Learn how to host a productive first family meeting with these 10 essential rules. Perfect for tackling succession planning, improving communication, and securing your family farming legacy.
Read MoreAbout Mike
I work with farming families, rural businesses and charities at the points where getting it wrong costs the most: handing on the farm, working through a family disagreement, or steering an organisation through change.
The thread running through all of it is curiosity. I want to understand how a family or a business actually works, and why it is stuck, before I suggest anything. That is usually where the practical answer comes from, and it is how many of the projects in my case studies below got moving again.
Succession is at the centre of what I do. I chair The Succession Alliance, a network supporting farming families through succession, and I am CEO of The Family Mediation Trust, a family mediation charity based in Norfolk. I have been looking at how farms pass between generations since my Nuffield Scholarship in 2008, which studied the next generation of farmers.
That mix matters. Most succession advice focuses on tax and legal structures, and those are important. But the plans that stall usually stall because the family hasn't had the conversation yet. I facilitate those conversations, from a first family meeting through to an agreed way forward, and work alongside your solicitor, accountant and land agent rather than replacing them.
I'm also CEO of Offa, a new online network that helps farmers share land, livestock and opportunities (more on that below).
I also sit on the Legal Services Consumer Panel and the Family Mediation Standards Board complaints panel, and I was nominated for Mediation Advocate of the Year at the National Mediation Awards 2026.
Alongside succession, I still help farms and rural businesses with diversification, grant applications and business planning, and I support small charities with governance, leadership and growth.
If you're not sure whether I'm the right person, call me for an informal chat on 07720 496510.
The thread running through all of it is curiosity. I want to understand how a family or a business actually works, and why it is stuck, before I suggest anything. That is usually where the practical answer comes from, and it is how many of the projects in my case studies below got moving again.
Succession is at the centre of what I do. I chair The Succession Alliance, a network supporting farming families through succession, and I am CEO of The Family Mediation Trust, a family mediation charity based in Norfolk. I have been looking at how farms pass between generations since my Nuffield Scholarship in 2008, which studied the next generation of farmers.
That mix matters. Most succession advice focuses on tax and legal structures, and those are important. But the plans that stall usually stall because the family hasn't had the conversation yet. I facilitate those conversations, from a first family meeting through to an agreed way forward, and work alongside your solicitor, accountant and land agent rather than replacing them.
I'm also CEO of Offa, a new online network that helps farmers share land, livestock and opportunities (more on that below).
I also sit on the Legal Services Consumer Panel and the Family Mediation Standards Board complaints panel, and I was nominated for Mediation Advocate of the Year at the National Mediation Awards 2026.
Alongside succession, I still help farms and rural businesses with diversification, grant applications and business planning, and I support small charities with governance, leadership and growth.
If you're not sure whether I'm the right person, call me for an informal chat on 07720 496510.
The Succession Alliance
I founded and chair The Succession Alliance, a UK-wide, not-for-profit partnership that gives farm succession a unified voice.
The Alliance doesn't work directly with families. It supports a network of independent succession experts (facilitators, coaches, consultants and mediators) who do, and it champions an approach to succession that looks after the family and the individuals as well as the business and the tax position.
Its work includes a free resource library of blogs, research and Succession TV videos, workshops for farming businesses and support organisations, talks at conferences and events across the UK, and a directory of trusted succession experts.
The Alliance is a partner of the CLA, offering CLA members specialist mediation for the difficult conversations around land, property and business succession.
As Chair I host the International Succession Symposium, bringing together practitioners, researchers and farmers from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The second symposium is provisionally set for 27 January 2027.
Find out more at successionalliance.com, or get in touch with me directly.
The Alliance doesn't work directly with families. It supports a network of independent succession experts (facilitators, coaches, consultants and mediators) who do, and it champions an approach to succession that looks after the family and the individuals as well as the business and the tax position.
Its work includes a free resource library of blogs, research and Succession TV videos, workshops for farming businesses and support organisations, talks at conferences and events across the UK, and a directory of trusted succession experts.
The Alliance is a partner of the CLA, offering CLA members specialist mediation for the difficult conversations around land, property and business succession.
As Chair I host the International Succession Symposium, bringing together practitioners, researchers and farmers from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The second symposium is provisionally set for 27 January 2027.
Find out more at successionalliance.com, or get in touch with me directly.
Offa: The Rural Network
I'm CEO of Offa, a new online network that connects farmers to share land, livestock and opportunities beyond their usual contacts.
Too many grazing and land arrangements still depend on who you happen to know. Offa lets farmers create a profile showing what they have and what they're looking for, find land or livestock that fits their timing and system, and move from first contact to agreement while keeping control of what they share and when.
It works for seasonal, short or long-term lets, putting cover crops and winter ground to work, bringing livestock back onto arable land to rebuild soil health, and finding opportunities that fit alongside SFI. Offa also offers micro-grants of up to £500 for farmer-led ideas that strengthen local farming communities.
Offa is live in Norfolk and recruiting landowners and livestock keepers across the county, with plans to roll out county by county across England and Wales.
Find out more and join at offanetwork.org.
Farm and Rural Business Consultancy
Charity Consultancy
Blog
3 min read
Gifting a farm can be a complex process with hidden costs, such as capital gains tax, stamp duty, and transaction fees. It's important to understand the full cost of gifting a farm to ensure the long-term success of the business. This blog explores the different factors to consider when gifting a farm.
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3 min read
Conflicts within a family farming business can be challenging, but they can also be resolved through effective communication, clear roles and responsibilities, and a willingness to work together. Follow these top tips to minimize conflicts and ensure the success of your family farming business.
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3 min read
Expert analysis on why the older generation in England's family farms refuses to deal with succession planning, including research and case studies
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"We are already very grateful for Mike’s support in coaching and advising, but even more importantly, working on the financial planning and forecasting just when we needed it, drawing on his extensive experience in rural development. He continues to play an important part of our professional team to call on when needed."
Case Studies
Real projects with farming families, rural businesses and charities across Britain.
As founder and Chair of The Succession Alliance, Mike has built a UK-wide network of independent succession experts working to a shared, people-first approach to farm succession. The Alliance has become a trusted partner of the CLA, giving CLA members access to specialist mediation for the difficult conversations around land, property and business succession. Mike also hosts the Alliance's International Succession Symposium, bringing together practitioners, researchers and farmers from the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The Succession Alliance and the CLAFarm Succession, Partnerships, Mediation
Mike is CEO of The Family Mediation Trust, a Norwich-based charity that has been helping families reach agreements without going to court for over 42 years, with phone lines for Norfolk and Cambridge. The Trust has merged two charities into one, expanded regionally and developed new services, including child-inclusive mediation, inheritance mediation, post-agreement mediation and professional practice consultancy for mediators. It is an award-winning Legal Aid Provider of the Year and administers the Ministry of Justice's £500 mediation vouchers for eligible families. Mike measures client feedback on every closed case, and under his leadership the Trust's Net Promoter Score has risen quarter on quarter to 48, alongside growth in the charity's reserves.
The Family Mediation TrustCharity, CEO, Leadership, Mediation
Mike worked with Rebecca and Stuart at Old Hall Farm for over 18 months, starting when they had just seven cows and an idea for a farm shop. He wrote the business plans, drafted the planning justification statement and helped the family secure grant funding. The farm shop and café went ahead, the herd grew and the business now sells raw Jersey milk.
Old Hall FarmPlanning, Grant Support, Farm Retail
Shropshire dairy farmers Linda and Roger Edwards wanted a new income stream to reduce their reliance on milk sales, but their grant application and planning approval had both stalled. Mike was brought in to get the grant application moving, and it was secured for a new campsite. He then took the planning application through to approval, and the campsite build went ahead.
Linda EdwardsTourism, Planning, Grant Funding
Tim and Sue wanted to open a farm shop, bakery and café at Long Crendon Manor. Mike was asked to build the business case for their loan application to the AMC, using benchmarked data and local research to prepare a full set of financial projections. The loan was secured. While the proposal was being drafted, Tim found that talking ideas through with Mike helped keep the business focused and decisions sound. The bakery and farm shop opened, followed by the café.
Long Crendon ManorBusiness Planning, Mentoring, Loan Application
Blackheath Farms had spent over a year reviewing its water security and gaining planning consent for a new 150,000 m³ reservoir on its farm on the Suffolk coast. Project delays meant the window for Productivity Grant funding was tight. Mike was asked to write the grant application and support it through the process with the RPA. The project secured 40% grant funding and the reservoir went into construction.
Blackheath Farms LLPIrrigation, Productivity Grant, Suffolk
The Department for Education commissioned a feasibility study into the proposed purchase of a farm for a specialist free school in Kent. The job was to test the proposal properly: reviewing the business plan, talking to the people involved, and setting out the advantages and risks of buying the farm. Mike led a small team combining technical expertise with practical farming experience to give the Department an impartial, well-evidenced appraisal to base its decision on.
Department for EducationFeasibility Study, Specialist Free School, Kent
