NEWS
Dinner tickets selling fast - Applications for tickets for the club's annual dinner should be made to the secretary sooner rather than later. Already more than half the tickets have been booked. There's a limit of 120 at the Salhouse Lodge on Wednesday, March 25, when the trophies and prize cards will be presented by the BBC's health editor Hugh Pym. Tickts cost £42, please apply to the secretary - michaelbpollitt@btinternet.com or text 07852 718342. All requests wil be acknowledged. [12/02/26]
New president elected - Welcome to a new club president. Sir William Cubitt was elected at the 184th annual meeting and was nominated by the retiring president, George Gay. Sir William's family have been involved with the club through the successive generations since 1841, when the club was founded. A new chairman, Jason Cantrill was elected as well as William Love as vice-chairman. See full report - Meetings and Reports, (left)
[12/02/26]
New year, new members. A warm welcome to five new members of Stalham Farmers’ Club – husband and wife Jo and Jamie Bennison, Peter Medler, who is running operations at Billockby Hall Farms for Henry Alston, Joe Buxton, of the East Norfolk National Farmers’ Union branch, and Gordon Paice, who joined Ed Wharton based at Stokesby. New members always welcome to join the country’s oldest farmers’ club. [15/01/26]
A welcome return for club member and industry leader Emily Norton. It was eight years ago that she addressed mmbers as she was about to start her 2018 Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Almost six months ago, on June 1, she became chair of the Agricultural & Horticultural Development Board. It has a budget of about £50m, paid by farmers and food processors, and employs some 370 staff. Although notionally working just two days a week, she has thrown herself into the challenge of helping the industry survive and prosper in these challenging times. For full report – See the Meetings report tab on the left. [15/01/26]
Memorable farm visit - A memorable visit to one of the country’s largest tractor collections was made by members in June 2006 by invitation of the late Paul Rackham. After lunch at the Angel, Larling, a tour of the impressive beef enterprise on the 1,800-acre mainly arable Manor Farm, Bridgham, was a further highlight. Members were briefed by Philip Dale, which included a welfare-friendly cattle handling system. A chance to look at the 200 or so vintage and veteran tractors, which had been acquired and repaired by Mr Rackham since his first purchase in 1951 of an International Farmall for £250 was appreciated. In total, the collection had expanded to about 600 tractors, including 73 Fergusons bought from John Moffat. They sold for more than £2m in 2015.
Suffolk-born Mr Rackham, who won a place at the new Norfolk College of Agriculture at the age of 14, made, lost and re-made fortunes over his hugely successful career. When he started Thetford-based Anti-Waste and Waste Recycling in the early 1980s, the group was later sold for £500m in 2003. Mr Rackham, who died on Wednesday, January 7, aged 89, is survived by his wife, Sheila, and four children including son Paul.
Private family funeral.
[10/01/26]