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Vocational training by those involved in small land‐based businesses can lead to innovation as transferred knowledge may be applied to make marginal changes to enterprises or, in some cases, a major reorganisation of resources within a business. The purpose of this paper is to explore how knowledge is disseminated in personal business networks and how this is used in a very traditional industry.

A synthesis of three interrelated concepts, those of knowledge, social network structure and trust in relationships, provides the basis for a tripartite model of knowledge transfer. Through conducting in‐depth interviews, data are collected on each aspect of the model to map the structure of personal business networks, to provide qualitative data on the type of relationships that exist within these and to whom knowledge has been transferred.

The emphasis on innovation through loose ties or the role of the outsider may not be an appropriate model for small land‐based business. With the pre‐dominance of strong ties and low flows of information, these businesses are unlikely to change either quickly or easily. Radical changes to business structure imply a more costly and focused intervention than the current emphasis on project and programme based support for rural businesses.

Creating a snapshot of knowledge transfer occurring in small land‐based businesses provides valuable insights into the flows of information within a business and how training is deployed. However, a longitudinal study would deepen understanding of how cumulative knowledge transfer is practically implemented.

Applying social network analysis to small businesses to examine knowledge transfer is in itself innovative, particularly as the research draws upon a peer‐group of businesses enabling some comparisons to be made.

The purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of how and to whom knowledge is transferred from training to practice.

Through recognising the interrelationship between knowledge, social network structure, and relational trust, social network methodology is applied to examine the importance of farmers' social networks in the process of knowledge transfer after engaging in learning through vocational training. The paper shows a synthesis of knowledge, social network structure and trust in relationships provides the basis for a tripartite model of knowledge transfer for which data was collected by conducting in‐depth interviews. Using social network analysis this data maps the personal business networks of individuals that have participated in training explicitly detailing to whom knowledge has been transferred.

The paper finds that farmers combine training with their tacit knowledge and through discussions with their family, and in some cases with professional contacts, new knowledge initiates various degrees of change within businesses. The familial, social and emotion attributes of business relations may determine the extent that knowledge is transferred in to practice.

Creating a snapshot of knowledge transfer provides valuable insights into the flows of information within a business and how training is deployed. Furthermore, it provides pointers that to improve the injections of knowledge into small land‐based businesses requires more focussed intervention than is currently emphasised on programme based support schemes.

The paper shows that applying social network analysis to small agricultural businesses to examine knowledge transfer is in itself innovative, particularly as the research draws upon a peer‐group of businesses enabling some comparisons to be made.