The Rural Business Research Unit
The Rural Business Research Unit at Askham Bryan College is part of Rural Business Research (RBR); a national consortium of six universities and colleges delivering projects for government, levy-funded research bodies, research councils and commercial clients. The research undertaken includes specific regional studies and national data collection and analysis.
The Farm Business Survey is the RBR’s main area of research and the Unit at Askham Bryan College collects data from approximately 270 farm businesses across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire. Undertaken annually, the Farm Business Survey, commissioned by Defra, is the largest and most extensive business survey of farms in England providing unrivalled information on the physical and economic performance of farm businesses.
The data collected is intended to serve the needs of farmers, government, government partners, farming and land management groups and researchers.
Participation in the Farm Business Survey is entirely voluntary and confidential. In return, participating farmers receive a free set of detailed management accounts with gross margin data for all relevant enterprises, comparative performance data by farm type and region complete with comparative gross margins for major enterprises and access to a Farm Benchmarking Service.
Head of Unit
Joe Bonner – 01904 772218
Senior Research Officer
Martin Riley – 01904 772321
Office Manager
Emma Heyes – 01904 772223
Research Officers
Beth Fewster – 01904 772219
Jonathan Grayshon – 01904 772219
Anne Green – 01904 772223
David Hildreth – 01904 772354
Simon Walton – 01904 772223
Oliver White – 01904 772223