Do you know a farmer? They seem to be a rather mysterious breed considering that we are eating their produce every day. So who are these producers?
When you think of a farmer you may conjure an image of an older man with a tractor, wellingtons and a little too much around the waste! However, there is reason to believe that a new generation of society are coming into agriculture.
Here are some quick fire statistics:
at present the average age of a farmer is 59 (BBC)
in 2020, the number of farmers in the UK was 109,000 (Statista)
in 2018 about 17% of farmers were women, up from 7% in 2007-2008 (the Guardian)
the National Young Farmers Club has over 20,000 members between the ages of 10-26 (NFYFC) - although it is important to mention that this is a club open to anyone, not just farming folk
Many farmers have come from families of farmers and have been on the land for generations. However there continues to be a wave of new entrants from a non-farming background getting into farming by studying agriculture, gaining work and experience at farms and taking advantage of the grants offered by the government for starting up a farm of your own.
Despite the average age of a farmer, there are still many young faces coming into UK agriculture, particularly thanks to growing interest in the environment and where our food comes from. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) brings together those interested in farming and the countryside of all ages to help support and promote British farming (among many other things). In recent years, they have paid particular attention to the younger generation and have set up the Student Farmer Magazine run by young people interested in the British countryside and since 2019 have had Student and Young Farmer Ambassadors. Click here for the cohort of 2020-21 to read their stories!
It is also important to note that farmers form one part of a huge machine that is the agricultural industry, from tractor mechanics to agronomists, they are all essential to keep the cogs of British agriculture turning.
However, one thing unites us all, and that is love for the land and our animals. Whether new-entrants, or 5th generation farmers, the land and livestock runs in our veins: that is who a farmer is and everyone is welcome.
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