#STUDENTFARMER - September 2014

THE ‘WHEN I GROW UP’ EDITION

#STUDENTFARMER

SEPTEMBER 2014

HOLDING OUT

FOR A HERO

September 2014

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I’m not going to lie, this is probably the most random edition of #studentfarmer yet. And coming from the people who put a flatcap on a piglet, recreated The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover with young farmers and gave a cow a rock-n-roll makeover, that’s saying something. But there is method to our madness.

I got to thinking one day about the amazing answers children give to the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” They don’t think ‘what if’ or ‘I can’t’.

They just say what they’d most like to do in the world. But then, as they get older, reality hits and they’re made to believe that they can’t make their dreams a reality.

But here at #studentfarmer, we’re firm believers that anything is possible. So many little kids play with model farms and love tractors, only to forget this as they get older. We say, if you want to be a farmer, then do it. Don’t let anyone persuade you that it’s too hard. And the same goes for wannabe astronauts, circus ringmasters and superheroes.

If this edition does anything, we want it to make you dream. And dream big. Then, when you’ve finished dreaming, go do it.

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Emily Cole Editor of #studentfarmer Email: studentfarmer@nfu.org.uk

Published by:

C O N T E N T S

NFU, Agriculture House, Stoneleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, CV8 2TZ

Designed by: John Cottle Filled with words by: Emily Cole and

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Everyone’s a superhero

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Behind the scenes

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Are you in?

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Join the revolution

Cover illustrated by: Matthew Hollings

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Farming sidekicks

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Fun on the farm

Space illustration by: Moustafa Khamis

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second chance

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Who needs the gym?

Advertising sold by:

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Quick! To the batmobile!

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reBecca Watkins

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Explore the universe

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Matt Sharp

# studentfarmer at Cereals

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First Time Farmers

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Clothing spectacular

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Georgina Saunders

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Poster

Victoria Wilkins

Alan Brown (alan.brown@nfu.org.uk)

Thanks to….

Our amazing models Abi, Sophie, Jon and John.

John, Toby and Jo, for working so hard to get such beautiful images.

Everyone at Giffords Circus and all the clothing companies involved.

NASA (yes, really)

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EVERYONE’S A

superhero (you’ve just got to put on the cape)

Farming is full of superheroes – here’s just three.

Meet The Hunter, Professor S and The Torminator Farmers are superheroes.

Fact.

There are so many different roles in this industry that make each and every one of us a superhero.

Even if you look back over the generations to people like Harry Ferguson who invented the three-point linkage – what a mastermind.

There’s no superhero that touches Iron Man. He’s incredible. He gets to fly, he has a talking robot and he even gets to go home to Gwyneth Paltrow at the end of a long day. All in all he has a pretty good life. Plus, he’s a good-looking chap – some people get it all.

NAME: Ally Hunter-Blair CODE NAME: The Hunter SPECIAL POWER: The ability to deflect water TRANSPORT: Combinatron (a transforming combine, obviously) Even though The Hunter’s farm was flooded earlier this year, he couldn’t stand by and watch other farmers suffer in the Somerset Levels. Armed with his deflective techniques, he set off on a journey to help farmers in need.

I believe I can fly.

In my dreams (and wishes) I can fly.

In reality, I wish I could fly like my drones. Seriously, being able to see everything from above would be amazing. But flying is such a typical superhero request.

Superhero me can’t wear red.

I’m ginger. It would be a major problem if I had a red suit. It clashes majorly.

You’ve got to be a good-looking superhero – at the end of the day it’s a good ego boost. Not that I’ve ever thought about this of course. But no one wants a clashing hero.

People needed help, so I offered.

I’d seen the devastating effects of flooding online for farmers such as James Winslade. The flooding on my farm is a frustrating part of living on a flood plain but it will never affect the farmyard or my home. I couldn’t sit by and do nothing as I watched yards and houses going under with farmers wading to save their cattle and their belongings.

We were affected, but that’s nothing.

About 150 acres flooded this year and they were under about a metre of water for six weeks; we live on a flood plain so we expect a certain amount of flooding annually but these past two years have been bad. We limit the winter cropping we put on the river ground as much as we can, but we have to plant some down there to keep our rotation going. It was costly and annoying but nothing compared to what others experienced.

There’s no business like farm business.

I sent out a tweet asking for haulage early one morning and by 9am I had a lorry. I didn’t deliver the lorry myself, but the reaction from my local farmers was fantastic. I strongly believe that there isn’t another competitive industry in the world that can club together like we did in a time of disaster. The response nationwide was incredible.

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#studentfarmer

NAME: James Chapman CODE NAME: Professor S SPECIAL POWER: Super strength TRANSPORT: Some pimped up New Holland After losing his arm in an accident involving a PTO shaft nine years ago, Professor S has made it his mission to ensure that all young farmers learn from his story.

A little bit of everything goes a long way.

A farming superhero? Right. That person can jump from a tractor, milk a cow, trim a sheep’s foot whilst chatting about agronomy. Not that I’m one of them!

Superbad’s kind of a superhero.

You know, that kid from the film? He’s nerdy, but I kind of see a bit of myself in him, minus the weak bit.

But I suppose the want to be a superhero is there, even if you have no chance of ever being anything remotely like one. Poor guy. You can’t knock him for that right?

Forecast the weather? No problem.

I’d be more reliable than the MET office. To be honest though, that’s not hard. That would be the most useful superhero power on farm. If you could do it accurately that would be amazing – it would mean less time playing it by ear and more time getting things done!

I was a superhero before. It wasn’t pretty.

I was wearing tights and all sorts – it really wasn’t a very nice sight to see early in the morning. It was for the YFC AGM. That was the night I found out how difficult it is to do lunges in tight-fitting clothes. That didn’t stop me though – I was still doing lunges in front of our sponsors. Let’s just say they didn’t forget me.

Do as I say, you’ll thank me.

That’s how I get farm safety messages across. If you don’t, I’ll lay a can of whoop ass on you. I mean open a can of

whoop ass – I’m not really down with the kids. I’d suggest you take that threat quite seriously. It is important to realise how dangerous working on a farm is and you have to think about what you’re doing. Accidents happen but you need to be careful.

Think before you rush in.

Accidents will always happen when you are most stressed or pushed and when things aren’t going right.

When all those things come together, that is when accidents happen.

Life’s no fun if you’re dead is it?

Nobody wants to die or have their arm ripped off.

Been there, done that. It’s not fun and it’s a bit boring.

Who wants to spend the rest of eternity in a box because they’ve been stupid? Take your time, think about things and don’t be afraid to say something if you think a situation is dangerous. You can always find another job but once you have lost something it’s gone forever.

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NAME: Tori James CODE NAME: The Torminator SPECIAL POWER: Coping with altitude TRANSPORT: Just her legs. And maybe a plane to get to the Himalayas.

The Torminator has conquered her arch-nemesis Mount Everest and was the first Welsh woman to ever reach the summit. She’s a superhero from humble farm beginnings who has stood on top of the world, literally. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Everest.

Your body is a yoyo.

I’d gone on mountaineering training consisting of visiting Scotland and climbing the French Alps. Once you head to Everest, it takes five days to reach the summit then two days to return to base camp. In the days leading up to it, your body feels like it’s a yoyo because in order to get used to the surroundings you have to do a few trips. For example, two months before the final climb you start on the mountain, going from base camp, to camp one, then returning. You’ll do the same to the other two camps.

I want to be Cheetara.

She’s such a hero, even if she’s not the typical one. She’s from Thundercats and was just invincible. She’s old school and nothing could get in her way and she was part of the best team. I’d love to be her.

Everest was a challenge.

Everest was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. You spend two and a half months in the Himalayas, which is a spectacular experience. However, you camp in sub-zero temperatures and the feeling of that really gets to you.

There’s a lack of oxygen, you feel lethargic and above all you feel tired, even though you’ve prepared for this constantly for the past 18 months.

Farming helped me achieve my goals Growing up on a farm cemented my need for adventure.

We’ve been farmers for generations on a beef, dairy and arable farm in Pembrokeshire. It made me appreciate risks and my dad always taught us how to evaluate on-farm problems, whether it was equipment, animals, or even an open gate. What I learnt on farm has stuck with me, and I couldn’t have reached the top of Everest without those life lessons.

I could really do with a sit down.

That was the one thing that went through my mind. The thought that followed was terrifying. What if I did sit down and then I’d used so much energy I wouldn’t be able to get up? Suddenly it dawns on you that you could be stuck at the top of Everest forever. Your brain has a lack of oxygen and it’s showing you some really funny things. You’re beyond rescue, and if you stepped a little bit to your left you’d be falling down the cliff face to your death. Nice thought, right?

I break records.

I’d wanted to climb Everest ever since I was part of a team that went to the magnetic North Pole in 2005. I discovered that no Welsh woman had ever climbed it, and if I did it I would also be the youngest. I broke both of those records, but have since been beaten on the young person part.

Seize your opportunities.

Dreams exist beyond the farm gate. You have to go for it and grab it with both hands. Seizing opportunities is a skill, but spotting them is another. I suppose I was in the right place at the right time and took the risk. Anyone can achieve their goals – just take them.

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#studentfarmer

ARE YOU IN? A

s I sit down at my desk on Monday 4 August to write about superheroes, it occurs to me that it would be amiss of us not to mention perhaps the biggest farming heroes of all. It is on this date that the First World War began 100 years ago. The struggle and sacrifice of those who fought and lost

their lives is well documented, and rightly so, but what of the farmers? Who was producing food when the nation’s men were fighting in the trenches?

It’s not widely known but at one point in the battle, Great Britain was six week’s away from running out of wheat. Our enemies tried to

starve this country into submission by sinking ships carrying supplies as, at the time, we were reliant on food from abroad. By hitting us where it hurt, they hoped to force us to surrender. But that’s just not the British way, is it? And it certainly isn’t in a farmer’s DNA to give up without a fight.

GRUBS UP

GET ON MY LAND!

Before the war, everyone’s diet was pretty simple: white bread, eggs, potatoes, meat, jam, sugar and tea. However this wasn’t exactly a well-balanced diet – it was lacking in nutrients and led to soldiers suffering from scurvy. The war brought about a complete change in diet.

Before the war, Great Britain was all about livestock production.

But by 1917 the government had introduced a ploughing-up campaign to turn pastures over to arable production, something which had been neglected for 70 years. However, farmers had a big mountain to climb – they were being asked to feed the nation with a shortage of horses, a lack of machinery and a short supply of men. However, farmers aren’t the type to turn down a challenge and by 1918 the amount of arable land had increased by 2.5m acres. Our nation’s men were losing their lives on the front line, but it would have been for nothing if we had been forced to surrender because of a lack of food – something that came dangerously close to happening.

“However much agriculture has been neglected in the past, that is not likely to be so in the future. It is coming to the front, and it is being recognised on all hands that it is one of the principal industries, if not the principal industry, of the country.”

Colin Campbell, NFU President

IF IN DOUBT, IMPORT IT Britain was a big fan of imports before the war. The invention of refrigeration and the Industrial Revolution had hit farmers hard as it meant that countries could transport food huge distances to our ports. By the outbreak of the war, 60 per cent of our food came from abroad.

U-BOATS Our reliance on food arriving from abroad didn’t go unnoticed by the Germans. They started targeting and sinking merchant ships and by 1917 they declared unrestricted warfare and sank one in four ships crossing the Atlantic. As if this wasn’t bad enough, 1916 had been a really bad harvest due to poor weather. The government realised that something had to be done, so they turned to the nation’s farmers.

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES We know the phrase ‘girl power’ was pretty much invented by the Spice Girls, but it really belongs to the ladies who stepped up during the First World War in the absence of men. Over the course of the war, the way the world viewed women began to change. By 1918, 98,000 women were not only cooking and bringing home the bacon, they were producing it too.

100 YEARS ON The First World War changed the face of farming forever. However, recent food price spikes and food shocks such as the horsemeat scandal, together with a growing world population, mean that food production and food security are once again at the top of the national agenda. However, as their ancestors did before them, British farmers and growers are ready and able to rise to this food production challenge.

By joining the food and farming industry, you’re becoming part of a long history of achievement, determination and bravery. So what do you reckon – are you in?

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#studentfarmer

FARMING SIDEKICKS What’s Batman without Robin? Not a fat lot of use really. What’s a farmer without a dog? Lonely – everyone needs a wingman. Sidekicks come in all sizes, but we think the four-legged variety is best.

FARMING SIDEKICKS KICK E FARMING NNSFID A RMING SIDEKICKS FI FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS e Hamer OWNER: Jo AGE: Four

ar N AS: The vic ALSO KNOW : Instinct PERPOWER SIDEKICK SU

I wouldn’t sell him for all the money in the world.

He’s my dog in a million. You know people say you’ll have that one dog that you bond with in your life? That you’ll always remember forever? I think I’ve hit the ground running, and maybe I’ve been too lucky because I think I’ve found it in Finn. He’s my partner in

Joe Hamer AND FINN

crime. Farming can be a lonely job and your dogs are the ones you spend the most time with.

I’d be dead without him.

When he was 14 weeks old I came home from work and fell asleep in front of the fire. I woke up to Finn pawing me in the face and a room full of smoke – a log had rolled off the fire and set the carpet alight.

Since then we’ve always had a strong bond. He’s my lifesaver.

We were smitten before we’d met.

My friends knew I’d choose Finn. He was the first puppy that came over to me when I went to see them. He was nicknamed ‘the vicar’ because he had a white mark like a collar on the back of his neck. He was always the one herding the other puppies at night and chasing the chickens during the day. It was a match made in heaven.

Sometimes I think he’s human.

I’ve been ill before and he checks on me every half an hour. If we’re lambing and I miss getting up in the night, he’ll come and wake me up. I love him so much and we have an unbreakable bond. Most farmers don’t have that with their dog.

He’s got a lady on the way.

I don’t know how he’ll react to that.

She’s going to eventually have puppies with him and she’s going to be called Taen, in the sense of the old way of counting sheep. He has got another lady in his life called Jess, but she’s useless. She’s the farm guard dog, but we raised her from five days old with a syringe. She’s her own boss.

Real men wear pink.

I’m pink Joe, because I wear pink, so Finn’s sidekick cape would be pink.

He’s got that gleam in his eye that just screams out that he’s a real man.

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IDGEKSICK FARMFINARGMLLSIN IDEKICKS E

Caroline Jellicoe AND BELLE Belle’s a lover, not a fighter.

Belle is the gentlest dog I’ve ever known, and is a fantastic pet as well as an instinctively good sheepdog.

She lives with tortoises, chickens, cats and even owls, and doesn’t bat an eyelid.

In true sidekick form she saves lives.

When we had a sick lamb at home in care for a few days, the lamb spent the first night bleating for its flock and was very distressed. So the following night I let the lamb out of her enclosure and she sat on the couch with Belle. They bonded, Belle mothered and looked after the lamb

K KICKS ICDE SIDINEGKSI FARMINFAGRM SID FARM ING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKS er OWNER: Joe Ham d AGE: The old han

AS: Papa bear ALSO KNOWN strength RPOWER: Super SIDEKICK SUPE

Jason Shorten AND SID, NORA AND STRIPE They’re like my other limb.

If I didn’t have my team of Collies I’d feel like I’d lost a limb. Especially with the shows we do. They’re so intuitive and always there when I need them. They’re like a family car, or a tractor – you can’t live without them. They’re more precious than any material, actually.

They’ve all got instinct.

I’ve been doing The Dog and Duck Show since 2011 and all three of them take part. Nora has been doing it since she was 10 weeks old and is a real crowd pleaser. Essentially, the dogs herd the ducks in different directions

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and the second night the lamb didn’t make a sound. They slept on the couch all night, and the lamb recovered.

Belle’s the other woman.

I work alone so it can be difficult to get the sheep into the race for treatments or into the trailer for movements. I wanted a dog so that I could have that second ‘person’ in the field with me to shepherd the sheep as one person cannot do it alone.

Farmers can’t live without dogs.

When there is one sheep that just won’t follow it can take 20 minutes to get it back. Belle does it in a few seconds. Done properly, the sheep

FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S FARMING SIDEKICK S roline Jellicoe OWNER: Ca ge phase kward teena AGE: That aw her woman N AS: The ot ALSO KNOW : Telepathy PERPOWER SIDEKICK SU

are less stressed, the farmer is less stressed and Belle feels accomplished.

Dogs are great company and Belle is fiercely loyal and gentle.

and it shows that every dog has a natural instinct. They’ve been working with sheep since they were puppies too, honing this natural instinct. I’m a freelance shepherd so having these three is perfect.

Dogs give unconditional love.

It’s like nothing on earth. It doesn’t matter what sort of day you’re having, they’re always there to make sure you’re alright. They have amazing respect for their owner and life would completely suck without them.

Farmers need their predators.

Life on farm would be extremely difficult without a dog. Farmers need that hunter instinct that dogs seem to own. It’s something that a quad bike just can’t replace – there is a mutual respect between the dog and the sheep. It’s a wild instinct.

They’re like the musketeers.

Together, these three are invincible.

You’ve got Sid who’s the matriarch in a sense, he’s the old boy and knows everything – I suppose he’s like

a wise leader. Then you’ve got Stripe, who takes life at the fastest pace and has two speeds – stop and go. Nora’s the secret weapon because everyone just falls in love with her while the other two are plotting a mission.

ARMININGGSIDEKICK KICDEKKICKS FAFRM G SINIDGESI FARMFAINRM FARMINSTRIPESIDEKICKS NORA FARMING SIDEKICKS G FARMIN SIDEKICKS G FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMIN SIDEKICKS G FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMIN SIDEKICKS G FARMING SIDEKICKS FARMIN SIDEKICKS GS FARMING SIDEKICKSF ARMING IDEKICKS FARMING SIDEKICKFS S ARMING IDEKICKS SIDEKIC FARMING SIDEKICKS KS n son Shorte OWNER: Ja ng te past ethi w months AGE: A fe weapon The secret OWN AS: ALSO KN m WER: Char SUPERPO SIDEKICK

OWNER: Jason Shorten AGE: Five

ALSO KNOWN AS: Stop

and go

SIDEKICK SUPERPOW ER: Super speed

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#studentfarmer

SECOND CHANCE Farms are the ideal place for dogs, especially sheepdogs.

But before you go out and buy a puppy, why not think about giving a rescue dog a second chance?

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ish and chips, WKD blue and port, farmers and Collies – matches made in heaven. But how do you go about finding your four-legged sidekick? A lot of farmers buy puppies and train them up – but that’s not the only option. When Battersea Dogs & Cats Home got in touch with us about their drive to place more working dogs in roles where their natural skills can shine, we had to admit that we hadn’t even considered before the possibility that rescue Collies could be used on farm. Shame on us.

A lot of Collies end up in rescue centres because people don’t research the breed properly. They need a lot of exercise, so those people who envisioned a 15-minute stroll every day get a bit of a shock. Collies are on farms for a reason – they were bred to do it. So it makes sense to help those without a home get back to where they really belong.

Battersea have been rehoming working dogs since the First World War, when some dogs were sent to be messenger dogs in the trenches.

Keith Payne trains dogs to go to roles as varied as security, search and rescue and the police force. Here he tells us all about rehoming sheepdogs: Among the dogs that are flagged up as potential sheepdogs, we then look for dogs that are sociable with people and other dogs, which whittles it down further. We test any suitable dogs to see if we think they’ll make good sheepdogs. We take the dog out to a local livestock owner and put them in a pen with four or five sheep, then we look to see how the dog reacts to sheep. If they seem to have the drive to work with the sheep, we then look to market them to suitable farming homes.

If the potential new owner is local to us, they can come and observe the dog being put on livestock. Alternatively we can film the testing and send them the footage. We can also travel to the farmer and put the dog on a few of their sheep.

We’ve not had any sheep bitten in the pen tests we run. It can be better for a dog to have a lot of drive and to rein it in, than for the dog to have no drive. We had one dog called Milo who climbed out of the pen of sheep, ran across the field and jumped back into the car.

Before we do the livestock tests, we look at what the dogs are like with strangers, other dogs, treats and toys. We take any dogs that have had problems with traffic chasing up to the road and look at that too.

It can be difficult to advertise the dogs. You hear of sheepdogs going for £2,000, so there is a risk that our dogs could get sold on.

You’d be providing a dog with a good life. Many of our Collies come from homes where they’ve been bought as a pet and the owners thought a walk around the block would be enough for them. You’d be letting them do what they’re bred for and providing them with a useful working life.

Some Collies sit around in the organisation for a while.

Sometimes dogs find the kennel environment stressful as it can be noisy with all the other dogs.

Taking on one of our dogs is probably a bit of a cheaper option, especially if you’re just starting out. We ask for a minimum donation of £135 when rescuing a dog. We’re happy to take the dog back if things don’t work out. The dogs are fully vaccinated and microchipped. If someone wants to offer a bit more, we won’t turn it down! If anyone’s interested, just get in touch. We always have dogs coming in. We’ll have a chat, see what you’re looking for and go from there.

If you’ve got the time and the drive, even a few minutes of training a day will add up.

Sometimes people are hesitant to contact us because they think we won’t be happy with them kenneling a dog – but we are happy with that.

We check the set-up at the new home when we’re delivering the dog and make sure they get on with any other dogs.

But it’s not just collies. Quite a few farmers shoot. We have working-type Labradors and Springer Spaniels. They are tested on picking up and receiving dummies and with gunshots. We don’t have facilities to test them with dead game. We also get potential working terriers which would be good for keeping rodents in check on a stable yard or farmyard.

Any farmers who might be interested in taking on one of our dogs can call me on 01784 494454, or email me at k.payne@battersea. org.uk. I’ll take down their details and what it is that they’re looking for. We can then target dogs to people we have on our list. You can specify the sex and age range you’re looking for.

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Meet Jock!

Jock lives on a farm in Kent with Trevor and Joanne Jones.

Here they tell us what it was like rehoming a Collie We first heard about Battersea Dogs & Cats Home from a local person who popped into the shop connected with our farm.

He worked at Battersea and, knowing we had sheepdogs, told us about the Battersea Service Dogs Programme, for when we were next looking to get one.

About eighteen months ago, one of our sheepdogs retired, so we phoned Battersea up. Keith came down to the farm and brought a dog for us to look at. He was three and a half, so still fairly young, and Keith told us that he’d been put to some sheep in a farm near Slough and successfully rounded them up, with one wandering off in another direction and Rocky getting it back. So we knew he had promise before we even met him.

Keith left him for a one-month trial – he’s a lovely dog and we got on well with him from the start. There was one hiccup: the very first thing he did was chase one of our cats out of the house and down the yard, which worried us as we have lots of cats! But we’ve learned – and the cats have learned – that all he really wants is to be close to them, so they don’t run away from him anymore.

When he first came, it was a case of making sure he knew who was boss: asserting who was in charge, by teaching him to sit and stay still, through positive reinforcement methods, using food to reward him for doing the right thing.

You can’t teach a dog to be a sheepdog – it’s more a case of harnessing their natural abilities. So we encourage him by getting him to watch us, to watch Sadie, our other sheepdog, and giving him more rewards when he gets it right.

He’s mastered the clockwise ‘come bye’ command, so now we’re working on ‘away’ and he’s really got an eye for it. You can’t predict how long the training will take, with any dog. Jock came from a domestic household previously so he’d never been encouraged to go around anything like he is now, so it takes him a bit longer than it might otherwise, but he’s getting it.

Jock was a very specific case so it was a bit of luck that it all came together, and we love him, as a pet as well as well a working dog. We would definitely speak to Battersea about getting another sheepdog in the future.

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#studentfarmer

QUICK! TO THE

BATMOBILE!

Photos courtesy of Land Rover

So you’ve got your superhero cape, your crusade and your sidekick. But how are you going to get around?

We started thinking about the farming equivalent of the batmobile and, really, there’s only one choice isn’t there?

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aybe it’s old and the petrol gauge has stopped working. Or perhaps it’s an all-singing-and-dancing shiny machine. It might smell of Labrador and be the perfect storing place for all your old boots, or it might have its own fridge.

Either way, Land Rovers have been synonymous with farming since they first came on the scene.

Did you know…. l The first Land Rover had its steering wheel in the middle. This kept it more tractor-like, but also meant that they didn’t have to

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build two different versions for left and right-hand drive markets l The Range Rover was the brainchild of a jet engine designer.

He happened to have a jet engine spare, so one day he decided to attach one to a car and set the first turbine powered world land speed record l Land Rover pretty much invented the Monster Truck. In the 1950s, the British Forestry Commission needed a road vehicle which could tackle deep mud puddles. What did Land Rover do? Bolted four tractor tyres to a Series IIA, that’s what l The Range Rover was once put

on display in the Louvre. Mona Lisa – back of the queue l Charlie King (aforementioned jet engine designer and ‘lad’) wasn’t best pleased when Range Rovers became luxury vehicles. He believed they had been hijacked by the “pompous, self-important driver.” On a roll, he added: “To use them in the school run, or even in towns and cities at all, is completely stupid.” Consider yourself told l When Land Rover started work on the Range Rover, it was called ‘100-inch Station Wagon’. Rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? Now try saying it faster.

WIN a land rover experience day!

If you’re still at university or college, the chances are that you can’t afford a batmobile yet (or maybe you can, in which case, share your secret with us). But unlike Batman, who, if we’re honest, doesn’t exactly play fair with his Batmobile, we believe that everyone should get the chance to experience what a Land Rover can do.

Unfortunately we don’t have the Cilla Black-skills required to treat you all, but we do have one Land Rover experience day to give to one lucky person. You’ll go off-roading and really find out what one of these vehicles is capable of. If that sounds like your idea of a good time drop an email with the title ‘Land Rover’ to studentfarmer@nfu.org.uk and tell us your name, address and phone number. Extra points for those who say nice things about us (joke).

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#studentfarmer

Mike Hopkins is an astronaut – a farming astronaut – and he has just come back from the International Space Station after a 166-day stint where, for fun, he tried to grow a variety of seeds. Need we say more?

I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.

Reality sometimes gets in the way of childhood dreams though. I had always dreamt about it, but it took four applications over the course of 13 years for me to get selected. When you do get selected, you go through two years of training, learning about the systems on the station, the suits, the robotics and the Russian language. After you’re assigned, you spend two and a half years learning again all over the world. Once you get up there it’s worth it.

I can’t speak fluent Russian though.

I can safely launch and land in a Russian rocket and make sure everything is safe. That’s good enough for me.

Farming’s in my blood, I needed to be close to it.

I took five seeds into space with me, including corn, pumpkins and sunflowers. I grew up on a pig and beef farm in Minnesota. I’ve always been involved with the farm and interested in it. I wanted to take a piece of that with me if I could and see where I could go with it. I needed a connection to home and farming gave me that.

“Floating never got old – ever. There’s no way you can wake up in space and be bored, as it’s such an amazing experience” I needed to experiment with what worked.

It’s like having a plant on your desk at work – you want it to thrive but you’re not quite sure how to keep it from dying. That’s what I wanted to do and that’s why I documented it online.

I tried to make compost in space.

I’d try to use the food we ate in space, but it was hard to kick off the actual composting process. I don’t think I ever got the right food into the plants and that’s why they didn’t survive.

I learnt a lot growing up on a farm.

It teaches you a strong work ethic and that everyone has to work together to get things done. Everyone relies on each other and I love that about it. The environment was very good for me and really helped me fit in at NASA.

Post-flight is a crazy experience.

After you come back from space it’s mainly rehabilitation and medical experiments. There is a lot of imaging and work that has to be done to get you used to earth again. Then you go out and share your story, and what a story we can share.

It’s easy to get the plants to germinate.

All you do is put them in a zipped bag and leave it open. I’d add a paper towel in there and water. The pumpkin seeds started growing within days – it’s easy to start them but the hard part is to keep them growing. The longest growth time were the sunflowers that lasted eight weeks. I didn’t take any feed or special lights with me; I just wanted to see if I could do it.

When you first land you get space legs.

You hear people talk about sea legs – you definitely get space legs when you land. Your body feels really heavy and simple things, like a book, might weigh about three stone to you. Your head feels heavy and you’re really wobbly – it takes time to adjust and function again in the environment.

September 2014

Everyone experiences zero gravity differently.

Not one person feels the same when they experience that environment, everyone feels different and everyone describes it in a new way. I can talk about it, but really, your experience will be totally different from mine.

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spend our lives standing. What’s amazing is that your mind eventually adapts to the micro-gravity environment where, really, there isn’t an up or down. It’s amazing how quickly your brain adapts to that.

You stand on the ceiling to do your job.

It’s hard not to wake up excited.

Floating never got old – ever. There’s no way you can wake up in space and be bored, as it’s such an amazing experience.

An added bonus whilst floating is seeing the earth from that vantage point – it’s beautiful.

I was up in space fixing problems on the station. You could be floating there in a world of your own with your feet tucked in the module, then all of a sudden you realise you’re standing on the ceiling. That’s weird.

Farmers can feed the world and beyond.

Everyone deserves the chance to see space.

I wish everyone could experience it. It’s a whole combination of things that make it amazing. Initially, it’s the ability to float, which is a hard concept for us to grasp seeing as we

If we want to continue in space travel, especially visits to the moon and Mars, I think farming has a real link.

It has a very useful function and is a key to our future space travel.

September 2014

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“Going to university is probably the best decision I have ever made. You meet lots of new people, learn lots of new skills and have a lot of fun along the way”

Words: Matt Sharp

I

graduated from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne with a BSc (Hons) Agriculture and Farm Business Management degree. To be honest, it was a sheer miracle. I worked throughout university and had lots going on and managed to fit studying in among milking cows, calving cows, lambing sheep, chasing sheep, getting irate with sheep and trying to have a moderate social life. It was hard work and I heaved a big sigh of relief when it was finished although I don’t regret one bit of it.

It’s the end of an era. For some, it will be a culture shock getting up before 10am and having to do a day’s work.

Everyone has parted company to an array of jobs: herdsman, pea viner, combine driver, traveller, trainee manager/ consultant – the list goes on.

I’m farm manager at a mixed enterprise in the north of England whilst continuing with my own livestock and still doing farm business consultancy and account management work. It’s hectic but enjoyable and certainly wouldn’t have been possible without Newcastle. The workload wasn’t the shock to the system. It was temporarily moving back home.

At home there aren’t any farm animals bursting out of people’s wardrobes and you can have a bath without being covered in cold water, fake tan and beer. You don’t get woken up at 4am by someone who thinks they are the next One Direction and it’s no longer acceptable to drive down the main road pulling someone in a sledge. You also don’t get any unexpected parking or train fines which your friends have kindly put in your name.

To say relations back at home between mother and I are comparable to those between Ukraine and Russia is probably an understatement but, luckily, it is just a temporary measure.

Finishing university is a time to reflect. It was a great experience. Newcastle, having the best agricultural course in the country (not that I’m biased), means you can engage with a whole host of people – doctors, dentists, the list goes on. They make you work but you are at the forefront of science and technical agriculture, especially with the back up of the university’s 800ha farms and fantastic staff.

Aside from the usual ‘farming stuff’, you learn a lot too.

For example, you can wrap someone’s bedroom completely in free newspaper. You will annoy your mate when you take out the largest encyclopaedias in the library on his card and make him walk back with them or get fined. It is also possible to climb out your Velux windows and into next door’s house without them realising.

But despite all the hilarity, going to university is probably the best decision I have ever made. You meet lots of new people, learn lots of new skills and have a lot of fun along the way. You don’t need a degree to farm. Anyone can put an ‘undered weight t’acre on’t corn but farming is becoming more technical and more science-led and it needs bright people to drive that forward. Whether it’s agronomists, nutritionists or just good farm managers, the industry will have a wealth of opportunities coming up for those who are keen, interested and, most of all, switched on.

So my message for those people thinking of going – do it. You wont regret it. Those people who are there – keep going, it does get harder but its bloomin’ well worth it.

And those who will graduate next year – remember to shake the Chancellor’s hand and don’t get flustered and sit down. Just like I did. You do look like a wally and it certainly isn’t cool.

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Y Y Y Y Y Y was YY Y YbyY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY filmed First Time Farmers, and weY have it on good authority that it’s going to feature in the YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY series.

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YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY It’s Benji, the Collie and YYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY honourary male from YYYYYYYYYYYYY Y Y Y Y Y(cue YY #noboysallowed theY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y YYYYYYYYYYYYY YY Yscreaming)!

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY sound ofY girls Was being surrounded byY allY those YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Y itYdifficult YYY YY YYYY YYYYYYYYY girls on the day?

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YYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY truck hit a cake shop.

The fame thing.... well it’s tough YYYYYYYYYYYYY Yseen YY YofYgood YY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY andY I’ve a lot dogs Y Y Y Y go Y through Y Y Yit.Y Yday Y it’s Y all Yballs YY Ybubbles, YYY Y the YYY Y have Y YaY Y Y Ypose YY Ycamera, YYYYYYYYYY DoY you signature forY the One and theY next such as Blue Steel? cameras have gone and they’re turning paw tricks for kibbles YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I’veYgot whole thousand-yard being dog-shamed on social to Y stayYtrue Y Y Y Y and YY YY YYYY Y Ymedia.

Y Y IYtryY Y toY Y Y Ythat YY YY Y Y Y YCollie Y Ystare Y thing Y Ydown.

YYYYYYY It comes naturally. I like to think I’ve added to it though. myself. I’m still Benji from the pound, you know?

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Hanging the tongue out makes it more accessible to a wider Y Y Y Y How Y Ydid Y you Y Ydevelop YYY Y craft?

YYYYYYYYYYY Y Y YDangerous, Y Y Y yet Y in YaY Y Yand YGardens Y Y Ykind Y of YYYYYY audience. your Homes Y Y Y Y Are YY Yprofessionally Y Y Y Y Ytrained?

YYYYYYYYYYYY YInYfact Y I’ve YY Yworking YYY YJamie Y YDornan YYY Y YtoY Y Y Y Y you way. been with recently tryY and , asY youYprobably know I’mY a big Shades Grey as aY 12a. likeY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Well Y Y#studentfarmer YYYYY YYY YY YYYYY Yget YFifty YY Y YofY Yunder Y Ythe Y bar YY Y IY fan of the method techniques pioneered by Constantsin to share Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y my Y talents.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Stanislavski. It’s about immersion, you know. I actually put on Y Y Y Y aYbitYofY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY bulk for the shoot. My character for this was a bit of What about your trailer? Blue M&Ms only?

Y Y Y Y aYloose YY Y Ywith YY Y Ycentre Y Ywho YY Y Yrotten YYYY Y YDo Y you YY Y what Y Ychocolate Y Y Ydoes YY YY YYYYYY cannon a warm getsYspoiled M&Ms? know to Y dogs?

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YYYY YY Ystuff.

YY YY YYY Y balls Y Y(orange Y Y only), Y YaY Y Y Y Y ladies.

As you canYimagine, it was a stretch touch that I keep it simple, a few water feature…

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY What about that Pudsey from Talent – YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Britain’s Y Y YGot YY YY Do you ever get camera shy? does he need to watch his back?

Y Y Y Y IY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Hey, with some of the things I do in full public view, that’s wouldn’t let Pudsey sniff my tail end. We move in different Y Y Y Y circles.

YYY YY Y aYliveYstudio Y Yaudience Y Y Yand YaY YYYYY Ygoing Y YtoYhappen.

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY justYnot I don’t need summer Y Y Y Y blockbuster.

Y Y Y YI Y Ytwerk.

Y Y For YY YY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY don’t me,Y it’sY all Y about theY work.

Why I’mY doing a great Farmers Apart Y Y Y Y So Y long Y YasY YY Y Yproject Y YI’m Yhappy.

Y Y Future YYYYYY Y should Y Y Yeveryone Y Y Ywatch Y YFirst Y YTime YY Y Y?Y YYYYYY generations will be my judge.

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Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y see YY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Well, I am good in it. But the girls have got their own thing Y Y Y Y Do YY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY you think you should have your own going on. They’re breaking free from misconceptions about Y Y Y Y spin-off Y Y Yseries?

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No boys allowed (except one...)

Y

Advertising feature

Easton and Otley College is a landbased educational establishment based in both Norfolk and Suffolk.

P

and Otley College, Dr Anthony Wilson, added, “In reviously two individual colleges (Easton terms of recent student successes, our students College and Otley College), the two won the Cereals Challenge in 2014, beating five organisations joined forces in August 2012 and other Universities to scoop top honours in this swiftly became the fifth largest landbased college in national competition. We also picked up a number the UK. of awards at both the Suffolk and Norfolk shows. In Teaching around 5000 students on courses 2013, 100% of students passed their course. Within ranging from options for school students up to this, three students gained distinctions, degree programmes, the college is and four students are progressing expanding every year and now offers to university to study agriculture at bus routes from Cambridgeshire as the locations of learners studying at the it is essential Newcastle, Harper Adams, the Royal Agricultural College and Easton and college widens. that our students Otley College. Over 90% of the other However, one of the reasons why Easton and Otley College joined forces get the skills students from this course gained in August 2012 was to try and promote they need to employment in the agricultural sector.”

Easton and Otley College is also agriculture to a new generation of gain jobs at investing in new facilities. At the Otley people, to counteract the rising age of farmers in the industry. the end of their campus based just outside Ipswich, the college has engaged in a development College spokesperson, John Nice, studies with us scheme to support the agricultural said, “We work incredibly hard to sector of East Anglia. ensure that all our courses – from a first The new build project is seeing the diploma to a BSC (Hons) - are industry creation of some sheds for sheep and relevant as it is essential that our beef livestock that will sit alongside machinery students get the skills they need to gain jobs at the activity areas and modern facilities. end of their studies with us.”

This will combine with the 250 hectare farm at the “With some courses there is a specific focus on Easton campus, offering the rising generation of work experience and on our extended diploma courses students spend four months of the year on farms gaining valuable industry experience.”

“For example, we currently have around 20 students out on work placements on various farms across East Anglia, gaining a real experience of the harvest. From the feedback we have received, it’s been going very well and we have received a number of glowing reports from farmers (about our students).”

Programme area leader for agriculture at Easton

Libby Eglington – a farming student who took part in a fashion shoot for the college.

Advertising feature

The winning team of the 2014 Cereals Challenge Easton & Otley College.

From left to right Kyran List, Helen Robinson, Lewis Fyans and Owen Smith

Youngsters at the Royal Norfolk Show – a key part of our remit is to try and attract a new generation of people into the industry

Principal of the college (David Lawrence) with HRH the Earl Of Wessex. To the Earls left we have Christine Sadler and to her left is Clare Dyble (both from the college)

students who come and study with the college all the facilities they need to be a success in industry.

Students also get involved in fun projects in addition to their studies. Last year, agricultural learners joined students from other college departments when they participated in fashion shoots for two lifestyle magazine and this year they, were involved in the creation of a college video project.

of groups across the region, including Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils. Agricultural purchasing groups Anglia Farmers and AtlasFram Group are also key players.

Principal David Lawrence, “The industry is becoming more technical and needs more people with skills that need to be learned – and for those skilled people there are good incomes to be earned.”

“It is not just a case of doing general agricultural work, there is a need for specialists in arable farming, in outdoor pig rearing – and for agricultural technicians operating and servicing complex equipment.”

In terms of the EDGE apprenticeship scheme, he added, “This partnership is related to our overall strategy to support the next generation of farmers coming into the industry and we are delighted to be playing a key role in the scheme.”

So far over 200 new recruits have signed up to take an apprenticeship on the EDGE scheme.

EDGE Apprenticeships Easton and Otley College is also working with a cohort of industry experts specifically with the aim of attracting 300 new apprentices into farming by 2015.

The scheme aims to change perceptions of agricultural work – and attract new entrants to the industry from among those who would not normally consider a career in farming or horticulture.

The EDGE (Educate, Develop, Grow and Employ) apprenticeship scheme is being backed by a number

For more details about agricultural courses at Easton and Otley College call 01603 731200 for the Easton campus or 01473 785543 for the Otley campus – alternatively visit www.eastonotley.ac.uk

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UP LL RO

RO LL UP

September 2014

WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO GIFFORDs CIRCUS

CLOTHING

SPECTACULAR

30 Abi wears top hat, cravat and jacket from Great Scot, boots from Dubarry and shirt from Toggi

#studentfarmer

ABOVE: Jon and John wear Toggi jumpers. Abi wears Brakeburn top. Sophie wears Toggi jumper

ABOVE: Timothy Foxx flatcap FAR LEFT: Sophie wears Brakeburn checked shirt

LEFT: Abi wears Brakeburn striped top BOTTOM LEFT: Sophie wears cravat from Great Scot, jacket from Amy Balch Design and boots from Welligogs.

Abi wears jacket from Welligogs and boots from Belstane BELOW: Bracelet from Cecily London

Sophie wears t-shirt from Brakeburn. Jon wears shirt from Dubarry. Both wear doves

ABOVE and right: Jon wears Freddie Parker shirt and Belstane muck boots. Bibi and Bichu are juggling FIRE, who cares what they’re wearing LEFT: Sophie wears Toggi jumper, Welligogs boots, Timothy Foxx skirt and Dubarry shirt. Man wears bear suit BELOW: Abi wears Motel Rocks

dress and Belstane boots. We were too scared to ask Tweedy what he was wearing

BOTTOM RIGHT: John wears Dubarry shirt

September 2014 Sophie wears Welligogs coat and boots

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34 Sophie wears Timothy Foxx Isla jacket in Gooseberry and matching skirt.

Abi wears Timothy Foxx Grace jacket in Belle and matching skirt

#studentfarmer

Abi wears Toggi shirt.

Bobby wears nothing and looks amazing

ABOVE: Jon wears Toggi shirt and jacket, along with Belstane muck boots. Sophie wears Welligogs coat and Motel Rocks dress Abi wears Dubarry jumper and Gumleaf red wellies

Faces: models’ own

Jon wears Dubarry shirt

(l-r) Jon wears Toggie top and Belstane muck boots. Sophie wears Toggi scarf and jacket and Welligogs boots. John wears Freddie Parker shirt. Abi wears Toggie jumper and Dubarry skirt

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#studentfarmer

ABOVE: Cecily London necklace below: Brit-Stitch Half Pint satchel

Sophie wears Great Scot jacket, Aigle shirt, Toggi boots and a slightly nervous expression Sophie wears Toggi jacket and scarf, Welligogs boots and Motel Rocks dress

Abi wears Welligogs coat, Belstane Reign boots and Brit-Stitch satchel

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#studentfarmer

CLOTHING

SPECTACULAR

BEHIND THE SCENES

September 2014

39

“The circus arrives without warning.

No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not” think it was when I was filling in a risk assessment that included fire juggling and horses standing on podiums that I knew we were doing something pretty ambitious.

Have you ever tried filling in a risk assessment for a circus? No? Thought not.

We first came up with the

idea when a lovely lady at work (hi Heather!) told us she had been to Gifford’s Circus and that it was amazing. We had been thinking about doing a fashion shoot and took hearing about the circus as a sign from the farming gods that we should do it.

Amazingly, Giffords thought it was a great idea too. And thus our adventure began...

Basically, a health and safety dream We managed to get lots and lots of clothes, from lots of amazing companies. It was like Christmas for a while, with boxes arriving every day.

There was a slight panic when we thought we only really had coats and boots to dress the models in (trousers are overrated anyway), but luckily by the time the day of the shoot arrived, we were able to ensure all the models would be fully clothed.

Sentences we never thought we’d say…

“Sophie, could you hold hands with the bear?”

“Jon, do you feel ok having two doves on your head instead of one?”

“I don’t think I can eat anymore candyfloss, I feel sick.”

“The bear looks silly in the flat cap. Try the top hat instead.”

“Do you have a whip we could borrow? We left ours at home.”

“Bobby the Rooster really wants to be in a photo. Which is great, because he has the same colour hair as Abi and they’re wearing the same shade of lipstick.”

“I’m actually scared of fire. Because I nearly burnt my house down. Twice.”

Never heard of Giffords Circus?

Well, you’re missing out. Toti and Nell Gifford started Giffords Circus in 2000.

Their vision was of a miniature village green circus, packed, rowdy, glamorous – birds and horses and motorbikes bursting from a fluttering white tent – a show for rural families, farmers and filmstars. Since 2000 the Giffords Circus company of painted wagons has toured the South West, entertaining over 250,000 people. They’ve worked with circus artistes from all over the world and there is always a live orchestra, a clown, handmade costumes and a much-loved goose called Brian. There’s also an on-site restaurant called Circus Sauce, using locally sourced ingredients.

Find out more at www.giffordscircus.com

NUMBERS Amount of times the Dalmatians yawned: 11. We tried not to take it personally The amount of terror felt by Jon as flames flew past his face: we’re not sure, but one thing we know for certain is that we’ve never, ever, seen anyone stand that still before The number of people who screamed when Tweedy pretended to throw a knife at Abi: 7 The number of times the man in the bear suit made us jump: 3 The number of chances John had to get the fire-breathing shot: 2.

Yes, we all held our breath.

Especially Sophie.

WIN

Unfortunately you can’t win any of the animals. We did ask. But we do have three lovely Timothy Foxx ear warmers and both a male and female Freddie Parker shirt to giveaway!

To enter, drop us an email at studentfarmer@nfu.org. uk with what you’d like to win in the subject line, and include your name, address and phone number. Extra points for poems, photos of dogs doing funny things or gossip.

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#studentfarmer

e h t n i o J n o i t u l o rev

September 2014

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We’re a revolution from humble beginnings.

The Shack Revolution started from our business called Mannings Juice that James set up while he was at university.

We needed to diversify but, to be honest, we needed something more fun and engaging than a bottle of apple juice. So we rebelled.

It’s a load of old crates.

We introduced fresh raspberries, strawberries and other local produce, grabbed some of mum’s blenders and somehow acquired some old apple crates. Mum called it a right old shack, we said ‘whatever’ and before we knew it, it was called the juice shack.

We’ve converted a double decker bus into a bar.

We somehow acquired it for the little festival we have on the farm called ShackFest where we showcase local bands, our local juice and food.

It’s all about heated discussions.

It’s a cliché, but we’re best friends. We don’t have arguments; we have heated discussions. The beauty of working with a relative is that you can have a heated discussion, and then twenty minutes later you’ve forgotten about it. It’s the only time having a memory like a fish does you any good. Our mum and dad are called the ‘shack parents’ and they’ve supported us the whole way.

Two brothers are starting a revolution in Herefordshire (don’t worry, we’re not talking about the rowdy kind).

It includes a shackload of juice and two four-legged rubbish bins. All aboard the Shack Revolution

We’d be nowhere without the shack parents.

They’ve been brilliant and they constantly reinvest in the farm. The other day, Rich got the forklift stuck in the field and dad had to tow him out – he didn’t mind. Dad’s the big bad boss man. Having parents that aspire to reach perfection pushes us to up our game.

Fun, fresh and British.

Those are our three buzzwords. We believe in doing the right thing, not doing something because someone else thinks it’s right. We’re from the

farming community which is really supportive – if anything happened to your neighbours, your friends, family, or even a stranger, you wouldn’t think twice about helping them out.

Farming gave us a good grounding.

Anything we achieve is down to relationships. That’s from our grounding as farmers which taught us to successfully build our relationships and showed us how to appreciate the little things in life more.

You don’t see lemon trees in Herefordshire, do you?

Everything is locally sourced wherever possible. If not, it’s sourced in the right way. If it can be British, it is, but to be honest, we struggle to grow apples sometimes, let alone lemons.

And then there was Wembley.

I mean seriously, Wembley? We spent four days there at a One Direction concert serving our juice to hundreds of thousands of people. We’d never imagined we’d ever be in that position.

The small festivals matter too – they’ve all helped us get where we are today.

We were impressed with the hardcore 1D fans – they loved our apple, blackberry and mint juice.

Tonight Paddy, we’re a mojito.

In true Take Me Out style, if we were to describe ourselves as a cocktail we’d be a mojito. We’re a refreshing bunch to work with and we have a punchy kick.

Angus and Ollie are our rubbish bins.

They’re our two black Labradors and they eat everything in sight. They’re our real life rubbish collectors with a wagging tail. They love food and jumping in puddles. Just like us.

TURN OVER TO LEARN How to make THE Shack #STUDENTFARMER Raspberry Sour...

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#studentfarmer

How to make THE Shack #STUDENTFARMER Raspberry Sour You will need Three fresh strawberries One egg white 50ml Chase vodka 10ml sugar syrup (sugar dissolved in water) 20ml fresh lemon juice Soda water Ice

Method 1. Muddle the strawberry (make into a puree) in a Boston glass 2. Add the egg white, vodka, lemon juice and sugar syrup 3. Add ice and shake vigorously 4. Once the mixture has foamed up nicely, strain into a jam jar filled 2/3rds with ice 5. Top up with soda water and garnish with a strawberry 6. Voila!

and for anyone under 18, here’s a Shack Fave: Apple, Raspberry & Mint Juice In a blender mix: 350ml apple juice (Manning’s is best, of course!)

Five/six fresh Herefordshire raspberries Six/seven mint leaves

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#studentfarmer

Fun on the farm It’s first light; you check your cattle, crops, rheas and emus.

Wait, what? Welcome to the life of Richard Bower, who is putting the fun back into farming

That’s right, rheas and emus.

We’ve got four rheas, two emus and a host of llamas, as well as our other diversifications. Have you ever tried to race an emu? Dad’s driven across the field at 40mph and they’ve kept up with him – they’re funny looking things when they run because they’ve got no wings. Emlyn and Emily are like rockets.

Think farming, think motocross, airsoft and maize mazes.

We’ve got a motocross and buggy racing track in one of our fields that is managed by a local club.

Project Paintball was our first real diversification. It has made good use of woodland and has developed into airsoft league games, project boot camp and the scorpion run.

We’re still a farm at heart.

We farm 800 acres altogether, growing wheat, barley, oilseed rape and maize, and we have a herd of 300 cattle, as well as hosting the diversifications and stewardship schemes. We had to diversify after foot-and-mouth in 2001.

In the spring, I head over to Cobrey Farms in Ross-on-Wye to help manage their asparagus harvest for 15 weeks.

It’s totally different from home – it’s less hands on and more managerial and I love it. I started there following a graduate scheme at Harper Adams in 2009 – I’ve just never left.

There’s a bomb in Staffordshire, come help us.

If you saw that on the internet you’d

be terrified, but that’s generally the notifications they post out for airsoft.

It’s role-play as well as a game. Before you know it, the league has been organised and these airsofters descend on the field to try and retrieve a bomb that doesn’t exist. It’s amazing.

You’ve got to stand out.

If you want a business to work, and you want it to work well, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd. Not only that, you’ve got to have a positive attitude and a passion for forwardthinking. Farmers are feeding the world and we have the best job on earth.

January is when we plan.

It sounds like we’re masters at work, but really, the farmhouse is our office.

There’s a big crossover between the farm and the diversifications. Dad and his partner, Val, look after most of the diversifications and I try to do both.

We’re not about sitting down and planning everything, we just chat and talk. Which then leads to motocross, buggying and airsoft…

September 2014

In the summer, we dance.

We have a music festival on-site and over the past two years we’ve taken management of it. We really like to get involved and support local bands. People travel from far and wide to come to the festival; I just wish the locals would come down too.

47

I’ve got a soft spot for the maize.

The maize maze is great and we’ve extended it to open during our ‘spooktacular’ at Halloween and the music festival.

It’s quite close to home because I pick all the seeds and grow the crop – I’m proud of how tall it is now.

I can’t take credit for the design though, Val’s the mastermind behind that.

The kids love it.

It’s amazing to see the faces of both the children and parents when they see a newborn calf.

With the maize maze we do trailer rides around the farm so the visitors can see a real farm in action.

I like to take them to see the combine working and showcase how the farm is run. We sell ourselves as actual farmers and like to do our part to educate, because, at the end of the day, that’s what we are.

“If you want a business to work, and you want it to work well, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd. Not only that, you’ve got to have a positive attitude and a passion for forward-thinking”

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#studentfarmer

WHO NEEDS THE GYM? You might remember in the last edition we shoved Vicky into an abattoir. Now we’ve challenged her to tackle a sheep with her bare hands and a clipper.

Here’s how she got on...

A

s I looked into the eyes of my latest opponent I saw, just for a moment, that we shared a mutual respect for each other.

But then her foot came towards my face. She was left feeling smug, I felt terrified, battered, beaten and above all, sweaty.

There are many things that flash before your eyes when a sheep’s foot comes flying towards you in an erratic fashion – I was focused on not trying to kill her with the clipper in my right hand.

Recent experiences have taught me that sheep can be quite suicidal, so I was worried about her rolling into the clippers in a bid to end her life and watching in slow motion as the rest of the flock did the same thing.

It’s safe to say I was more excited about heading to a sheep shearing course than I was for last edition’s tour of an abattoir. I already knew that shearing was hard work,

September 2014

but I didn’t actually realise how much work it was.

The British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) host several shearing courses throughout the year for both beginners and advanced shearers. As I drove up to the farm with Chatsworth House on my right I felt like something out of The Duchess. Then I was greeted with the staring faces of about 200 Scottish Mules.

My teacher for the day was experienced shearer Ed Odell. He knows a lot about his trade and really boosted my confidence by making it look so easy – he can even shear with hand clippers. My confidence didn’t stay high for long, however.

First, he showed us how to turn the sheep and how to place your feet, making sure you have good control and grip of the board, as well as

49

control over the sheep with your legs.

I initially thought that the wool was quite rough to clip through, so the fact that it all came off in one piece was mind-boggling. At least I managed to get a look at a full fleece before I did mine.

Ed’s newly naked project scurried off faster than an Evoque to join his pals to laugh at me and pray for their friend. It was immediately apparent that I wasn’t here to just watch and be shown how it’s done. I was going to have to take part.

Ed dusted himself down, looked into the pen of eight remaining fully-clothed sheep before grabbing the biggest ewe I have ever seen for me to shear/ potentially maul.

As I gulped and prayed for my shins I reluctantly took hold of the ewe, placing her inbetween my legs – at least all those years of horse riding taught me good grip.

I was hoping no one would watch me, but of course, they did. Don’t they say that when you turn a sheep on its back it stays deathly still? I’d like to find whoever made this up and have a chat over my bruises.

I started at its bottom and with Ed’s guidance, I shifted the sheep’s weight onto either side of my leg. I didn’t want to hurt her, but Ed reassured me that I didn’t have to grip the clipper like it was an object for self-defence – I had to hold it loosely and follow the shape of her body.

At first, I felt my arms buckling – trying to hold a sheep with your legs and holding a hot clipper is not easy, I applaud anyone who can do it in

unison. She wasn’t having any of it, and taking advantage of my naivety she flipped over, and within seconds I was riding her like a horse, but backwards.

Her bid for freedom didn’t last long and before I knew it I was shearing her back. After a while, the process became easier. Learning to relax the clipper in your hand is quite hard, but knowing where to go after you’ve completed a successful clip is even harder.

For some cuts, you have to place the sheep’s head behind your knee (hard if you’re not a gymnast) and believe me, it’s backbreaking work – I applaud any shearer who does it for days.

A feeling of satisfaction and fear for how my face looked covered in sweat followed the final clip of fleece from my conquest, and, much to her happiness, she was free to return to her pals.

Surprisingly, the fleece was relatively intact (apart from a hole in the middle). It was satisfying to see the finished piece on the floor, before I rolled it up and placed it in one of the bags that would be sent back to BWMB HQ. I felt like, after just one sheep, I had done a session of weightlifting and wrestling. It genuinely is hard work, and until you take part in one of these courses you don’t appreciate how much effort shearing requires. Now, when I buy a woollen item, I’ll know just how much effort went into it.

Who needs the gym? Just go sheep shearing instead.

September 2014

51

DAD KNOWS BEST the Watkins guide to landing your dream farming career I’ve found is that for every chance you take, two more seem to crop up. So once you take one chance, it’s possible things could get a lot easier.

“Give it some oomph” If you’re going to do it, give it your all. Enthusiasm and effort go a long way when making a first impression on an employer. As a young person you may not have bucket loads of experience but this is often offset by the willingness to go the extra mile to learn and improve.

A

s I’ve grown up my dad has provided me with near ceaseless advice. He seems to have a saying for everything. Often it’s pretty blunt but sometimes he’s cryptic or surprisingly profound for a farmer. Perhaps it’s all that time spent alone feeding sheep.

Of course, I never really listened.

But now, with my degree finished, a job lined up and plans for leaving home taking shape, it struck me that, most of the time, he was right. I can see some striking similarities between what he suggested and what I ended up doing, which I guess means that some of it must have sunk in.

Parental advice can require a little interpretation to make it relevant for the 21st century. So, here are dad’s top phrases for a successful farming career and my translation of what they meant to me.

“Grasp the nettle” Have the confidence to take every opportunity, especially those way beyond your comfort zone. This is especially relevant in establishing your career. The awesome thing

“Know your USP” Do what you’re naturally good at.

Not that long ago I wanted to work in marketing. I have no idea why, but I did. In this super competitive jobs market you need to prove not just that you’re good, but that you’re the very best for the job. That’s why knowing what you have to offer and showcasing that in your applications is really important. For me, that meant choosing a job that required my individual strengths and applying to companies that valued the experience I had. Basically, refocusing on what I knew; farming.

“Rev up, change up” If it doesn’t work out straight away, move on and keep going. This is the worst part of rejections; picking up your battered ego and starting again. But, the reality is that there was a reason for the failure and only by trying harder and being better are things going to happen.

Sulking, no matter how tempting, never helped anyone.

“Join the dots”

Make plenty of connections.

Not in a sleazy, business-cardwaving, ‘hire me now’ way.

But any industry, especially agriculture, is smaller and better connected than you might imagine. Knowing the right people, if seemingly old fashioned, can still be a real help. Not only because ‘networking events’ are so much less awkward when there’s a friendly face in the room.

Introductions and small talk can actually end up presenting you with some great opportunities. And with Twitter, blogs and emails literally at our fingertips, there’s not a lot of excuse for not staying connected. If you keep enough dots you can draw whatever picture you want.

“You can have a lot of fun with your knickers on” Perhaps this may seem irrelevant (if true) advice. But, it means enjoying everything you do.

Work is going to take up a lot of your time and life’s too short to be bored. Pursue a career you are passionate about and enjoy doing. Do something that inspires you to jump out of bed each morning, no matter who’s next to you.

I like to think that if getting a job is so tough, then the actual working bit should be pretty easy. But, I suspect I’m wrong. I can be sure however, that dad has plenty more ‘Watkins wisdom’ to keep me going!

Kingston Maurward College

w Grr o Career

You Apply Now

for courses starting 2015 Scan the QR code to watch Level 3 Agriculture student Ellen Burrough’s story.

01305 215215 www.kmc.ac.uk

Known for its landbased expertise, there is plenty for every young farmer to experience at Wiltshire College Lackham.

Lackham estate is comprised of 688 hectares of land in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside, and includes a deer park, exotic animal centre and three working farms.

Commercial enterprises include dairy and beef production, sheep rearing, pig breeding and organic crops.

From entry level to degree, courses at Wiltshire College Lackham include: • Agriculture • Agricultural Engineering • Agricultural Management • Animal Care • Animal Science and Manage-

ment

• Countryside Management • Gamekeeping, Conservation

and Fisheries

• Horticulture • Rural Environment Manage-

ment

Open Day! Come and take a look around and find out more: Saturday 8th February, 9.30am – 12.30pm

www.wiltshire.ac.uk/lackham

LACKHAM

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#studentfarmer

“There’s more to farming than chewing on a piece of straw and shouting ‘get off my land’” E

ver heard of Cereals? If not, where have you been? Cereals takes place in June every year and is basically Disneyland for anyone interested in arable farming.

This year, #studentfarmer was lucky enough to be involved in a new part of the two-day event: the Inspire Pavilion. Sponsored by McDonalds, De Lacy and Massey Ferguson, the Pavilion put on a full schedule of interesting talks and discussions. #studentfarmer was asked to get involved and put forward some speakers and (although we may be ever-so-slightly biased) our guys smashed it.

We’re a pretty relaxed bunch, so our sessions were basically an excuse for people to get together and have a chat. On the first day we talked about why those from a farming background should branch away from the family farm in order to gain new skills and experiences; on the second day, we nattered about how people can get into agriculture if they’re not from a farming background. Here are some of the best quotes from the day…

September 2014

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“It’s important to find what you want to do in life instead of just settling down into the rhythm of things.

Just because you go away and do a different degree doesn’t mean that you are saying goodbye to farming, it’s about opening up your horizons and being able to enhance the business should you want to come into the industry later on.”

“Negative attitudes can perpetuate so easily and people have a lot of options in agriculture.

Young people have so many skills and they can go into almost anything in the sector with the right training.

In order to entice them into the industry we really need to start selling the positives.”

Stephen Jones

Rebecca Watkins

“It’s important to learn skills that you can transfer into different parts of your life. There are many life skills that can be transferred back to the family farm to enhance the business.”

James Mills

“I always felt I had to apologise for not being from a farming background but now I see it as an advantage.

I have a lot to offer. There is no shame in it, we need new entrants to the industry and whether you farm or not is of no consequence. just think about all the doors these new entrants can open.”

“Anyone can get into farming – we need dynamic and versatile individuals to bring a new perspective to the industry.

We need to get rid of the stereotype that you have to be from a family farm because that’s just not the case. Like any industry, if you’re prepared to work hard to get what you want, you can achieve it. Why should that be different for farming?”

Rebecca Wells

Matt Sharp

“The sky is never the limit. You can have more than one career and still balance it all and work it in. We need to challenge young entrants to think outside the box and think that you can do all these things if you put your mind to it and are determined and focused enough to reach your goals.”

Helen Reeve

Underpinning our modern presence we have over 80 years’ experience in delivering high quality

Our Rodbaston campus specialises in providing further and higher education courses in a wide variety of landbased subjects including Agriculture, Countryside Management, Horticulture, Floristry, Animal Care and Equine

✓

W e have fantastic state-of-the-art, new facilities, equipment and buildings plus a working farm set in 160 hectares of rural Staffordshire.

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O ur Rodbaston Campus is also home to a specialised equine yard, aquaculture centre, animal zone, and very proudly it is also home to our award winning pedigree livestock providing our learners with first hand practical experience alongside their classroom study sessions.

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W e offer Full Time courses, HNC qualifications and Foundation Degree courses, giving our students opportunities to progress and develop in their chosen industry.

Call: 0300 456 2424 Email enquiries@southstaffs.ac.uk Visit www.southstaffs.ac.uk

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Words: Georgina Saunders

I

was ten years old when I moved to Fields Farm. Unlike many born and bred farmers, I was used to living in an average house, with an average garden, on an average street. But when our farm, which my dad used to work on in his teens and which has been in the family for years, finally became available, there was no question about it.

We were moving and that was that.

At first it was my brother who was most ecstatic about the move. It meant he no longer had to sit on the peddle tractor and shuffle around the lawn but could sit on a proper tractor as it stormed around a field. For me, however, my new pony was much more interesting.

Sheep weren’t really my thing; neither was sitting on a tractor for hours on end. I spent the majority of my time grooming my little chestnut named Dodger, mucking out, playing at gymkhana and just being a normal 10-year-old with her first pony.

It was in the next few years that my passion for writing began to grow, as well as my blossoming interest in agriculture. As I grew up, I realised that farming is an exciting and vibrant world to be part of. So I thought, why not pair my love of writing and interest in farming?

To take my ambition further and start the journey to becoming a journalist, I studied English at A-level and decided that writing was something I wanted to pursue. I was told that specialising in a certain subject was incredibly useful so I decided to study agricultural business management at the University of Reading, which helped me gain in-depth knowledge of the industry. I began writing news articles for the university newspaper and worked in the press office at Cereals this summer.

I believe that work experience is the most beneficial way to learn new skills and being able to put them into practice with the help of a professional is invaluable.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to attend the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ John Deere training award at John Deere’s HQ in Nottingham. Not studying journalism at degree level meant I had a lot to learn with regards to news writing, pitching ideas, creating headlines, interviewing techniques and feature writing. I left feeling much more able to produce a good piece in line with certain guidelines.

So, what’s next? I’m not sure yet whether I want to focus on PR, feature or news writing. But whichever path I choose, I know that I will be one of those incredibly lucky people who loves what they do and doesn’t dread getting up for work. Studying agriculture made me appreciate the effort farmers put into the industry as well as the sheer pressure they often find themselves under. Engaging with readers and helping them understand this is something I am excited to pursue.

We don’t like to brag (much) but we’re agricultural journalists. We’re kind of a big deal.

Learn from the benefit of our experience (and mistakes) with our top tips!

We’re going to be blunt – just because you know a lot about agriculture, doesn’t mean you can immediately be an agricultural journalist.

You will still need the skills that every other journalist has – you’ll need to be able to take notes, interview people, construct a news story and ask potentially awkward questions.

An NCTJ is the recognised journalism qualification.

You don’t have to do it to be a journalist, but if you’re serious it will teach you everything you need to know.

Shorthand is really hard. But it is a really useful skill. Plus, you can write secret notes to people who know it too.

Don’t be afraid to ask. Whether it’s for advice, for an interview, or where the toilet is – speak up.

You need clippings – offer to write things for free. Georgina did, and she got this page.

Start a blog – yes, every man and his dog has one nowadays,

but you need to prove you can write.

Work experience.

WE CAN’T EMPHASISE THIS ENOUGH. No one is going to give you your first chance if your CV is an empty sheet of paper. Even if you do spray it with perfume.

W h e n I g r ow u p

I want to be a

FARMER

www.nfuonline.com