forward to the rest of the evening and another top notch day tomorrow! @jessmighall @susieshoots @leaf_farming @leaf_education @noningtonfarms @farm.school.emma @chris.manley777 @no1farmerjake @jim.egan.1426 @archie_graham23 @joe.w.stanley #sustainablefarming #regenerativeagriculture #regenag #sustainablefood #sustainablefoodsystems

What other industry can hold an annual conference(festival) where thousands of delegates attend the night before the event begins? There’s a buzz about farming at the moment, farming systems are evolving and farmers are looking for ways to adapt and develop their businesses in response to changing climates, markets and attitudes. @groundswell_agriculture is a fantastic event and I’m looking forward to the next two days, mixing with like minded people.
#sustainablefarming #sustainablefoodsystems #sustainablefoodandfarming #backbritishfarming #britishfarming #leafmarque #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativefarming #regenfarming #groundswell

Today is 9th June 2024 and it’s @openfarmsunday! It’s the day when dozens of farmers will fling open their gates and welcome tens of thousands of people to see how their food is produced and how farmers care for the environment. I want to wish every host the best of luck for the day and hope that the farmers and their teams of volunteers, as well as their guests, have a fantastic time. 🐔🐷🐮🦆🦋🪲🐾🌱🌾🍏🍞🥩🧅🥔🚜 #backbritishfarming #sustainablefoodandfarming #farminguk #lofs24 #ofs24 @leaf_farming @leaf_education @nfulife @nfumidlands @rhonda_thompsont40

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}

Follow us on Instagram

@andyguyconsulting

Welcome to Andy Guy Consulting

Meet Andy Guy

What I Specialise In

Discover Sustainable Food and Farming Insights

​

Follow us on Instagram

Get the Latest Sustainable Farming Tips