Young farmer Jess Palmer aims to highlight farm safety through her upcoming charity event. Kate Chapman finds out more.
Agricultural student Jess Palmer is swapping her wellies for walking boots when she takes on a 100-kilometre trek in aid of a farming charity.
The 21-year-old, who is in the final year of her studies at Royal Agricultural University, in Cirencester, is preparing for the Ultra Action Challenge on May 14 and 15. She will walk a route along Dorsets Jurassic Coast, to help raise funds for the Farm Safety Foundation.
Jess, who is studying straight agriculture, must raise at least 600 to take part in the trek, but is keen to raise as much money as possible for the Yellow Wellies organisation which funds training at colleges throughout the UK to highlight the risks involved in farming and to offer practical solutions to addressing these risks.
Everyone knows the farm health and safety pile gets shoved to the bottom of the drawer, but I just think that with the way that farming is going - machinery is becoming automated and theres more powerful machinery - theres a lot more danger. says Jess, who will be the fifth generation of her family to work their Somerset farm, when she returns home this autumn.
The average farming age is now something like 59. People are only getting older and more results are expected of them, for less budgets, while theyre being squeezed by policy and ticking boxes.
Some farmers are working 80-hour weeks theyre trying to feed the population, who think they are trying to kill them. Everything is just becoming harder, theyre not looking after themselves, and were sadly seeing more farm accidents and farm deaths.
Ive heard stories from my dad about accidents that maybe could have been avoided people dying and losing limbs. I am quite a clumsy person myself Ive had a few accidents, suffered broken bones, although none of those were due to incidents on the farm.
It all just struck a chord. I wanted to take on one of these challenges and I thought I might as well do it to support a farming charity. I want to help our nations farmers, some of whom are dying, just by trying to put food on the table.
Inspired
Jess was also inspired to sign up for the event after her sister Rachael Palmer, an oncology nurse, completed a similar fundraising feat last year. She will not be going it alone though and has persuaded her boyfriend, Louis Terrell (20), a computer science and cyber security student, to take on the challenge with her. They will set off from Corfe Castle on the Saturday morning. And after completing 30 miles on their first day, will camp overnight at Weymouth before finishing the walk at Bridport the following day.
I work out every day to keep myself physically and mentally fit." says Jess, who is combining her studies with work at a livestock farm in Naunton, where she is currently staying, and a part-time job in a butchery.
Ive done some distance walking before; I was an army cadet too and took part in marching challenges. Im not too worried about the distance were covering, I suppose the weather will be the main issue hopefully the rain wont be hammering down.
Im really looking forward to it and looking forward to some lovely views of the beaches. So far, Ive raised 400 which is great - I needed to raise half of the 600 at least a month before we set off.
Ive always done charity stuff, and Ive always believed in helping other people wherever I can.
Jess will complete her studies and graduate the month after the walk. She plans to stay on at the farm where shes currently living, before returning to her own familys arable enterprise in the autumn.
Run by her grandfather Patrick, dad Duncan and uncle Andrew, the farm grows vegetables, wheat, maize, contract potatoes and strawberries. They also have a cider orchard and take on other contract work. Jess plans to relaunch her own business rearing pigs on her return, keen to add some sheep and maybe even cows to the mix.
Ive been keeping pigs since I was 16, she says. My grandma used to keep cows when I was younger and I used to talk to her about them, although I couldnt really remember much.
I got involved with pigs and paid for everything myself; paid for the fencing and put it up and I kept them outdoors.
I had two sow gilts from around eight weeks old, bred them on, butchered them and sold the meat at a farmers market.
During the pandemic, I went back home and got some more Oxford, Sandy and Blacks which I crossed with a Landrace Pig. This gives a traditional pork flavour, and they grow a lot quicker."
My plan is to experiment with as many different breeds as possible, so I can see what works best for me, my farm and my system."
Passion
During her studies, Jess also secured a placement at a butchery and has been working in another, so that she can learn to butcher her own livestock.
The first lot of pigs I had butchered by someone else, and it ended up costing me all of my profit, so I thought Id learn to do it myself she says. Now Ill be able to breed the pigs, rear them in their natural habitat in a wood on the farm, butcher them and then sell the meat at a local farmers market to people I have grown up with in the village.
Im so excited to get started. As I was growing up, other people said to me that with my brains I ought to teach or join the army but one day, I was walking back from helping out on the farm, I had this moment.
It was a real epiphany I thought, why am I even listening to other people? I couldnt even believe I was considering doing anything else. I decided to go to university to get some freedom, but during the pandemic its all been online learning, so Ive been able to work as well. Ive been doing university how I want to do it and had the best of both worlds.
When I told my grandma I wanted to farm, she gave me the kindest smile and really looked quite relieved with my sisters and cousins there are five of us, but no-one was showing any interest in working on the farm.
Im really close with my dad; we get on well and work wonderfully together. Im going to be doing what I love.
Im very lucky as a person to have both a body and a mind that works, and a job and a family that I love, so its nice to be able to do this fundraiser give something back.
Donate
- To sponsor Jess visit www.justgiving.com/Jessica-Palmer2022
