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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: Our chance to build hope for new entrants

What's your definition of a farmer? In my opinion, first and foremost, a farmer is someone who produces food by using the land. This can come either from growing crops…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young farmer Hannah Jackson in SAS: Who Dares Wins final

Young farmer Hannah Jackson has battled her way to the final of TV's SAS: Who Dares Wins – a show that puts ordinary people through a number of punishing military…

YOUNG FARMERS

Young Farmers Festival: Everything we know so far

Farmers Weekly is planning a Young Farmers Festival, a unique new event to do one thing – bring Britain's incredible young farmers together for a celebration like no other. The…

YOUNG FARMERS

The ag student who’s living his farming and pro rugby dreams

Agriculture student Harry Sprague is tailoring his college and sporting timetables to realise his dreams of farming while also playing rugby at a professional level. The 17-year-old is dedicating his…

YOUNG FARMERS

Ben Theaker: Itching for a new farming adventure abroad

To kick off the new year I travelled to Madingley Hall near Cambridge after being accepted for the John Forrest memorial award. This three-day communications course is specifically aimed at…

YOUNG FARMERS

Josh Dowbiggin: My 5 tips to help you achieve more this year

One of my resolutions was to be more organised and make better use of my time (easier said than done). I am the type of person who goes through phases…

YOUNG FARMERS

Jacob Anthony: Time for us young farmers to make our mark

As we update the calendar in the kitchen from 2018 to 2019, it’s important that as young farmers we do not buy into all the doom and gloom that is…

Young farmers community

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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…

YOUNG FARMERS

Wasps' James Haskell on his love of rugby, music and JCBs

Rugby union star James Haskell has been announced as the Sunday night headline DJ at the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs Annual Convention in Blackpool on 6 May. The 75…

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

Top tips to boost your career in agri-business

If you want a successful career in agriculture then you need to start planning how you are going to get there. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the…

BUSINESS

Job profile: What's it like to be a conservation adviser?

Conservation advisers work with farmers and other landowners to maintain and improve the natural environment. It is a sector that has grown in importance over recent decades, with government policy…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Job profile: What’s it like to be an agricultural reporter?

Agricultural reporters are tasked with keeping their ear to the ground within the farming industry for the latest news and insights into the topics that matter to farmers most. It…

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…

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…

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?…

MACHINERY

Top tips for starting a new farm contracting business

Starting out in contracting can be daunting and financially terrifying but it can equally create a lifestyle driven by a true love of the outdoors and machinery. Farmers Weekly speaks…

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…

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…

FARMLIFE

What's next? Options for farmers' children leaving school

A new year brings new beginnings - and for school leavers, this means considering what will happen after exams are finally over. What’s the best choice - home to the…

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…

FERTILE MINDS

Podcast: Fertile Minds on retailers and business plans

The first of our Fertile Minds regional roadshows took place on 17 November at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The initiative, by Farmers Weekly in association with NFU Mutual, is…

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…

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,…

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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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…

YOUNG FARMERS

Video: Cumbrian young farmer takes on SAS: Who Dares Wins

A young farmer from Cumbria who featured in the latest series of the Channel 4 series SAS: Who Dares Wins has revealed being on the show was "the hardest, most…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Farmlife Framed: Your feel-good festive farm photos

Christmas on the farm is like no other, which is why we've been asking you to share snaps and videos of the festive season on your farm with us. We…

YOUNG FARMERS

Video: Two first-time young farmers one year on

The first year of farming brings with it a huge learning curve and a number of challenges, but the feeling of achievement is unparalleled. Two farmers share how they have…