Young Farmers and Careers

Women are being put off farming because of a perception that the work is unsuitable for them, according to a new Scottish Government report.

Perry Parkinson, 28, is from Northumberland, but works as a head shepherd for the Barony college farm, SRUC in Dumfries, Scotland.

With my family being tenant farmers, it was easy for me to decide which side I felt most comfortable acting for in landlord vs tenant disputes, which I encounter in my daily work as a chartered surveyor.

Annie Stones, 24, is based in Richmond, North Yorkshire. She works on the family sheep and beef farm alongside her full time job at W E Jameson Feeds as a feed sales representative.

The Country Trust is on a mission to connect children with the land that sustains us all. We work with farmers from across the nation who generously open their farms so children can explore where food comes from for themselves.

Emily Brown, 23, works on her family’s mixed farm in Stagsden, Bedfordshire and was Harper Adams Students’ Union president in 2021-22. She is also a NFU Student and Young Farmer Ambassador and helps promote diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Back in the mid-1990s, when I worked as a volunteer for the National Commission on Women’s Affairs at Government House in Bangkok, I went through two Prime Ministers in two years. That was expected in a clearly unstable political system.

Amie Witter-Smith, 28, is from a beef and arable farm in Goxhill, North Lincolnshire. Earlier in the year, she started selling beef boxes direct from the farm and is keen for people to learn where their meat comes from and the importance of supporting their local farmer.

It is okay not to be okay. Reading this opening, you are probably thinking ‘here he goes, talking about his mental health struggles’.

A 25-year-old farmer took his own life after struggling to come to terms with the loss of a family member, an inquest has heard.