To help farmers think and debate with one another and hear views from across the industry including outside their immediate circles (the day-to-day pressures of running a farm work against thinking space).
To provide a vehicle for their views to be heard by policy makers and key decision makers in from relevant entities (e.g. water companies, food retailers) and visa versa.
To give farmers an opportunity to build managed relationships with environmental groups and the public away from the ‘heat’ of the political realm and social media.