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Young farmers

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YOUNG FARMERS

Cornwall young farmers raise £4,000 in 24-hour ‘shearathon’

A group of young farmers from Cornwall has completed a 24-hour “shearathon”, raising more than £4,000 for Cornwall Air Ambulance, the Farming Community Network and funds for their YFC club.…

YOUNG FARMERS

Video: 90 and Counting - James Harris, future farmer, Shrops

Future farmer James Harris, four, is the fifth generation on his family’s beef farm in Shropshire, where he lives with mum Katie, dad Robert and sister Florence, nine. About a…

YOUNG FARMERS

Peter Gittins: Small farmers face a huge power imbalance

It was 2am, the second lambing check of the night. I’d been dozing on the sofa, careful not to sleep deeply in case I missed the alarm. Pulling on my…

YOUNG FARMERS

DIY AGM Blackpool: Mixed emotions as farmers come to town

I’d never been to the DIY AGM before – just heard the stories. A wild, unofficial young farmers’ weekend that’s half community, half free-for-all. What I got was something in…

YOUNG FARMERS

Alasdair Boden: Countryside Stewardship gives me a headache

I’m dyslexic. I have a low attention span, I am highly energetic and I enjoy being active outdoors. But I do not handle paperwork well – particularly details and numbers.…

YOUNG FARMERS

Kate Tomlinson: NZ has stopped that 'farming fraud' feeling

Growing up on a beef and sheep farm in County Durham means I have always been surrounded by agriculture. Through generations of farmers before me, my family’s livelihood, my community,…

YOUNG FARMERS

Fergus MacGregor: Why I'm incurably attached to my tractor

My dad has a beaten-up black Volvo that is older than I am. Its door handles play up, causing it to consistently fail its MOT and spares are now nearly…

Britain's Fittest Farmer

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COMMUNITY

BFF judge attempts 8,848m Everest rope climb

Britain’s Fittest Farmer judge and Farm Fitness founder Tom Kemp is taking on a Guinness World Record challenge to raise money for the Farming Community Network (FCN), by attempting the…

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Britain's Fittest Farmer: Get stuck into regional qualifiers

Three host farms for the second stage of Farmers Weekly's Britain's Fittest Farmer competition have been revealed – and you might notice some familiar faces. Wiltshire farmer and long-standing arable…

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Britain's Fittest Farmer finalists to compete at YFF19

Important announcement: The Young Farmers Festival is postponed until 2020, the new date will be announced soon. The Britain's Fittest Farmer live final will go ahead on 4 May as planned…

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Young farmers

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Careers

Top tips to boost your career in agri-business

If you want a successful career in agriculture then you need to start planning how you are going to get there. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the…

LIVESTOCK

How we can attract new entrants to dairy

Dairy can offer a fantastic career to new entrants but the industry needs to encourage and inspire the next generation to take up the opportunity. Tony Evans, head of business…

7 ways to be a top farming entrepreneur

British farmers are less entrepreneurial than other British businesses, according to a report from the Oxford Farming Conference 2016. But fear not, far from farmer-bashing, the author, Graham Redman, says…

Careers advice

From getting your first job in agriculture to maintaining your work skills and developing your career, we provide advice and insights.
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Advice and tips

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FERTILE MINDS

Podcast: Fertile Minds on retailers and business plans

The first of our Fertile Minds regional roadshows took place on 17 November at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. The initiative, by Farmers Weekly in association with NFU Mutual, is…

Top tips for young farmer business success

Who better to pick up tips about farming than other young people who have “made it” in the industry? Packed into Europe’s largest underground building last week were more than…

BUSINESS

4 young farmers on setting up successful joint dairy ventures

Young farmers are successfully using joint ventures in the dairy sector as a way of developing their careers while increasing their net worth. Tony Evans, partner with consultant The Andersons…

YOUNG FARMERS

Tips for young farmers on making media appearances

Ben Chilman has received a raft of requests to appear on TV and radio since he won the coveted Farmers Weekly Ag Student Award last autumn. The most recent was…

MACHINERY

Top tips for starting a new farm contracting business

Starting out in contracting can be daunting and financially terrifying but it can equally create a lifestyle driven by a true love of the outdoors and machinery. Farmers Weekly speaks…

BUSINESS

Podcast: Fertile Minds on finding and managing finance

New entrants to farming who turn to the bank of mum and dad for funding should always agree the terms in writing. This was the advice from John Hartwright of…

CAREERS AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Tips for agriculture students on securing financial help

So you’ve decided what you are going to study and where – next comes the question of how you are going to pay for it. While students can get loans…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Managing expansion and business planning as a young farmer

Preparing years in advance, constantly updating business plans and keeping a handle on gradual expansion all help dairy farmer Sam Bailey move towards his long-term goals. Sam, 24, beat about…

BUSINESS

Business Clinic: Share farming v contract farming

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Here, Georgina Sweeting of Savills advises on the pros and cons of…

Why you should consider a land-based apprenticeship

The opportunity to earn while you learn will be an appealing prospect for many young people. So what’s involved in a land-based apprenticeship and could one be right for you?…

What's next? Options for farmers' children leaving school

A new year brings new beginnings - and for school leavers, this means considering what will happen after exams are finally over. What’s the best choice - home to the…

COMMUNITY

Is an agricultural degree worth doing?

Over the past three years, figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency have shown a gradual climb in the number of students enrolling to study land-based and agricultural degrees. In…

Photos and video

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FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Room with a view - first cut silage

This week’s featured photo is of contractors Watson and Brown carting and filling the clamp with first cut silage. Farmer Christopher Hollands snapped the shot from the farmhouse kitchen table…

YOUNG FARMERS

Video: 90 and Counting - James Harris, future farmer, Shrops

Future farmer James Harris, four, is the fifth generation on his family’s beef farm in Shropshire, where he lives with mum Katie, dad Robert and sister Florence, nine. About a…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Farm cat Jasper John poses on new tractor

Cats have a knack of choosing the best places to sleep, as farm cat Jasper John (love the name!) seeks out a warm spot on the farm’s newest tractor –…

FARMLIFE FRAMED

Photo of the Week: Gator fascinates lambs at feeding time

This week’s photo of lambs and sheepdog “Fly” at feeding time was snapped by Ben Holmes. Ben says the Gator always seems to fascinate the sheep - could it be…