Farms need youth more than ever
Know what an iPod is? Like the band Franz Ferdinand? Familiar with the internet? If you can answer yes to these three questions, farming needs you.
Our industry needs young people like never before – people with up-to-the-minute training and skills that will see British agriculture prosper in the years ahead. This time next week more than 3000 members of Young Farmers Clubs will converge on Torquay for their annual convention.
Many of the youngsters gathering in Devon will be single-minded about their desire to forge a career in farming and the countryside. They”ll all be passionate about our great industry. Ask any one of them and they”ll tell you that, given a chance, they”re up for the challenges ahead.
Tough times have prompted many young men and women to turn their backs on the land-based industries. They”ve opted for careers where the rewards have been higher and the hours shorter. But without a constant supply of youngsters bringing a modern mix of practical and theoretical acumen, farming will face a skills shortage in years to come.
The brain drain has gone on too long. Now is the time when the next generation must be recruited and retained. They must be offered first-rate college education and on-the-job training. They must be nurtured and inspired.
They, after all, are the people we all are relying on to run world-class businesses as the 21st century unfolds.
They are the future of farming. Succession planning is vital for individual farming businesses – and it”s every bit as vital for UK Agriculture plc. We ignore it at our peril.