Bridgette Baker: Shout loud and proud about what you do

If I came from an urban setting, I might well see the attraction of being vegan. 

Unfortunately, the media coverage of farming is sometimes poor, even from supposedly credible sources such as the BBC.

Countering this is the positive TV coverage farming is getting at present, along with the many individuals sharing their lives on popular social media. 

See also: Bridgette Baker – students and young farmers should make up for lost time

But members of the public who are not actively searching for specific information can easily stumble on to the negative coverage first, as the shock-factor typically attracts more views.

About the author

Bridgette Baker

Somerset young farmer Bridgette Baker hails from a mixed beef and arable farm near Yeovil, and studies agriculture at the Royal Agricultural University. An enthusiastic member of her local Young Farmers Club, Bridgette keeps her own Oxford Sandy and Black pigs and works her family’s farm rearing calves.

Read more articles by Bridgette Baker

Sharing the facts

I try to do my bit when it comes to sharing the facts.

I have been sending a monthly article to my local village magazine since 2017 and was contacted by BBC Somerset to make a series called A Year on the Farm, so every month Dad and I have been interviewed for the radio, updating listeners.

Hopefully, we’re playing our own small part in letting people know why, for example, they might get stuck behind a tractor in the summer, or animal husbandry practices such as docking and dehorning are necessary.

Honesty – and some humour – never goes amiss. One lady got in touch to tell me how much she loved the story of our cattle escaping and how funny she found it.

Educating the public

Another way to advocate what we do is hosting open farm days, which have attracted a big turnout when we’ve run them.

They offer people a chance to see the pigs, cattle, and lambs and are a great opportunity to answer questions, educate all age groups and explain how to act around livestock.

I made signs saying “stay quiet around the calves” as I’ve seen the instinct in kids to chase animals, which can result in the animal injuring themselves or people. 

Events such as these are a chance to teach the public how to safely cross fields of animals – something that’s vital given Health and Safety Exexcutive reports consistently reveal members of the public die in incidents involving livestock.

I am grateful for the connections I have made with the community surrounding our farm, and I encourage everyone to also reach out, whether that’s in person or online.