Young Farmers Compilation
Countryfile is in Aberystwyth, where Adam Henson visits the town's university to meet the youngsters working towards a career in farming.
Countryfile is in Aberystwyth, where Adam Henson visits the town's university to meet the youngsters working towards a career in farming. He looks back through the Countryfile archive to see what life is like being a young farmer today - from the time Matt Baker met the twin sisters breaking into farming to when Helen Skelton met Scott Mitchell, the young farmer who went on to become the world darts champion.
The programme also catches up with the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs ambassadors, Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Chris Stark, as they get busy mucking out the animals at Vauxhall City Farm.
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Aberystwyth University
Adam Henson is at Aberystwyth University, one of the top places in the UK to study agriculture, discovering what life is like for young people entering the farming industry today. Adam joins a group of agricultural students in the lambing sheds of one of the university’s farms to find out their aspirations for the future.
Farms for City Children
Anita Rani heads to Treginnis Farm on the scenic St Davids’ Peninsula, the most westerly farm in Wales. ÌýIt is home to 800 sheep, a breeding herd of pigs, chickens, ducks, horses, goats and donkeys, and, for this week, an army of farm hands from Lakeside Primary School in Cardiff.Ìý The children are here on a residential trip with the charity ‘Farms for City Children’, founded by children’s writer Michael Morpurgo. All the children who visit are from urban backgrounds, many have never been to the countryside before. In the lambing shed, Anita finds out what a hectic schedule of milking goats, shovelling dung and feeding chickens, has taught the children about rural life.Ìý
Young farmer Cennydd Jones
Adam meets 21 year old Cennydd Jones, a fourth year student studying Agriculture and Animal Science at Aberystwyth. Adam discovers how this third generation farmer’s love for dairy has seen his family return to the industry despite moving to beef production in the 1980s. With the help of Cennydd’s video diaries on his family farm, Adam finds out how Cennydd has introduced his dad to modern methods of dairy farming which he has learnt on his course. Later, Cennydd shows Adam the ropes at the university’s rotary milking parlour.Ìý
Agricultural apprentices
In 2014, nearly 15 thousand people took part in apprenticeships in agriculture, horticulture and animal care in the UK. Last year, Jason Smith was one of 700 students carrying out an apprenticeship at Reaseheath College in Cheshire - one of the UK’s leading specialist land-based colleges. Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, Matt Baker gains an insight into Jason’s apprenticeship. It sees him get hands on experience at his dad’s farm whilst also swatting up in the classroom on anything from cow anatomy to grassland management. Ìý
Welsh young farmers
There’s one organisation which supports young farmers more than any other - the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs. With more than 5000 members across the country, Adam finds out from Cennydd Jones how young farmers’ clubs in rural Wales are helping young people to find a voice and sense of community.Ìý Always up for a bit of healthy competition, Adam then joins some YFC members as they take on the challenge of scoring four cows to work out which has the healthiest body condition. Ìý
Scott Mitchell
Helen Skelton meets 2015 darts champion, Scott ‘Scotty Dog’ Mitchell, at his family farm in Dorset. Helen learns about Scott’s farming background and how his local young farmers’ club not only introduced him to the world of darts, but also taught him the essential life skills to become a great sportsman. Then there’s time to put some young farmers through their paces with Scott’s farm machinery quiz!
Radio One’s farming ambassadors
Leading the way to help young farmers let their hair down are new ambassadors for the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’, Radio One DJs Scott Mills and Chris Stark. We join them at Vauxhall City Farm as they walk alpacas, muck out stables and brush some unruly goats whilst explaining why they believe young farmers clubs are so special. And, of course, they also come away with some ‘felfies’ – selfies with a farm animal.
Female farming students
Matt Baker vists the Humber Estuary to learn more about our next generation of young farmers. With women now making up around a fifth of all farmers Matt visits an agricultural college in Beverley to meet twins Victoria and Elizabeth Appleyard. With no history of farming in their family Matt finds out why they have embarked on a career in agriculture and gives them a helping hand in preparation for their annual show.ÌýBut can they come away with a rosette?
Caryl Hughes – then and now
In 2013, Caryl Hughes was the first person to win a remarkable scholarship, awarded by the National Trust, which saw her managing a remote Welsh hill farm for a year in the heart of Snowdonia. ÌýAdam Ìývisits Caryl to see how she has dealt with this daunting task and also helps her move a flock of sheep up the farm’s mountains for the first time in 25 years. Then, nearly three years on, Adam catches up with Caryl back on her old turf in the lambing sheds of Aberystwyth University farm, where today’s students are busy lambing. Adam discovers what she’s doing now and how she sees the future for herself and other young farmers.
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Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Adam Henson |
Presenter | Matt Baker |
Presenter | Helen Skelton |
Presenter | Scott Mills |
Participant | Scott Mills |
Participant | Chris Stark |
Executive Producer | William Lyons |
Series Producer | Joanna Brame |
Broadcasts
- Sun 13 Mar 2016 19:00
- Sun 20 Mar 2016 08:45
- Mon 21 Mar 2016 01:5091Èȱ¬ Two except Scotland
- Tue 22 Mar 2016 01:4591Èȱ¬ Two Scotland