The start of a new year is a bit of a funny one as a farmer. It’s not a case of firing back up, naturally re-energised after switching off from work for a few weeks, but more of a continuation of the graft that goes on day to day, regardless of the recent festivities – a point I make as an observation rather than a complaint.

Without having the option of downing tools in the same way as others, it’s important for all of us in farming to give pause for thought about how else we can fire fresh spark to take on the months ahead, particularly when the early morning rounds to feed livestock pack a chill and everything feels that bit more of an effort.

The conditions at this time of the year can limit the work you can get done on the farm, depending on your business model, but repairs and paper work tend to become bigger draws on your time.

It is a time of the year that does come with a benefit – for those with lighter duties, there’s a greater chance to get off the farm and seek out inspiration or ideas to steady the cumulative strain of duty back home, and to even enjoy a boost in confidence and community spirit to inject positivity.

I’m really looking forward to the Yorkshire Farming Conference, being held by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and its farming networks for the first time, at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Wednesday 28 January.

You know how after Christmas, when you need something to get you through the winter?

I think conference season is a really good time to get together with the rest of the farming community, to meet old friends and make new friends, and the Yorkshire Farming Conference is going to be extra special.

It’s a very accessible price point, at £25, to attend and it brings together all the farming networks in the Yorkshire Agricultural Society – and there’s so many different facets to that, so it’s going to be a really interesting day to get together at the Showground.

We’ll be hearing from industry speakers who will talk about all sorts of farming topics, as well as enjoying the social side with lots of likeminded people who are all working through the same challenges back home.

Among those lined up to speak are farmers James Rebanks, David Exwood, Tamara Hall and Guy Poskitt – ‘farmer-to-farmer’ conversation is very much at the heart of this event.

The trade show, running throughout the day, is a brilliant part of what’s on offer.

There will be more than 50 farming and rural businesses and organisations represented, so if you’re looking to scope out a machinery or structural investment on the farm, get professional guidance on particular issues or would like to find out what support is available to farming families – the trade show is a one-stop shop.

I hope to see lots of familiar and new faces there. It’s going to a fantastic trip off the farm to re-energise, re-focus, resume friendships over lunch and make new connections, all inside in the warm with hundreds of others from the industry.

Wishing you and your families a happy new year.

Tickets, priced £25 + VAT, are available to purchase in advance only, online at yorkshirefarmingconference.co.uk

A discount is available for group bookings of 10 or more. Tickets can also be purchased in-person, subject to availability, from Russells farm machinery outlets in Boroughbridge, Eggborough, Malton and Northallerton.

Rachel Coates is a West Yorkshire dairy farmer and Honorary Show Director of the Great Yorkshire Show.