Farmers Apprentice presenter looks forward to bootcamp

A familiar face to many TV news viewers, Philippa Hall will be presenting this year’s Farmers Apprentice competition. Here she explains her farming story and shares some tips for those looking to break into agriculture

It’s hard to truly pinpoint when it was I became interested in farming.

In fact it’s probably more accurate to say I always have been interested (I was known as Philippa Strawberry Tractor when younger), but I only realised how much I was in the last five years. I have a great full-time job at Sky News that’s rewarding in many ways. But there’s always a regular pull from my urban environment to green pastures.

My family has a dairy farm in the Midlands. It was built about 40 years ago and we’ve owned it for roughly half this time. Over the years I’ve learned a bit about cattle, milking, crops. Some of it has come from the farm – some from reading magazines such as Farmers Weekly. But I’ve got plenty more to learn.

The steepest learning curve for the whole family has been over the last few years. About two years ago, we reached the point so many dairy farmers have recently reached where it was either sell up, or invest and build a new dairy unit.

In short, the cows needed better welfare: the cubicles were too small, the barns too dark with low roofs, the yard losing some of its traction. We’ve changed to deep litter and have also altered the old buildings to add more light and air. But we knew there was a limit to the improvements, which still wouldn’t be good enough for the longer term. So as a family we decided to stay in the dairying business and build a new unit.

I say “we”, because it was a joint decision between my parents, my siblings and I. We’re set up with a farm manager and my dad holding the business reins, so it wasn’t the same type of succession chat that other more hands-on families have because my dad hasn’t got the appetite for the £3m development. Therefore, it is going ahead because my siblings and I agreed to take it on.

The biggest challenge we’ve had with the development has been great crested newts, all protected by EU law. The five amphibians that have been discovered have delayed our development by about 18 months.

It’s added thousands to the project just to move them and thousands more to our loan repayments because the Agricultural Mortgage Loan rate has changed in that time. Working out what the newts are costing us is scary, when our overall desire is to increase the welfare of 200-plus cows.

Another great learning curve for me has been my involvement with Farmers Apprentice. The competition was launched by Farmers Weekly in 2012 and I was part of the team lucky enough to be at bootcamp for a week at Reaseheath College. This year it’s back and we’ll be filming at bootcamp, which takes place at Easton and Otley College near Norwich, from 20-25 July. I can’t wait.

For the 10 finalists attending the week, it’s an incredible fast-track introduction to the industry. Some of them are involved in agriculture already, but they tend to have knowledge in one area. The week-long bootcamp is a fantastic experience; they get some great mentoring from leading industry figures, make superb contacts – and there’s a £10,000 prize on offer to the winner.

We can’t cover “the lot” in the tasks we do, but when people see that everything from developing smartphone apps and brands to facilitating access to farms for children and developing new proteins to feed cattle is part of the same industry, it showcases the possibilities for those wondering if there’s more to farming that tractors and manure. Those watching the online series later in the year get to see the breadth of what it takes to be a part of this industry.

Since filming two years ago, I’ve had a few people from non-farming backgrounds ask me about tips on a career in agriculture. If your family isn’t in farming and you don’t know anyone who farms, you’ll need to network and read. I suggest, as well, that they look at the Open Farm Sunday website. The event has already happened this year, but it will show farmers not too far away who are willing to engage with the public. Ask for a regular visit/chat so you can get an idea of the changes that happen across the year, or even across the years.

Ideally, get practical experience, too. I live in London for my journalism job but, on top of my trips to the dairy farm, for the past two-and-a-half years I’ve worked part-time on a vineyard in Surrey to get my “outdoors” fix and learn about a new crop across the seasons and years. If you want to meet more people in the industry head to an agricultural show. There’s a calendar of events on the Farmers Weekly website. Similarly you could build a relationship with a farm vet. They’re exposed to multiple farms and farming characters, all with different approaches.

Lastly, read. Start with a publication like Farmers Weekly to keep you up to date with the news and what could affect you. It’s a global industry with bureaucracy from Europe (around 40% of the EU’s budget is spent on the CAP).

Also take notes of organisations mentioned in articles that interest you – you may decide you want to work for them. Research them online and on social media sites – a lot of farmers and agricultural businesses are now on Twitter.

Oh, and don’t forget to catch Farmers Apprentice later this year – the coverage will be in Farmers Weekly and you can watch the highlights online. It’ll be very exciting.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait for bootcamp. Although not even I know the tasks that the finalists will be set yet.