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Young farmers

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YOUNG FARMERS

Emily Lees: Resilience is lived rather than taught on farms

January is the time of year when the weight of the winter routine begins to press a little heavier. The weather often turns for the worse, and morale can dip,…

YOUNG FARMERS

Daisy Wood: Public rarely appreciate 'story of care'

No two livestock farms look the same – breeds, systems, scale, housing and grazing all vary. But there is one striking constant: the level of care farmers give their animals.…

YOUNG FARMERS

Farmer’s son wins world karting crown in Bahrain

A 12-year-old farmer’s son from Lincolnshire has been crowned Mini Max world karting champion after representing Team UK at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals in Bahrain. Young sheep farmer…

YOUNG FARMERS

Peter Gittins: Batters' review must be turned into action

I was pleased to read Minette Batters’ Farm Profitability Review. It is refreshing to see an inquiry handled by Baroness Batters, who has, on the whole, done a great service…

YOUNG FARMERS

Alasdair Boden: There's no shame in being a part-time farmer

It probably won’t come as a shock, but this occasional article isn’t my full-time job. Neither is farming – although that is an integral part of my working life. I’m…

YOUNG FARMERS

Rebekah Housden: There is light at the end of the winter tunnel

As children open the doors on their advent calendars, farmers are counting down to something even more exciting than a visit from Santa – the shortest day. Dreaded and longed…

YOUNG FARMERS

Emily Lees: Useful Christmas gifts are farming luxuries

It’s December, which means the countdown to Christmas is on. For anyone over the age of 12, the Christmas period can bring mixed emotions. There is much to look forward…

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 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…

Opinion: Attracting farming's next gen is everyone's job

The farming and agri-food sector should understand the importance of nurturing young people for the future more than any other industry. Our raison d'etre is to create an environment in…

BUSINESS

New entrant makes transition from sheep to dairy

Debbie James finds out how one new entrant made the transtiion from sheep  farming to dairying. A lamb producer who sold his flock to buy a dairy herd is making…

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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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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

COMMUNITY

Is an agricultural degree worth doing?

Over the past three years, figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency have shown a gradual climb in the number of students enrolling to study land-based and agricultural degrees. In…

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,…

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…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Managing expansion and business planning as a young farmer

Preparing years in advance, constantly updating business plans and keeping a handle on gradual expansion all help dairy farmer Sam Bailey move towards his long-term goals. Sam, 24, beat about…

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…

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…

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…

Photos and video

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FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Snow is no match for Shetland ewe

Heavy snow in Aberdeenshire has seen farmers out clearing snow, schools closing and the council declaring a major incident. The weather is no laughing matter for farmers battling the snow…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Braving the snow drifts in Aberdeenshire

Our Photo of the Week this week shows Stuart Gauld snow ploughing in Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. Emma Gauld sent in the photo, braving the deep snow to get the perfect…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

FW Photo Comp 2025: Overall winner and runners-up crowned

The judges had a tough job whittling down the thousands of entries to our Photo Competition to just these images, selected from the top shots in each of the seven…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Minty the ewe and friends enjoy their hay

This heartwarming (if not hand-warming) scene of Minty chowing down her hay was taken by Wendy Pink. Wendy took the photo on her smallholding near Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire, during the Pembrokeshire…