People in Ag UK - March 14th 2019 | Issue 5| With Love From Kent

PEOPLE IN AG UK 14 MARCH 2019

Kent

With love from

part of lifeandthecows

WELCOME

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome back to People in Ag UK. Starting a full time job in September, and taking on a new and more demanding role within the business as the result of a promotion in December, has made it difficult to try and keep on top of People in Ag UK in such the huge quarterly format that it was.

To resolve this, and to keep sharing the stories of the brilliant people in UK Agriculture with you, People in Ag UK will be coming out in a smaller, fortnightly version.

To allow me to prepare for this and to organise the interview line up, I took a small hiatus over the New Year to really focus on the direction of the magazine and to cement in my mind what I hope to achieve with it over the coming months and year.

2018 was such a whirlwind year for the magazine.

After being shortlisted as a finalist for Digital Innovator of the Year at the BFA's, and helping to secure my place as a FW Ag Student of the Year Finalist, I realised that People in Ag UK was actually very well respected, and this still stuns me.

Here’s to hoping that after a short break, 2019 will be even bigger.

As ever, thank you for all of your support and here’s to a great year.

The first version of the new format will focus on a special someone currently living in Kent, with a big love of goats, and a special place in her heart for education. Katie Anderson, known to most as FemaleFarmerUK is back talking all things new as she embarks on her latest adventure.

As always, I hope you enjoy this edition of People in Ag UK, and I am looking forward to bringing you new content more regularly. Best wishes

WITH LOVE FROM KENT...

A familiar face to People in Ag UK, we welcome back Katie Anderson, otherwise known as FemaleFarmerUK, for her third appearance in the magazine.

Having previously featured with her educational smallholding 'Muddy Boots Farm' and as a recent success for her impressive invitation the the 'Women of the Year' lunch as one of the 'Women of Achievement and Inspiration' it is fitting that we re-launch People in Ag UK with an inside look into Katie's newest Adventure.

Prompted by the end of the lease on the land that she was renting in Essex, Katie took the opportunity to start completely afresh in a new town.

"So much has changed since we last spoke, I am not even sure where to start! Firstly, I am no longer in Essex, I no longer have my educational smallholding and I no longer have any sheep! I do however now have an amazing new job managing a grass-fed beef cattle farm just outside of Dover, Kent and I am about to launch my own business from my small free-range pig and poultry farm. So I can’t complain."

"It all changed when the landowners of my smallholding decided to end my lease to use it for their own venture and I took that push as the opportunity to start completely fresh in a new town, with a new job and a new business idea.

I have learnt a huge amount in the last year and really had to grow stronger to deal with a heap of challenges that were thrown my way but I am taking it as lessons learnt and loads of new doors have opened for me since."

"What seemed like the end of the world at the time was actually just a push in a different direction."

"I loved working with the children and they absolutely loved being on the farm, so I do really miss the gratification you get from seeing the children learning and enjoying themselves.

And education was what led me down the farming path anyway so it is strange to no longer be doing it."

Katie has also recently started producing educational blogs and vlogs for those wanting to get into small scale farming, saying that "I don’t think I will ever completely take my educational hat off!"

"It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows however and there is a huge amount of planning and paperwork involved in having children on the farm and I definitely do not miss that side of it.

It is so nice to be able to be a bit messy and not panic about every single health hazard in sight (which there are plenty of on a farm), it gives

me a lot more time to get down to the nitty gritty of farming which is what I truly love.

Katie also recently announced her lastest business venture 'Paddlesworth Produce' which will be launching in April.

"My new venture Paddlesworth Produce is run from the 4 acres of land that I rent just outside of Folkestone, Kent. Here I have a small number of pigs and chickens, as well as my pet goats that have travelled from Essex with me!"

"The plan is to sell my produce in the form of a Breakfast Box, which is packed full of yummy Kent produce, both from my farm and from other local producers."

"I'm going to offer a local delivery service so the boxes can be purchased as a one-off treat or as a monthly subscription."

Never one to stop learning, Katie has thrown herself into learning as much as possible before the launch in April.

"I have been on a butchery course so I can make all of my own bacon and sausages and I have been visiting lots of local producers and learning all about their businesses too; from coffee roasting to apple pressing to butter churning!"

In November, Katie was invited to the Tesco Future Farmers Foundation (TFFF) Selection Day. The programme has five key areas, workshops, supply chain, training, mentoring and industry exchange, and is free to those that are selected for the course.

"I firstly learnt about the TFFF from previous attendees of the course, who had posted about it on their social media accounts. It sounded really interesting and I thought I wouldn’t lose anything by applying and just went for it – I never thought I would make it to interview stage! Then I did!"

"There were so many other applicants there and from all across the country so it was quite daunting being the first in for my interview, especially after a 4 hour drive there!"

"The day started with an interview, then we had a group debate, a quiz and lastly a team building activity. It was a great day and even though I didn’t get onto the course, I made some brilliant contacts and I went to visit one of the other applicants recently on her goat farm in Worcestershire so it was worth it just for that!"

"The interview was most difficult because they were asking me questions about largescale farming and I don’t have experience on that type of farm. If I wanted to get through next year I think I would have to spend some time working on larger farms who’s main suppliers were companies like Tesco to get a better idea of what they would be looking for.

Never one to be defeated and armed with a can do attitude, Katie has since taken what she learnt at the selection day and has come up with her own version of the programme.

"I was really disappointed when I first heard I didn’t get onto the course but instead of wasting a whole year and then applying for the 2020 class, I have decided to create my own version of the course."

"They gave you a prospectus of the kind of activities, lessons and visits that were offered and I have just copied that but tailored it to my own interests and, most importantly, budget! So far I have already done my butchery course, visited a goat farm and attended a farming conference."

"I have a turkey farm, local dairy tour and a commercial lambing season also booked in, so it just goes to show that even though it was a little harder and more costly for me to organize without Tesco's contacts and funding, if you really want to do something you can!"

November was a busy month for Katie, as she also attended the Lord Mayor's Show in London with a number of other Young Farmers to Back British Farming with the NFU. "Being a part of this campaign was fantastic!

This was fantastic! To start with, we had a night out in London the day before where we got to meet the rest of the young farmers and the organisers and talk through the logistics of the day while discussing tractors, lambing, wellies, weather, you know the usuals!"

"We got up early in the morning and took to the streets of London with a huge Massey Ferguson tractor and combine harvester."

"I was quite worried about the public’s reactions to farming and was concerned that we would be met with some backlash, however I couldn’t have been more wrong!"

"Every street we entered we were greeted with cheers for British Farmers and “Back British Farming” being shouted by the crowds. It was a shock to hear so much positivity when the media wants to make out that everyone hates us!"

"As part of the media campaign I was also interviewed for Talk Radio and on the live BBC coverage, which was a little bit terrifying but also really fun. They both felt like they flew past in a second and I am sure I forgot everything I was meant to say but I did my best to get the message across and show that farmers can be young, female and ex-townies, just like myself!"

After almost a year since our last interview, Katie reflected on some of the highs and lows of the past 12 months.

"The definite lows were walking away from Muddy Boots Farm and having to get rid of a lot of my livestock to prepare for the move down to Kent."

"It was especially hard selling my breeding flock of ewes because I had always wanted my own flock and I had grown so attached to each one of them. I did sell them to a local sheep farmer who I know will take good care of them but I wish I could have just brought them down with me!"

"The highs were definitely securing the land that I have now and it giving me the opportunity to start Paddlesworth Produce and the Kent Breakfast Box. Also because I did have a break with no livestock, I have been able to visit some fantastic farms and country shows across the UK and I hope I have the time to continue to do so for the rest of 2019, as I feel so inspired and educated every time I come home."

Coming from a non farming background and training as a teacher, ending up with her own smallholding and managing a beef farm in Kent doesn't seem like a natural progression for Katie, however she is passionate to encourage more people to get into farming.

"As we all know, farmers are an ageing population. The average farmer is aged 59 and we can’t have all of our farmers dying off and no one filling their boots. So we need new, young people to enter the industry to keep it going! One of the benefits of using folk from outside of the farming community is the experience they bring with them, I have worked in education, property, marketing and accounts before I started farming and each one helps the farm I work on in a different way."

"The scary thing is however, that agriculture was never a career option in my school and so many schools still do not recommend it to their students, think of how many potential farmers are not even hearing about the option to farm. I certainly thought way into my twenties that you had to be born into a farming family to farm, it wasn’t until I saw other first generation farmers that I realized it was possible. Which is why I make a point now of sharing my story because there is probably another me out there wondering if it is possible!"

"There are lots of things that need to happen to make more people interested in agriculture and it is not going to be an overnight change. Most importantly I think culturally we need to appreciate that farming is a good job, why shouldn’t it be viewed as important as teaching or nursing, we are all vital to the future of the human race! We also need to help those starting out in farming; land prices and the cost of farming machinery are enough to stop most of the population being able to get started. It took me three years to even find a piece of land to rent – it is not easy!"

As far as getting advice for those from a non farming background looking to enter the industry, Katie is surely one of the best.

"I would say offer free help on as many different farms as possible, perhaps you have weekends free or you can take some time off work."

"Firstly this is an easy way to see if you like it or not and you have lost nothing – don’t enter a three year agricultural course and then realise you hate mud!"

"Secondly, visiting different farms is really important because everyone works in different ways and I think a lot of people in farming get stuck in a rut when there is also a lot of innovation in agriculture to be inspired by."

"Visiting different types of farms will also help you decide where your passion lies and what your likes and dislikes are; you may really dig

pigs or perhaps hops are your thing – you wont know until you try! Farming is also a really tight knit community and you’ll need to prove yourself before you start to make contacts or get recommendations."

One thing that none of us do often enough is look back on our progress and offer ourselves advice, and again this is where Katie is humbly different.

"I am still learning every day when it comes to farming so I don’t think I will ever look back and not have a new piece of advice for myself."

"I think a really important lesson I learnt this year was not to rush things and do things properly. That’s general life advice I suppose, not farm specific, but I get so excited about getting new livestock or offering a new product that I often take on too much so this year I am trying to do one thing at a time even if I am working at a slower pace than I am used to."

Paddlesworth Produce and the Kent Breakfast Box will be launching in April. Keep up to date with recent developments by liking Katie's Facebook Pages: @PaddlesworthProduce and @FemaleFarmerUK. Katie is also active on Twitter: @FemaleFarmerUK and uses the same handle on Instagram too!

The purpose and aim of People in Ag UK has always been to share the stories of those in the industry that are making a difference, no matter how big or small this difference may be.

Katie's journey from town to country is so important, and resonates with the ever growing number of people from non-farming backgrounds that are venturing into Agriculture.

Sustainability and traceability are key parts of Katie's message, as is sharing everything Kentish, and this, along with backing British Farming, is something that People in Ag UK is keen to encourage and champion.

With People in Ag UK coming out more frequently and in a smaller format, we can spend the time getting to know the people we feature, and can give them the coverage that they deserve.

Although it has been a while since we last published People in Ag UK, we sincerely thank each and every one of you that has eagerly awaited our next issue, and we couldn't be more excited to be bringing you new and exciting content fortnightly.

Until next time

Emily Hickman EDITOR