Norfolk’s farm secretaries look back over their association’s 40-year history

Our agricultural landscape is always evolving. Seasons vary, yields and prices fluctuate, technology marches forward and generations of farmers come and go.

But throughout 40 years of change there has been at least one constant – the person at the heart of each farming business who keeps the wheels turning, and the profits accounted for.

As the Norfolk branch of The Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and Administrators (IAgSA) celebrates its anniversary, it is a chance for its founder members to reflect on the extraordinary changes they have worked through during their careers.

But it is also a time to look ahead to the challenges of finding, inspiring and training the next generation of administrators to take on what has become a highly specialised, multi-skilled and responsible role.

When the national body was incorporated in 1967, the traditional farm secretary was effectively a book-keeper, often working from the landowner's kitchen table.

By the time the Norfolk branch was founded in 1974, the introduction of VAT had become the catalyst to make the secretarial role more professional, with the paperwork burden taking the job beyond farmers and their partners.

But in 2014, the title of 'secretary' hardly covers the exhaustive range of administrative duties – from confidential payroll, personnel and pension documents to subsidy claims, insurance policies, machinery contracts and Health and Safety forms.

Then there's digital mapping and the legislative cropping, nitrate, and livestock records which form part of the traceability of the food chain, turning data into vital information on farm performance.

Diversification added a different set of demands, requiring administrators to know about tourism, livery yards and property rentals.

Meanwhile the new online applications for payments under the EU's reformed Common Agricultural Policy have offered yet another challenge for rural business administrators who must become expert in every aspect of rural industry.

And as most are self-employed they must also deal with the complications of working for several companies and adapting to different business models and computing systems.

Alison Cranmer, chairman of the Norfolk branch committee, said IAgSA offered an important forum for discussing changes in legislation, and provided training days and opportunities for members to share knowledge and mutual support.

'We are one of the bigger branches in the country and we are very positively supported within our own county,' she said. 'Whatever legislation is brought out we have to implement that. Next year comes the automatic enrolment pensions, so we suddenly all have to become experts in that.

'Where VAT was a big push at getting professional help into the office, now this pension scheme is going to be a massive burden for all small farms, and hopefully we can be the back-up for them.'

Mrs Cranmer, 47, was previously an administrator in a different industry before beginning her agricultural career by accepting a part-time job at Hardingham Farms, between Wymondham and Dereham, after her family moved to Norfolk.

She said: 'From that, I heard about someone needing maternity cover and from that it just snowballed and you build up a client base.'

The career path was more direct for founder member Helen Lawson, 69, from Tharston, near Long Stratton, who works on farm at Diss and has been a farm secretary for 50 years.

'I was lucky that I came straight out of college and into a job which implemented everything I had been taught,' she said. 'I worked for an estate in South Norfolk where there were three dairy herds and lots of arable land. I earned £6 a week – and £3 of that went on board and lodging.

'But I had a broad base, which set me on the right track and was my stepping stone to going self-employed later on.

'My father was a farmer, so farming was in my blood and I just knew that it was something I wanted to do. I have always enjoyed it all of my working life. All the different farmers have different ways of doing things. You would be asked to do all sorts of jobs, including the baby-sitting and even walking the dog.

'The job has changed tremendously. But we all enjoy what we do, and this is a job that is very flexible around families.'

Margaret Vale, 58, from Aldeby near Beccles, was the youngest founder member when she joined the institute at the age of 18.

She added: 'When I first started I was working for 16 farms. Since then, it has gone from using a calculator and a cashbook to using a computer.'

Jessica Mace, 37, who works in the Waveney Valley, said there many positives from such a demanding job.

She said: 'Sometimes they are long days and long evenings. It is a lot of give and take, but the farmers are so grateful for the support they get from it. You become more of a personal assistant – you are a confidante and confidentiality is extremely important to all of us.'

Norfolk branch secretary Lindy Cooper, 47, said the organisation was always trying to attract new members – and to find them routes into a very complex and independent role.

She said: 'There are a lot more people out there who could be members who are not aware of us.

'I don't think farm secretary is a very good description any more. It is a highly specialised service and we don't really get the recognition. It has become a quite sophisticated, involved and responsible job, and you have to be able to work on your own initiative.

'We want to try to encourage younger people to come into the business, so if there are people who are going to college or young farmers thinking about this kind of career, then we want to encourage them to come forward.'

For more information about joining the Institute of Agricultural Secretaries and Administrators contact norfolkiagsa@gmail.com.