
Newcomers
Looking at breaking into the business of farming, Caz Graham meets two young council farm tenants in Staffordshire, and hears how they got their foot on the farming ladder.
Breaking into the business of farming - Caz Graham travels to Staffordshire and meets two young council farm tenants.
Jim Beary won his tenancy two years ago and has a flock of 400 ewes near Stafford. He's more than halfway to achieving his dream, having set his sights on a flock of 700. Caz helps him round up lambs and treat them with insect repellent, designed to prevent blowfly strike. Jim explains why, despite being the son of a farm manager and growing up on a farm, he still considers himself a newcomer to the industry.
About 10 miles down the road, Joel Redfern is mowing grass for this year's crop of silage. He'll feed it to his 57 dairy cows over the winter - it'll be his first winter on the farm. Joel is just two months into his tenancy and tells Caz what he plans for the future.
And Councillor Mark Winnington from Staffordshire County Council explains why they go to extra lengths to attract new entrants, like Jim and Joel, to their farms.
We also look back over a week of reports on newcomers to farming - from teenagers at the Suffolk Show to a determined Scottish goat farmer who ended up buying a smallholding, instead of waiting for a tenancy.
Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Anna Jones.
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- Sat 31 May 201406:30BBC Radio 4
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Farming Today
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