From the editor: Raise a glass to a much-missed summer show season

Anyone who has taken part in a virtual dinner party via Zoom or another video platform during lockdown (I realise I am showing my age with that comment), will know that while there is a good time to be had in reconnecting with friends, the buzz of sharing a drink or laugh in person cannot quite be replicated.

So while initiatives such as our own livestock show competition can provide a great opportunity to showcase much sought-after stock to a wider audience, it is often the camaraderie and social elements of the show season many will miss.

For farmers, that takes on an added significance as, given the nature of the industry, summer shows and events offer an often rare opportunity to mingle with friends and colleagues in a setting which explicitly celebrates the industry we are so proud of.

Many shows will no doubt be back stronger in 2021, with the advances in digital communication brought about and hastened by Covid-19 presumably being a much more fundamental part of their future strategies.

But however far technology may have come, it will be that personal connection many will relish re-establishing the most.