Discounted prices may be one advantage of joining Southern Farmers, but it’s by no means the only benefit of signing up.
The renowned agricultural buying group, which works with farmers and landowners across Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, has earned a reputation for providing much broader support to its members.
“Southern Farmers operates more like a community than a buying group,” explained managing director Brigitte Fifield. “Our members know that we are here to help, and they get in touch on all manner of issues if they think someone out there can lend a hand.
“As an example, on occasions we have had members who have an issue with their water supply ring in to ask us if we know anyone in their area who might be able to lend them a bowser. It’s that kind of community spirit that sets us apart from most other companies of this kind.”
For farmers who generally work alone, ringing in to make an order can offer a chance to hear a friendly voice as well as an opportunity to save money by taking advantage of the 1,200-strong group’s impressive buying power.
“One of our members said to me at the annual meeting that when he calls in to talk to the office it makes his day because everyone here is so cheerful,” commented new chairman of the board Lee Maitland, who took over towards the end of March.
“That friendly reputation is something that I am keen to make sure the team continues to build on as it is vitally important to the way we operate.”
That focus on delivering a friendly, personal service is also the reason why Southern Farmers is not out to play the ‘numbers game’. While membership has increased steadily over the years, the group is determined not to scale up to the point where that focus is in danger of being lost.
“All the time we can continue to develop that kind of close relationship with each and every member, we will continue to grow the group, but if we ever feel we are too busy to give members the time they need, we will closely monitor new signups,” explained Brigitte. “That’s always been our philosophy, and it’s allowed us to deliver a service we are proud of.”
The same focus on personal relationships applies to suppliers, too, and means that Southern Farmers members receive not just discounted prices but good service. Businesses benefit from being on the company’s suppliers list as they know they will get paid in full and on time.
Those close links are particularly useful when there are potential supply issues with a product. Fertiliser is a case in point at the moment. Although prices have dropped, strict rules around transportation and the volume of orders placed have made deliveries an issue.
“It’s an area where our close links with suppliers can mean our members get what they need. Trying to negotiate on your own in such circumstances is much more difficult,” explained Brigitte.
In general, Southern Farmers works with a limited number of suppliers in each category, allowing it to negotiate the best possible discount across virtually every product or service that farmers and landowners could need.
“We don’t supply groceries, although we have suppliers who can sell you a fridge to keep them in,” commented Brigitte.
From stationery to silage wrap, animal feed to fencing materials, mobile phone contracts to roofing sheets and tractor tyres to fertiliser, Southern Farmers members know that they can get a good deal and swift service using the buying group’s carefully selected list.
Other areas where members regularly take advantage of good rates include machinery hire, skips, aggregates and ready-mix concrete, along with veterinary products, where prices can be significantly cheaper than those available from other sources. Southern Famers also benefits from having two suitably qualified person (SQP) in the office, Sarah Tester and Abi Sommerville, who can discuss potential treatments as well as supplying products.
On average, three or four new members join the group every month, and each one of them is visited by one of the Southern Farmers’ directors. “It’s not to vet the new member but to welcome them aboard, make sure they understand the breadth of what we offer and get to know a little bit about their business and the kind of service they are looking for,” explained Brigitte.
As new chairman Lee explained: “It’s always a pleasure to spend some time chatting to new members, learning about what they do and making sure they will be able to get as much out of their membership as possible. It’s always been a part of the director’s role I really enjoy.”
Southern Farmers currently has nine directors but is actively looking to recruit more. “We need to make sure that we have directors in a good spread across our area so that we can continue to meet and greet all our new members right across the patch,” Brigitte said.
One vacancy that will be difficult to fill is that of Chris Bishop, who first served as a director of Rother Valley Farmers more than 30 years ago (“He can’t remember exactly when he joined,” Brigitte said). He continued in that role with Southern Farmers when the two organisations merged in 2000, along with East Sussex Farmers.
“He has served Southern Farmers incredibly well for over a quarter of a century and he will be missed,” said Brigitte. It is the input from people like Chris, together with the history and origins of the group, that has prompted Brigitte to consider asking an archivist to research and write the story one day. “It’s just an idea from a member at the moment, but it would be an interesting story,” she said.
The buying group, which consists of 12 people plus Brigitte at the helm, has moved into new territory in the past year by taking two men into the ranks. Famously, although purely coincidentally, an all-female affair until recently, it now includes Rhys Tuppenney and Angus Sherriff in the accounts team led by manager Jan Dickerson.
The purchasing team that uses its expertise to find the best deals for farmers and is renowned for going the extra mile in offering support and advice when needed, continues to be expertly led by Rosie Wickham.
The part played by the team is a major factor for many of the 1,200 members who now benefit from Southern Farmers, with members regularly pointing out how important the service on offer is.
“Each member of the purchasing team has a farming background of some kind, and they have all gained additional experience while doing the job, and that can be invaluable, particularly when helping newer members,” explained Rosie.
“Often, members who are tackling a large project and need a range of products, perhaps for a building conversion, will give us their shopping list and ask us to get on with it,” she said. It’s also not unusual for one of the purchasing team to point out things they might have forgotten or suggest alternative ways of tackling a project.
“We are there for our members, whether they need us to find an unusual product, source a competitive price or just give them a bit of feedback on the best way to tackle something,” Rosie went on.
While members can just visit a Southern Farmers supplier and claim the agreed discount, as listed in the comprehensive directory given to members, many will ring in and ask for the team’s advice or help, particularly when they have a large shopping list or value a second opinion on the best way to tackle a project.
“Being a member of Southern Farmers means never having to ring round several suppliers to check out the best price then repeat that exercise for everything on the list,” explained Brigitte. “Our members just have to make one call to the office, give one of the team the list and then get on with their day job.”
And while the purchasing team saves time at the start of the project, the accounts team comes in for just as much praise at the end of it, when farmers are sent just one invoice listing that month’s purchases that are all highlighted on a comprehensive statement.
“There’s no scrabbling around in the bottom of the truck trying to find random receipts from a range of suppliers to match up against numerous invoices,” explained Jan Dickerson. “Everything is there, set out clearly and ready to be settled with a single payment.”
The accounts team also checks the invoices before forwarding them to the member, and has even been known to raise, and solve, queries before the member even knew there was a problem.
A new accounts system that has been operational since October 2022 has made life easier for members as well as for the team. Members who ask for a copy of an invoice or statement can have it emailed to them within minutes, with filing cabinets long since a thing of the past.
There is, inevitably, a cost to be a member of Southern Farmers, but calculations show that anyone spending more than £5,000 a year on agricultural supplies will find themselves well in pocket. “Given that we supply everything from fuel and fertiliser to chemicals, electricity and even water, it would be difficult to find a farmer who isn’t spending much more than that,” Brigitte pointed out.
The fee of £125 a year will rise to £150 in October, while there is an admin fee set at a minimum of 95p but capped at £25 per invoice.
Lee Maitland recalled one real life cost-saving example from a local farming family. “A young farmer phoned a supplier direct to buy fuel, while his father bought fuel the same day but went through us. When they compared notes that evening, the son discovered that he had spent 11p more per litre on a large quantity of fuel,” she said.
Another benefit enjoyed by some members is that aggregate companies that need ‘as dug’ chalk cleared from the quarry often advertise it to members for the cost of delivery only, with no charge for the product.
Members also enjoy free advertising of their own ‘for sale’ items on the Southern Farmers website and newsletter, while suppliers have their own portal through which they can upload special member offers and discounts.
