Please note applications for this year鈥檚 CDP (Cereals Development Programme), hosted by Openfield and the NFU are now closed. You can register your interest for the next programme at any time by emailing Alastair Heinrich NFU Combinable Crops Adviser.
What is the CDP?
The programme will focus on providing the opportunity for members aged between 25 and 35 to gain an in-depth knowledge of the combinable crops sector, the vast array of stakeholders that rely on this foundation of food production and the significant work being undertaken behind the scenes to support growers.聽
鈥淚 want to help encourage the next cohort of the CDP to see that there is a future and it鈥檚 brighter than it might seem.鈥�
CPD Chair Thomas Matthews
The programme
This year鈥檚 programme offers a diverse and engaging itinerary.聽
Participants will visit both the NFU and Openfield headquarters, along with a trip to Westminster for a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament and the opportunity to gain insights from NFU officeholders about the NFU鈥檚 work on lobbying government.聽
The full agenda of events is below and takes place between late October 2025 and February 2026:
- Get to know your cohort and visit Openfield for insights into the business and a tour.
- Visit Portbury Docks and a local flour Mill to learn more about international trade and the bakery sector.
- Head out under the North Sea to learn about the production of Polysulphate at Boulby Mine.
- Tour the NFU's headquarters, meet the teams that support our members every day and receive exclusive training on lobbying, media interviews and how the NFU works on behalf of its members.
- Explore the supply chain and follow the trail of malting barley through beer production.
- Learn about the future tech for the sector at the John Innes Centre
- Meet your MP at the Houses of Parliament and learn how to help shape the future for your sector from the NFU lobbying experts and officeholders.聽
- Get international, as we head to Brussels to learn more about the work of the British Agricultural Bureau and the future of engagement with the EU.聽聽
Industry visits will guide participants through the entire supply chain 鈥� from intake to the production of the finished loaf of bread. Along the way, they will explore key areas such as research, development, and plant breeding through industry visits to Portbury Docks, the John Innes Centre, and other centres of innovation.
In addition to site visits, the programme will feature a series of guest speakers including researchers, politicians and sector leaders who will be sharing their knowledge and insights as we look to demonstrate what the sector has to offer.聽
Developing future leaders聽
The primary objective of the CDP is to support and accelerate the development of the future leaders of our sector. Our alumni includes the current NFU Combinable Crops Board Chair Jamie Burrows, Welsh Crops Board Chair Tom Rees and even a former NFU officeholder.聽
Many CDP Alumni have gone on to become regional and national Crops Board members, NFU officeholders, and influential leaders across the wider industry.聽
Ambition to learn more
CDP Chair and Dorset farmer, Thomas Matthews, shares his experience of the programme.
He said: 鈥淚 joined the last programme in 2023 as one of 15 young arable farmers with an ambition to learn more about the sector we work in every day. Agriculture is, in itself, a complex, extensive and somewhat daunting industry and getting to grips with where our farms fit into the system can be challenging. The initial hurdle to overcome is knowing where to start.
鈥淚 understand the pressure that many of my fellow young farmers face from day to day, I myself am a contract farmer for 425 hectares at 26 years old, trying to see opportunities in a somewhat gloomy world at this point in time.
鈥淎s Chair, I want to help encourage the next cohort of the CDP to see that there is a future and it鈥檚 brighter than it might seem.鈥�
