26.01.07
Cornish farms must act now to access remaining IT funding
 actnow,
the pioneering project led by Cornwall Enterprise to drive
the growth of broadband and IT in Cornwall and the Isles of
Scilly, is urging farms and smallholdings to apply now for
'accelerator' funding towards IT improvements,
as funds cannot be carried forward beyond 2007.
Following approval from the Rural Cornwall & Isles of
Scilly Partnership, the South West of England Regional Development
Agency invested further in actnow in 2006
so the project can increase its support to farms and smallholdings
in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The funding must be used
by the end of 2007, however, so time is now running out for
farms to receive help under the current scheme – not
just with broadband, but all kinds of IT equipment and development.
"As well as rebates on the costs of broadband,
actnow offers financial help of up to 40%
on IT improvements," explains actnow's
dedicated Agricultural Adviser Belinda Waldock. "So,
if your farm could benefit from farming specific software,
equipment to help you when you are out and about or a website,
then can you afford not to buy it now?"
Already, over 150 Cornish farms have benefited from the funding,
and on average actnow has given each £340
towards their IT investments.
Andrew and Jayne Jones live at Higher Trevallett Farm, near
Launceston. Andrew and his father, Roger, farm 450 acres growing
grass, fodder beet and cereals and keep up to 500 beef cattle.
Before coming to actnow, Andrew used to
do cattle registrations by post - a laborious process that
involved manually filling in the cattle passports and posting
them to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS). They had
an old PC, but no internet connection and most of their records
and accounts were handwritten.
After contacting actnow to connect to broadband,
they were visited by actnow's dedicated
agricultural advisor and received help and advice on what
IT products would help their farm, along with funding towards
a PC, a laser barcode scanner and farming specific software.
Andrew comments: "Being able to access the BCMS
website and use the laser barcode scanner is fantastic. We
can access all our cattle records online and organise and
manage them from there. The scanner eliminates the risk of
entering the wrong numbers. If you get passport details wrong
by mistake, you risk a penalty, so the scanner stops that
worry and makes the whole process smoother - we can update
movements much faster now.
"We find the internet a superb source of reference
when looking to replace any vehicle or machinery. I now automatically
go on-line to source and sell, e-mailing photos of our equipment
taken with our digital camera, also purchased through actnow.
The Defra, Fabbl and weather forecasting websites are easily
available for instant up-to-date information."
Jayne agrees: "As with most family farming situations
these days, labour is stretched and time valuable. We had
limited computer knowledge, however we found the application
process and the equipment purchased simple to use. We are
delighted with the funding that actnow gave
us towards our broadband connection and IT equipment. We would
not have made the investment without the support from actnow.
"Not only has this helped to move our business
forward, but the whole family has benefited - the internet
will be a tremendous source of homework reference for the
children, but for now, Harvey (6), and Oscar (4) recommend
the "Cbeebies" website for fun and games!"
David Rodda of Cornwall Agricultural Council says: "Farms
are already using modern technology in their farming practices,
but few are making the most of the additional opportunities
that IT could bring. I would encourage local farms and smallholdings
to contact actnow to find out what broadband
can do for your business."
Bill Holliday, Manager of the Rural Cornwall and Isles of
Scilly Partnership, which played a crucial part in securing
actnow's additional funding for farms,
adds: "The funds are available to promote growth
in Cornish farm businesses and we want to ensure that the
take up is maximised to develop a dynamic and sustainable
rural economy."
Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership,
says: "This project gives rural businesses a unique
opportunity to invest in IT and its deployment. Maximising
digital applications will make rural and agricultural businesses
increasingly competitive in the digital economy of the twenty-first
century."
If you run a farm or a smallholding in Cornwall and the Isles
of Scilly and would like information on how actnow
could help you, call 0800 800 935, email info@actnowcornwall.co.uk,
or visit www.actnowcornwall.co.uk.
For further information please contact Emma Lydon of actnow
on 0800 800 935 or email Emma.Lydon@actnowcornwall.co.uk.
The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the
Isles of Scilly has invested in actnow through the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural
Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).
Editor's notes:
The actnow programme is a demand-led initiative
to encourage businesses in Cornwall to gain the support they
need to move into the broadband economy. It is one of the
largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall
since Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly was granted Objective
One status by the European Union in 2000.
The £20 million pound project is part financed by the
European Union through the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee
Fund (EAGGF). Other project partners include Cornwall Enterprise,
the Objective One Partnership Office, BT, the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South West of England
Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council, Business
Link Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall College and Rural Cornwall
and Isles of Scilly Partnership.
The Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership is an
independent partnership that administers funding from Defra
that is distributed through the South West of England Regional
Development Agency and is for improving the productivity of
rural businesses under the Modernising Rural Delivery scheme.
Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439
cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk
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