Calling all agriculture students

Farmers Weekly’s search for two new student columnists is under way, but hurry – there are less than three weeks left to submit a winning entry.

Columnists Lizzie Jennings and Steve Mears will hand back the reins of “College Calendar” at the end of this academic year, giving two new writers the chance to chart the highs and lows of life as an agriculture student.

Like in previous years we’re looking for people with a natural writing style who can document student life in an informative and amusing way, but this time around we’re also looking for something extra.With Twitter, Facebook and blogs becoming increasingly popular, we especially want to hear from people who are web-savvy and a dab hand at social networking – whether it’s downloading the latest app on your smartphone, shooting a short video and uploading it to YouTube or setting up a Flickr photo gallery.

Anyone starting college or university this autumn will be eligible to apply and applicants can be following any agricultural, countryside or land-based course. Students already part-way into a course and returning to continue their studies will also be considered.”I get recognised quite often, which is bizarre, but still feels exciting,” says Lizzie Jennings, who has been writing for College Calendar for the past two years.

“I often get asked about my lambs, and there’s even been a couple of offers of marriage! I’ve never kept a diary and I’m terrible at remembering to take photos, so this has been a great way of keeping a record of the last two incredible years.”

The students we take on will earn £50 a month which could be useful for topping up the student loan, buying books or getting in a few rounds at the bar. The position will also be a unique addition to the CV when the inevitable job hunt comes around.

How to enter

1. Write a 500 word column on the subject “A career in the countryside”. This could be about why you want to be a farmer or work on the land, or the best things about working in the great outdoors.
2. Write a paragraph or film a short piece about you – where you are from, your farming connections (if you have any) and what you are going to be studying or, if you started at college in a previous year, what course you are already studying.
3. Send entries to fwfarmlife@rbi.co.uk. They must be received before Friday 27 August to be considered.