Bridgette Baker: Mainstream media isn’t always fair to YFCs

I’m looking forward to the South West Area (SWA) Young Farmers weekend in March, and after last year I have a new respect for the county organisers’ qualifying rules. 

It was a great weekend, as always, but no sooner had I arrived home than my mates started sending me a link to a BBC news article headlined “Young Farmers: Weston could ban ‘disrespectful’ group after disorder”. 

See also: Bridgette Baker – career decisions suddenly looming

About the author

Bridgette Baker

Somerset young farmer Bridgette Baker hails from a mixed beef and arable farm near Yeovil, and studies agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University. An enthusiastic member of her local Young Farmers Club, Bridgette keeps her own Oxford Sandy and Black pigs and works her family’s farm rearing calves.

Read more articles by Bridgette Baker

Now, I may like a drink, but I certainly wouldn’t say I’m a sesh demon, so I was shocked to see the photo accompanying this article included yours truly.

The article referred to “a spate of incidents” and “altercations with police”.

I remembered the photographer taking pictures as we left the Saturday night party, but the scene I encountered was definitely safe as we made our way back to our hotels. 

The article didn’t give a fair picture of the weekend – it was the BBC acting more like one of the tabloids, and it’s no wonder there is a gap between the public’s understanding of YFCs and the reality.

Yes, a big group of young farmers in one place can be quite a spectacle, but we’re a conscientious group and weekends like this contribute a huge amount to the local economy (YFC events often raise money for charity, too).

County organisers work tremendously hard to monitor movements of members to make sure the weekend is enjoyable for everyone.

The numbered wristbands, which help trace any members behaving less than ideally, are a key part of this (of course, non-YFC members joining events in pubs and nightclubs are harder to trace).

So although it sometimes feels like an unnecessary inconvenience to do what your club/county requires of you, if you’d like to attend these large public events, remember this is how we ensure weekends such as this can carry on happening and being successful.

I can’t wait until the SWA weekend at Weymouth, and hope it will be reported on in a more positive light.