Cumbria’s farming community, often referred to as the backbone of the region’s rural economy and cultural heritage, continues to experience challenging periods of profound transition and uncertainty. Since the summer edition, one of the most pressing challenges has come from the climate. Whilst an enjoyable summer for most people in terms of the prolonged dry, warm, if not hot weather, the lack of rainfall and cooler temperatures has seriously impacted on arable farmers. There is no easy solution as we are not a nation built around irrigation channels to assist, yet the outcome for many farmers will be a poor harvest or significantly lower crop yield, and we know where the impact will be felt – at the supermarket till in the months ahead.
It’s challenging times like these when farmers need to keep thinking one step ahead, be entrepreneurial and devise a means to generate more income from their land to supplement when conventional income streams become less reliant, especially due to factors, such as the climate, are beyond their control.
Over the years, Enterprise Answers has supported numerous farmers with simple, flexible finance where conventional lenders have been less willing with many borrowers embracing the fact we are a face-to-face local lender making local decisions based on old fashioned judgmental principles. In fact, some farmers have returned for additional finance to scale their enterprises citing their coming back to us as “being easier to deal with” which compliments our ‘keep it simple’ approach to lending.
Farmers across the county have obtained finance from Enterprise Answers for a variety of purposes, such as tenant farmers who have required capital to purchase in-going stock. It is not unusual where banks have asked us to assist in this manner whilst they provide the bank account with a nominal overdraft. Tenant farmers have come and gone across the region with finance provided to one to relocate into the Eden area from South Yorkshire and another to leave the same area to take on a new tenancy in Northumberland.
Tenant farmers will find accessing finance slightly more challenging than landowners due to the lack of tangible security, yet Enterprise Answers is (and the only one based in Cumbria) an accredited lender of the British Business Banks’ Growth Guarantee Scheme which enables the lender to allow more flexibility to borrowers who lack security for their requested facility. Utilising the scheme enables us to be more supportive of those marginal propositions where security shortfalls or confidence in the borrower may be an issue.
But landowners too have benefitted from finance including one in the Eden Valley to build a new barn, another in the Brampton area who used our finance to convert redundant outbuildings in to holiday cottages, generating income which has now for them, become an important and reliable source of income to bolster the revenue they receive from their sheep holding. Another Lancashire based farmer has used our finance to upgrade their food manufacturing equipment, increased productivity thus generating an uplift in revenue, all made from the milk produced from their own dairy herd.
Which is exactly what we did when a tenant farmer requested bank finance to acquire a Friesian dairy herd to boost yield productivity and turn the farm back into profit. The bank didn’t believe it would work, turned them down & they obtained the finance from Enterprise Answers – in roughly a year, the farm was back in profit, and they proved a point – farmers know what they are talking about which is where the value of our face-to-face approach gains merit.
Our commitment to Cumbria’s agricultural community was further highlighted at the recent 2025 Cumbria Farmer Awards, where Enterprise Answers proudly sponsored the Special Recognition category. The honour was presented to Gillian Potts for her decades of support to young farmers and agricultural shows, a testament to the values of dedication and community spirit that Enterprise Answers seeks to uphold.
The awards evening, dubbed Cumbria’s “rural Oscars,” celebrated the passion, skill, and resilience of the region’s farmers. From sustainability champions to innovative diversifiers, the event showcased the breadth of talent and determination within the sector. Enterprise Answers’ involvement as a sponsor not only reinforced our support for farming excellence but also highlighted our role as a trusted partner in the region’s rural development.
As Cumbria’s farmers continue to grapple with economic pressures and policy shifts, the need for responsive, locally rooted support has never been greater. Enterprise Answers stands out as a beacon of hope — offering not just funding, but belief in the future of farming. Our work ensures that Cumbria’s agricultural legacy is not only preserved but re-imagined for generations to come.