New blood: what are your views on recruiting young people for agriculture? Reponses

New blood discussion points up to 26th June

Good article about educating youngsters into farming. Having raised three daughters in a farming environment, one went to agricultural college for three years and after eight years struggled to get a good job. Now at 30 she runs a herd of 360 cows which was her life ambition. But it was a struggle. Young, fresh out of college people are very often given the most awful jobs to do on the farm, especially if they are female. I remember when I wanted to work on a farm 40 years ago, living in North London it meant two bus rides and three stations on the underground to get to a secondary school in Buckinghamshire which had a farm unit! These units were rare then, I know of one in Sussex, but are there many more? They are the true inspiration to many to go forward onto the land. 13-16 is the best age to inspire youngsters if they are not lucky enough to be born to the soil. I do agree with Guy Smith and more power to his elbow to voice his opinion. More must be done SOON.

Jayne Mann - 2nd March 2008

From Veronica Retallack

Whilst both Sir Mike Tomlinson and Guy Smith make very valid points throughout their views, I believe there is a much bigger issue that needs to be addressed.

We do have a wealth of enthusiastic well educated young people leaving our land based colleges who would dearly love the opportunity to farm or be involved in a farming associated industry.
Opportunities with in farming its self are few and far between. Council farms historically a starting place for so many into farming are either being sold off or split to make bigger more viable operations for the existing tenants as are Estate farms. There is no longer a natural progression route for new entrants.

I believe we need to encourage the powers that be to look a pension scheme for farmers, and also look at planning regulations within the agricultural sector. People who have lived all their lives on the land can and do feel even more isolated if they are forced to live in an urban environment.

Veronica Retallack works for the RESIS farm support project at Duchy College, Cornwall and lives on a beef and free range chicken farm.

From Helen Bagwell

I know Guy Smith makes the point about attracting young people from outside farming, but I think by far the best thing first and foremost is to prevent the drain of the best of the farming kids - we have a lot to offer if we have a good brain and good training - not least because we know the realities of what we are letting ourselves in for and have the drive and determination that is 'in the blood' so to speak!

Helen says she is frustrated farmers child married to another. She is also the Deputy National Coordinator of the Farm Crisis Network

From Paul Edwards

A Comment from the Outside

One thing that I think may be putting young people off from coming into the industry is that the messages going out about farming are all so negative. They all seem to be about farming being in crisis with low incomes and no future. Young people need to be told and shown that there is a good, healthy, and profitable outdoor life with a long-term future to be had in farming. Most young people are concerned about the environment. They also need to be told that farming can be environmentally beneficial and how this can be done. People with scruples about livestock farming need to be exposed to all the non-livestock possibilities in the industry. Growing organic vegetables is a high-growth sector with good price premiums.

Farming has show itself to be a modern, forward-looking industry, looking at radical, new products for burgeoning markets. Cereals are or should be becoming the big thing with the worldwide shortage and expanding SE Asian markets wanting new and better foods. I was wondering, the other day, with the milder ‘global warming’ climate, if we should not be experimenting with rice growing on the Somerset levels!

Paul Edwards is a Community Projects Officer for the Community Council for Devon

From Kate Russell

I think this is a massively important topic so am delighted that it is getting some publicity.

One thought which occurred to me whilst reading it - there is much talk these days of more involvement in schools from the private sector, with suggestions that charities, faith organisations and even private businesses could be involved in the running and management of schools. Could this be an opportunity for agriculture? A school run with an input from agricultural organisations could bring the farm into the classroom in many different ways; not just in geography, chemistry and biology but also in applied technology and IT, marketing, English literature and even art.

The point about reward and remuneration for jobs in agriculture is also well made. We simply cannot expect to attract the top talent unless we can offer top packages. Housing is frequently an essential part of the package and many farmers have now realised that central heating and good bathrooms are essentials, not luxuries, but I have seen some dire examples in my time. We saw much the same in land agency a few years ago, but an ongoing shortage of suitable people has changed the way employers act at long last - economic reality forced it to happen and better packages are the result.

The comparison with the Forces recruitment strategy is a good one. Whilst agriculture might struggle to match their budget, we could certainly borrow some of their ideas. How about a poster with the slogan "A career in IT?" with a picture of a row of identical workstations in some dreary office block compared to a picture of the inside of one of the latest combine harvesters? We need radical thinking supported by the agricultural colleges, some of the larger employers and maybe even some professional PR advice.

Kate Russell is a Chartered Surveyor and works for JH Walter LLP based in Lincoln ( her views are not necessarily those of her employers)

From Peter Cleasby:

I think Richard Clarke's final point - the need for a professional body - is critical. The same conclusion dawned on me during my time at Defra running the Skills and Rural Enterprise Division, though the government was probably not the best body to drive the issue forward.

When I first started learning something about farming, I was surprised (to put it mildly) by the breadth and depth of skills needed to run a successful farm business. It's doubtful that many outsiders recognise the challenges posed by producing for markets (or creating new markets), coping with an increasingly complex regulatory environment, mastering and keeping up with all the relevant scientific and technical knowledge, and staying profitable. Any other profession faced with similar demands would long ago have had a professional institute with a royal charter. That sort of status at the top, together with the many other initiatives mentioned in this debate, will speak volumes to prospective entrants to what should be called a profession rather than a business.

I don't know enough about the Institute of Ag Management initiative Richard Clarke refers to know whether it has enough legs, but this sort of initiative has been talked about for years, with minimal results. In many ways RASE is well-placed, with its commitment to agricultural development and "science into practice", to act as the honest broker in bringing together the key players. But it really is time to bang heads together and act.

Peter Cleasby was a career civil servant, lately in MAFF/Defra; and now is a director of a Buckinghamshire-based consultancy).
pcleasby@quantera.co.uk

From Anthony Hyde

For far too long now the Food and Farming industries have publicly down played what has and is being achieved in both food production and environmental entrancement to our land. The concentration on the negative aspects and the traditional ways of farming and land occupation have created an air of resignation, which in turn has turned away excellent young (and new to the industry) people from joining in and leading us forward. We have lost a generation of people who could have taken the industries forward.

However, within BIAC (The British Institute of Agricultural Consultants) we have seen strong green shoots of recovery in the consultancy sector and over the last 3 years there has been an upsurge in committed professional and free thinking young people joining BIAC as full members. They want to be part of a developing, wide ranging and professional industry that is based on a land occupation. They see the opportunities and are prepared to take an entrepreneurial attitude (risk) in growing their businesses and or work for themselves or their employers.

BIAC has always stood for standards and raising awareness of professional, independent advice. We have established protocols and systems that not only demonstrate the transparent accountability practices for our members and their clients but also provide opportunities for ongoing professional development as consultants. The active BIAC members regularly attend in-house and shared training opportunities and the networking that exists within the Institute encourages work flow because people know and respect each other.

BIAC believes in working with others and sharing knowledge because there is nothing more wasteful than continually “reinventing the wheel”. New and young people coming into the Rural Consultancy Sector want to be part of making a difference and want our industry to be an exciting environment in which they can practice their skills. BIAC in partnership with Lloyds TSB/Agriculture are running the first “Young Consultant of the Year” Competition in 2008 to provide an outlet for the skills and ideas of the under 35s.

The discussion point I would like to leave readers of the ‘New Blood’ discussion with is as follows:-

“The unprecedented contribution of security challenges to food, fuels, the environment and water provide all land owners, occupiers and users with exciting challenges and significant opportunities. As an industry we need to collaborate much better and we need to encourage fresh minds to be part of what we do. We have the experience to provide the backing to all of this and in BIAC there already exists an Institute that champions the relevant professional standards and provides a structure for advisors of all kinds to improve their competence”.

C A Hyde FRICS FBIAC ARAgS is Chief Executive of BIAC, http://www.biac.co.uk/ June 23rd 2008

From Denis Chamberlain

The issue of attracting and – more importantly – developing “new blood” in agriculture is a topic that has been debated by every generation I have witnessed in almost 40 years of happy labour in the farming industry. I believe that, in the Fresh Start initiative, we are at last doing something positive to really encourage the entrepreneurial spirit so important to success in a farming business.

Fresh Start is an all-industry initiative, supported by Defra, which was established in 2004. In addition to working with potential industry new entrants, Fresh Start seeks to help established farmers to think about how they can develop their business, including their exit strategy, in the light of current agricultural policy. It is also actively seeking ways to encourage and support family succession and to develop strategies within farm businesses for continuity in which new entrants can develop through joint venture, share farming or contract operations to build equity.

The most successful part of our strategy has been the Fresh Start Academies. The first was established in Sussex in 2005 and we now have 17 Academies operating across the country. The Fresh Start Academy involves three elements – business skills training, mentoring and the possibility of identifying business opportunities via a matchmaking network.

Fresh Start works nationally with all the major representative farming and agribusiness groups and locally with rural professionals to help develop the careers and the skill base of potential entrants. We now have new website: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/working/new-entrants. These pages can put you in touch with local Academies, the land-based colleges with which they are working and the coordinators who facilitate them.

To date, the Fresh Start Academies are engaging with around 400 potential entrants. It isn’t the complete answer but it is a good start.

Denis Chamberlain is Chairman of the Fresh Start National Stakeholder Group and Director of Marketing at RASE

From Mike Keeble

For the past thirty years or so government policies have driven young people out of agriculture.  And, to be fair, farming families have sometimes not helped to encourage their kids to stay by giving them real responsibility.  So much of the talent we need now have voted with their feet and unsurprisingly gone off to where they feel they will be better appreciated.

Yet despite that there is no real shortage of aspiring farmers as can be seen any time when land comes up to rent or in areas such as mine where, on this estate, the average age of farmers is under 50 and every farm has the next generation ready  for action ‘in the barrel’.

What is lacking is opportunity, enthusiasm and appropriate education that fits the new era of specialist food production.

At the old Northumberland Farm College, Kirkley Hall  I am helping with a project which will be able to offer all three of these essential ingredients as we redevelop what has become a worn out vehicle.

With help from a farmer-led group we are in the process of establishing a specialist upland centre for red meat production, pastoral conservation and environmental care in tune with the needs of food production, tourism and wildlife.

We want to involve the stockmen and women of the future as well as farmers to engender a new professional attitude to red meat production which is at one with the environment and tourism and produces profit for the participants.

We already have the backing of a well established arable co-operative which we see as being an essential part of red meat production in the future as well as five respected upland farmers who are bringing their farms and expertise into the programme.

We now need the support of farmers and the wider industry to show the way forward in this important link between the uplands and arable farming on which so much of our rural economics and communities depend in the future.

I will be only too happy to discuss this further with anyone wishing to know more or to help get this far-sighted project off the ground

Mike Keeble farms with his wife in Wensleydale and is a journalist. ml.keeble@btinternet.com