Hannah Talbot - NFYFC
As chair of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC), I spend a lot of evenings and weekends driving around the country to meet members at various events. The Archers Omnibus podcast is without a doubt my favourite company on long journeys and I’m so pleased that the young people in Ambridge have a local club that they can get involved with. Pip, being a farmer’s daughter and a promising agricultural entrepreneur in her own right, is of course the most high profile member from Ambridge. But it’s important to remember that you don’t have to be a farmer to be a young farmer – just aged between 10 and 26 with an interest in rural life. I often think that poor Phoebe would benefit from spending a bit more time at young farmers!
We often hear about the parties and social events that Pip and others in the village go to enjoy. It is true to say that Young Farmers enjoy an active social life and enthusiastically share their stories with one another in the days afterwards. However this aspect of our organisation is about more than just partying. Ambridge is fairly near to local amenities in Felpersham and Birmingham but some of our members work in very remote locations doing isolated jobs. Their social time with Young Farmers may well be the only time in a week where they get to meet other like-minded people and discuss things of mutual interest. NFYFC have a campaign called Rural+, which has highlighted some of the issues surrounding rural isolation and mental health. Our members have told us how crucial this work has been in helping them to manage these challenges.
Communities are important for all Young Farmers clubs, as they are based in villages and towns across the country. You will have heard how the young farmers got involved with the organisation of the Sport Relief Rough and Tumble Challenge with Sir Bradley Wiggins last year; I wasn’t surprised to hear that the local members willingly gave up their time to set up, marshall and take down the event, as I see members doing similar things countrywide on a regular basis. Recently, Ambridge has been devastated by floods. I won’t be alone in having memories of Somerset last year evoked whilst listening to this storyline. The response from young farmers across the country was phenomenal; #Forageaid found itself at the heart of the collective efforts which saw young farmers from all over the country donate forage, transport and time to those in need on the flood plains. Moreover, other members travelled down to take an active role in the clear up by providing important skills and manpower.
The Brookfield drama has gripped us all over the last few months, but for me it has really highlighted the issue of succession planning. It is great to see David and Ruth thinking actively about how they are going to bring Pip into the business should she want to. But not all of our members have such a positive experience. We are working hard to raise awareness of the importance of succession. NFYFC also recognises that it can be difficult for new entrants to start up in agriculture without an existing business or capital, and we work with a number of industry organisations to provide training and support for members in this situation. Moreover, we lobby in both Westminster and Brussels on issues of importance for young people working within the agricultural industry and living in rural areas. We hope that YFC may help Johnny with his career progression in agriculture over the next few years.
I would urge Ambridge's YFC members to seize every opportunity that there is on offer. Competitions form such a large part of the young farmers calendar and develop a range of skills from public speaking to floral art and stock judging to tug of war. I would encourage them to get as many local experts as they can to help them so that they can beat the local Borsetshire opposition and go on to regional and national finals. I daresay Lynda Snell could help to direct the drama and Rob Titchener would be able to give some top tips for dairy judging. Aside from competitions, there are many other training courses on offer to develop skills such as leadership and event budgeting. We even have our own travel programme, so you can travel the world with YFC!
Whether you are inside or outside Ambridge, YFC really does have so much to offer young people in rural areas. If you are aged 10-26, then I would urge you to find out where your local club is, and if you’re a little older than that but know someone in our membership age, please encourage them to join in. We really are #morethantractors
Hannah Talbot
Chair of National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs
