Farm youth exchange unites 15 nations across decades

Delegates from 15 countries came together for the 65th annual European International Farm Youth Exchange (IFYE) conference, sharing farming knowledge, building global friendships, and celebrating this year’s theme of “Farmers supporting farmers”.

The event, held at Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria, at the beginning of the month, gathered 95 delegates aged 20-92 from across the world, including the US, Norway, Estonia and France, to explore rural connections, exchange farming practices, and form global connections.

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2025 Young Farmer of the Year finalists

Founded in 1947, the IFYE programme began after the Second World War as a way to rebuild international relations among young people in agriculture.

It has since evolved into a global community of farmers sharing knowledge, culture and support.

To attend the European conferences, delegates must become IFYE alumni by completing an international exchange, either through Young Farmers or 4-H, an equivalent youth organisation in Europe and the US.

IFYE delegates at Beatrix Potter World © Helen Ramsay

Rotating host

Each year, a different country hosts the annual alumni conference bringing together past exchange programme participants.

Last year, Germany hosted, and next year, it’s Estonia’s turn.

This year’s theme of “Farmers supporting farmers” reflected the spirit of co-operation that underpins the organisation.

The event raised donations for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (Rabi), while the local Lowick Young Farmers’ Club ran the bar to fundraise.

Helen Ramsay, this year’s conference treasurer and an accountant for a rural estate, comes from a farming family and highlighted the network’s strong social value.

“The IFYE alumni community creates a network of shared knowledge and friendship.

“It’s knowing you have someone else to talk to if you go through a tough time.

“Even though we are from different countries, we often experience the same struggles,” she says.

One of this year’s delegates, Peggy Amos, a farmer’s daughter from Worcestershire, described the IFYE community as “an extension to the farming family”.

She says: “Sometimes you don’t see one another for years, but the minute you do, it’s like you’re back in a community.

“We are all in it for the way of life, being in agriculture is not just a job and everyone understands that regardless of where you are from.”

Farming delegates at J36 Auction Mart © MAG/Albie Matthews

Immersive experience

This year, the conference provided delegates with an immersive programme including visits to Beckside Dairy Farm, a live sheep auction at J36 Auction Market, and tours of historic houses, gardens, and local villages such as Coniston and Hawkshead.

A packed programme of social events featured themed dances and dinners, fostering networking and cultural exchange.

Sam Hawkes, Northern Ireland president-elect for IFYE and a 1995 Australia exchange alumnus, described the organisation as “a friendship organisation”.

“You can come on your own and be part of the family and take the great opportunities of networking,” he says.

“It’s educational, too. We visit other farms and see how other countries’ agriculture works. The opportunities are unbelievable.”

Anette Paulsen from Norway noted the variety of farming practices encountered on her exchange experience and subsequent annual conferences.

“It’s great to witness how we do things quite differently from country to country.

“Everybody is so welcoming to you when you are curious about the way they do things, which is great for learning,” she says.

Jenny Pettersson from Sweden shared reflections from her 1999 exchange in Australia.

“It was very different from Europe and Sweden.

“First of all, it was very warm and there were many other animals than what we have at home!”

She emphasised how living with farming families during the exchanges offered insights into rural life, often missed by shorter visits.

“It means a lot to build such strong connections in other countries and I love coming to the annual conferences to share our experiences together.”

Family tradition

Ruth Trail, from Seattle, US, has been connected to IFYE for decades, continuing a family tradition.

“Both my parents went on exchanges back in 1956. My father went to Nepal, and my mother went to Sweden.

“They met at a conference, and they were married for 64 years,” she says.

Ruth, who grew up on a wheat farm in Idaho, began attending European conferences in 2011.

“The connections are very, very important to me,” she says.

Her 1982 exchange in the Netherlands lasted six months, during which time she lived with seven host families across different provinces.

“I learned a lot about how they farm pigs, and that was amazing because that was what I was interested in doing. I saw how their slaughterhouses worked there.”

Ruth also noted differences in scale and crop types during her exchange.

“It was interesting to learn about the potatoes and the wheat, as it was in much smaller proportions compared to our 250ha farm,” she says.

She spoke of personal growth through the exchange. “I learned to become more flexible and that you just kind of let things go and go with the moment.

“I built the courage to go beyond myself to learn of the cultures and just take it all in.”

Ruth stresses the importance of shared perspective in isolated times.

“Getting a different perspective is really good for me to discuss and talk about, sharing what’s going on in our own countries.”

Ruth also describes the IFYE community as a “family community”.

“Whenever I travel in Europe, then I always have a place that I can go to. So it’s just like having more friends and family.”

She values how conferences held in different countries broaden cultural understanding through food, music, and dance.

“That’s the best thing, seeing that through your own eyes and taking it back and sharing it with your friends back at home.”

IFYE English organising committee in Anything Red party outfits © Helen Ramsay

Further information

Get more information about the European International Farm Youth Exchange, where you will find details of upcoming conferences, newsletters, and links to youth organisations in different parts of the world.