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Know How / Young farmers

Whether you’re an agricultural student, a new entrant, a young farmer hoping to get your first tenancy, or working on the family farm, you can find out what’s going on in the young farmers’ community here. Hear from other farmers about how they got their foot on the farming ladder, get advice on careers, hear from our former Young Farmer of the Year, Josh Dowbiggin in his column and find out about events for young farmers.

Young farmers

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YOUNG FARMERS

Jacob Anthony: Tell consumers about issue with imported meat

I’m sure I'm correct in imagining that the majority of us continuously strive to ensure that the land we farm is left in a far improved state than how we…

YOUNG FARMERS

Search for new young farmer FW columnist – could it be you?

Do you have strong opinions and don't mind sharing them? Got thoughts on how agriculture needs a shake-up to bring in fresh faces? Fancy yourself as an ambassador for the…

YOUNG FARMERS

Cumbrian Young Farmer named Member of the Year 2019

A £10,000 project to educate young farmers about the dangers of drink and drug abuse has helped Cumbria YFC's county chairman Eamon Monaghan win NFYFC’s Senior Member of the Year…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young Farmers to vote on NFYFC’s 50% levy increase plan

Young Farmers will have their say on a proposal to increase their membership levy by 50% at the national federation's AGM this weekend. The controversial motion, which amounts to members paying…

YOUNG FARMERS

Jacob Anthony: Vital we remember farms aren’t playgrounds

I'm usually quite an upbeat character who tries to see everything with a "glass half-full" attitude. But I'm becoming extremely fed up and frustrated by the constant battle that we…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young farmers to hit Blackpool for unofficial AGM weekend

Thousands of young farmers are set to party hard in Blackpool this bank holiday weekend (3-5 May), in spite of their official big weekend being scrapped. The Annual Convention had…

YOUNG FARMERS

Welsh young farmer to take on 24-hour shearing marathon

A super-fast shearer from Wales is set to swap speed for endurance as he attempts a mammoth 24-hour Shear-A-Thon to raise cash for a charity close to his heart. Owen…

Young farmers community

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YOUNG FARMERS

Young Farmers to vote on NFYFC’s 50% levy increase plan

Young Farmers will have their say on a proposal to increase their membership levy by 50% at the national federation's AGM this weekend. The controversial motion, which amounts to members paying…

YOUNG FARMERS

"Party's over" – YFC members react to Convention being axed

Young farmers have reacted with anger and sadness at the decision to axe the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) Annual Convention for good. After 50 brilliant years, the…

YOUNG FARMERS

7 things not to miss at the 2018 NFYFC Annual Convention

There are only a few days left until thousands of Young Farmers rock up in Blackpool for the 2018 Annual Convention – three days of celebrating everything that makes YFC…

Events

Farmers Apprentice

Farmers Apprentice aims to help young people from all walks of life get a foot on to the farming ladder. See more on the ten young apprentices who have been selected to take part in a bootcamp.
Visit the Apprentice website

Careers

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

14 ways to make a good first impression with an ag employer

You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Farmers Weekly asks two top recruitment experts, James Trett and Stuart Goodinson, for their tips on how to wow…

FARMLIFE

Why you should consider a land-based apprenticeship

The opportunity to earn while you learn will be an appealing prospect for many young people. So what’s involved in a land-based apprenticeship and could one be right for you?…

FARMLIFE

8 secrets to progressing up the ag careers ladder

Getting your first job in the agricultural sector is a real milestone, but what does it take to get the next one and the one after that? If you’ve got…

Careers advice

From getting your first job in agriculture to maintaining your work skills and developing your career, we provide advice and insights.
Visit our careers page

Advice and tips

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BUSINESS

Business Clinic: Share farming v contract farming

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Georgina Sweeting of Savills advises on the pros and cons of…

FARMLIFE

Why you should consider a land-based apprenticeship

The opportunity to earn while you learn will be an appealing prospect for many young people. So what’s involved in a land-based apprenticeship and could one be right for you?…

FARMLIFE

8 secrets to progressing up the ag careers ladder

Getting your first job in the agricultural sector is a real milestone, but what does it take to get the next one and the one after that? If you’ve got…

BUSINESS

4 young farmers on setting up successful joint dairy ventures

Young farmers are successfully using joint ventures in the dairy sector as a way of developing their careers while increasing their net worth. Tony Evans, partner with consultant The Andersons…

Top tips for young farmer business success

Who better to pick up tips about farming than other young people who have “made it” in the industry? Packed into Europe’s largest underground building last week were more than…

YOUNG FARMERS

10 pieces of advice for young people starting in agriculture

Experienced entrepreneurs had plenty of advice for the next generation at the NFYFC Annual Convention (4-6 May), offering insights into farming’s challenges – and how to overcome them.  We asked…

BUSINESS

Podcast: Fertile Minds on finding and managing finance

New entrants to farming who turn to the bank of mum and dad for funding should always agree the terms in writing. This was the advice from John Hartwright of…

PARTNERSHIPS

Share farming: How it works and why it could reshape farming

If a quarter of farmers in England aged over 65 entered into a share farming agreement we could have nearly 8,000 new entrants working the land, according to Christopher Price,…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young sheep farmers share tips on year-round lamb marketing

Britain’s next generation of sheep farmers are taking the lead in promoting home-grown lamb as a healthy and sustainable choice for shoppers. These young industry representatives – aptly named “lambassadors”…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Tips for agriculture students on securing financial help

So you’ve decided what you are going to study and where – next comes the question of how you are going to pay for it. While students can get loans…

BUSINESS

Podcast: Fertile Minds on planning your diversification

Farmers should look beyond sources of agricultural funding when seeking finance for diversification, the fourth Fertile Minds Roadshow in York heard last week. Young farmers at the roadshow, heard from…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

How to find help to fund agricultural career development

Agriculture may be the fastest growing subject at UK universities, but studying is expensive, with most universities charging tuition fees of £9,000/year – and then there are living expenses to…

Photos and video

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YOUNG FARMERS

Video: A day's lambing with FW's Young Farmer of the Year

Lambing 2019 has been a relatively straightforward affair for Farmers Weekly's reigning Young Farmer of the Year, Jacob Anthony – a welcome relief after tough and bitterly cold season last year. The…

YOUNG FARMERS

Video: Is this farming's most unusual new entrant?

Philosophy graduate Sam Robinson, who was raised in Oxford, would seem a pretty unlikely new entrant to farming.  But with no industry knowledge or background, the 27-year-old moved to the…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Farmlife Framed: Lambing, low temperatures and little farmers

One of the highlights of the farming year, lambing season is a challenging but joy-filled time for Britain’s farmers. As lambing 2019 gathers pace, our amazing readers have been sharing…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Farmlife Framed: Wintery weather and livestock newborns

Winter is a great time to get out on the farm for a spot of photography. With a chance of snow, bare trees making for intriguing silhouettes and perhaps a…