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Young farmers

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YOUNG FARMERS

Rebekah Housden: More thought and control helps breeding

The tups are onto their final crayon on one farm, after which they will be brought into a shed filled with straw and haylage. On the mornings that resemble a…

YOUNG FARMERS

Emily Lees: Farming isn't ideal career for an arachnophobic

When I first started work on a farm, a whole 2.4 years ago, I was naïve to the realities of rural life. I am not talking of the long, wet…

YOUNG FARMERS

Daisy Wood: Inclusion means decision-making as well as work

I went to a women in farming event recently and was struck by how many of the ladies shared a similar story. They worked full-time alongside their partners on the…

YOUNG FARMERS

Agriculture student overcomes stroke to pursue farming dream

A Barnsley College agriculture student is rebuilding her life after a severe stroke in 2021, determined to forge a future in the dairy industry through passion and resilience. Neive Burke…

YOUNG FARMERS

Peter Gittins: I fear new Defra boss will change nothing

With a new secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs announced, following Steve Reed’s departure, you’d hope the only way to go is up. But nothing is guaranteed.…

YOUNG FARMERS

NFYFC £10m social value revealed as funding at risk

As National Young Farmers’ Week 2025 (6-10 October) begins, the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) has revealed it generates more than £10m in social value for people and…

YOUNG FARMERS

Alasdair Boden: A 'layer of misogyny' still remains in farming

I’m writing this in a weary, sleep-deprived state. I’ve been up all night, bottle feeding. But not a calf or a lamb. This week my wife, Heather, gave birth to…

Britain's Fittest Farmer

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COMMUNITY

BFF judge attempts 8,848m Everest rope climb

Britain’s Fittest Farmer judge and Farm Fitness founder Tom Kemp is taking on a Guinness World Record challenge to raise money for the Farming Community Network (FCN), by attempting the…

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Britain's Fittest Farmer: Get stuck into regional qualifiers

Three host farms for the second stage of Farmers Weekly's Britain's Fittest Farmer competition have been revealed – and you might notice some familiar faces. Wiltshire farmer and long-standing arable…

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Britain's Fittest Farmer finalists to compete at YFF19

Important announcement: The Young Farmers Festival is postponed until 2020, the new date will be announced soon. The Britain's Fittest Farmer live final will go ahead on 4 May as planned…

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Young farmers

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Careers

JOB PROFILES

Job profile: What's it like to be a pig unit manager?

If you want a hands-on job working with animals, then you might consider working in the pig sector. There are many career opportunities in this sector, which has been at…

YOUNG FARMERS

Farmers Weekly's Ag Student of the Year shares career tips

Grace Welling, winner of the Farmers Weekly Agricultural Student of the Year Award 2020, went from Harpers Adams University to a full-time job at Germinal as a product development officer.…

LIVESTOCK

Veal calf contracts help young farmer enter agriculture

Low capital outlay, a quick turnaround and guaranteed end price means 23-year-old Jim Winzer should be able to quickly build capital and potentially expand his new calf rearing business. All…

Careers advice

From getting your first job in agriculture to maintaining your work skills and developing your career, we provide advice and insights.
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Advice and tips

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YOUNG FARMERS

Tips for young farmers on making media appearances

Ben Chilman has received a raft of requests to appear on TV and radio since he won the coveted Farmers Weekly Ag Student Award last autumn. The most recent was…

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…

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…

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…

TRACTORS

Taking your tractor test – all you need to know

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) tractor test gives budding farmers the chance to drive machines on the road at the age of 16, but it shouldn't be taken lightly. The…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

Photos and video

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FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Spooky Halloween pumpkins treat for sheep

We all love a Halloween pumpkin lantern, as do the sheep in Photo of the Week. The National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride in Scotland has hit upon…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Jeremy Clarkson scarecrow bags a win

This week’s photo of the week is a Jeremy Clarkson scarecrow, sent in by Charlotte Matkin. It was made by Charlotte’s sons Alfie, aged nine, and Freddie, aged five. They…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Maverick the lamb up to mischief

This week’s Photo of the Week is of Maverick, a Valais Blacknose cross Greyface Dartmoor wether lamb, taken by Kate Ockwell. It shows the mischievous lamb in the muck trailer,…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Dawn breaks above cow and her calf

This week’s photo was taken by farm and dairy worker Flynn Hurley on Nixon’s Farms in Ridgewardine, north Shropshire. It captures a cow and her calf in silhouette against a…