Opinion: Farming’s sub-culture is the best form of PR we have
© Adobe Stock From Mods to Skinheads to Roadmen. The UK has seen youth subcultures rise and fall. It’s a scene that’s always evolving, constantly feeding off cultural and social influences.
The farming world, traditional and unchanged in many ways for decades, may seem immune to influence from outside forces. But look around at any agricultural gathering, market or local show and you’ll see a magnificent beast on the farming Serengeti – the Agri Lad/Lass.
You spot them emerging from the crowd, head proudly held high, logo of the latest fashion brand emblazoned on their hoodie.
Sauntering past the normies, they’ll ruffle their trademark mullet; they know it looks crap, but do they care? No, it’s not a haircut, it’s a personality. It’s there to offend, excite and be a talking point.
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The air turns sickly sweet as they exhale a cloud of fruity smoke from a vape.
The e-cigarette never leaves their hand, nor do the Pit Viper sunglasses move from their head. Night or day, it doesn’t matter, the sunnies stay on.
Raised on a diet of Grassmen DVDs from a young age, the Agri Lad/Lass now consumes copious quantities of TikTok farming videos and pints.
For them, a good time is piloting a brand new tractor and silage cart, tunes blaring while proudly overtaking a cyclist on an uphill country road.
A sense of identity is formed within any subculture; and through appearance they differentiate themselves from their urban peers and older rural counterparts.
The Schoffel gilet and Grassmen rugby shirt are basic elements of the Agri Lad/Lass starter pack.
We get the Down Under influences with the harlequin rugby shorts and RM Williams boots – because what Agri Lad/Lass does not dream of a season driving 200hp tractors, eight days a week in the Australasian sun?
Of course, there have always been young people fanatical about all things farming, but have we ever seen them so defined, head to toe in farming-branded apparel? Since the social media revolution, this scene has multiplied.
Through devouring and creating hours of farming content on Instagram and Snapchat, it has shown them there are others nationwide who look and think just like them, reassuring them that they are not alone, but part of something bigger.
The continuous addition of online content shared from this agri-army drives forward the culture and mantra of the Agri Lad/Lass.
Fashions and language replicate and spread, recruiting more youth to the cause.
This forging of an identity has helped to bind young people together and created a sense of belonging and a community, one that pushes back against the narrative that farming is boring and just an option for the poor performers at school.
It’s this diehard group who have made farming cool again, showing how exciting the lifestyle of farming hard and playing hard can be.
Unapologetic in attitude and proudly representing their passion, they’ve done more for agricultural recruitment than decades of bad careers advisers. Not to mention the PR.
An Agri Lad/Lass sharing videos from a cowshed has probably engaged more with the public than most publicity campaigns.
So next time you get overtaken in a cloud of black reek by a beat-up car emblazoned with “Nothing runs like a Deere” decals, relax – you just got smoked by the future of farming!