6 minute read
BECOMING A NEW FACE FOR FARMING
from STUDENT FARMER
Mixing it up
Orla McIlduff speaks to Arron Kennedy about his route into farming and why he’s rocking the boat to create a better world for his three children
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John Cottle
COVER STORY
“When you’re growing up, you only dream to be something you can see as a possibility. How can kids dream to be it if they’ve never seen it?” It’s this thought, and not the followers or glory, that drives mixed-race farmer Arron Kennedy to share his life on social media.
AK, as he likes to be known, is half Irish, half Jamaican, but was born and raised in the Warwickshire countryside. He’s got farming relatives on both sides of his family; his grandparents on his mum’s side farmed in Jamaica, while his Irish cousins farmed in Tipperary. “It’s in the blood somewhere,” he giggles, as we bond about our similar experiences within large and noisy Irish families.
Although always interested in farming,
AK’s passion was horse racing, and it led to him living in places including Australia and Hong Kong, doing track work. He came back to England and got his jockey licence at the age of 24: “I knew I wasn’t going to make it big time,” he says. “But I just wanted to do it for a bit of fun. I didn’t have any wins, but I got into the winner’s enclosure a few times.” Retiring from riding in 2013 coincided with meeting his now-wife, Nat, and luckily this also helped him pave his way into farming.
“I proposed to my wife, and the fi nal wedding plan we made was to fi nd a band. We went to listen to one in Stratford, and I spoke to the lead singer after his set, explaining I wasn’t sure what do next. He’s a farmer’s son and told me they were looking for someone. I went to the farm, had a chat, and that was almost seven years ago now.”
AK and his family live on a farm owned by the council, which his employers have the lease for. He commutes to the main farm each day, mainly making haylage for horses, which he thinks people might not feel is as glamorous as other types of farming. He is, however, really proud of the consistency of their product, ensuring samples are sent for nutrient analysis.
He says: “I have no regrets in changing careers to farming. Sometimes I wish I’d got into it sooner but, having said that, I loved my days riding horses.”
And yet, it’s working in these two industries successively that led him to think about how homogenous (read: white, male-dominated, wealthy) they really are and about what he could do to help increase their diversity. So he set up his Instagram account. He says: “I wish I’d had the courage to be a representative for diversity when I was in racing.
The Irish genes in the Kennedy family are certainly strong; like all his nieces and nephews, AK’s eldest daughter, Pippa, arrived with blonde hair and blue eyes, while her brother Bill is the image of his dad, all dark, curly hair. And the youngest, Ruairí, has blonde hair and blue eyes again. However, these diff erences, beautiful and unique as they are, have consequences.
“I had racist comments thrown at me throughout primary school. This why
it’s important for me to use Instagram as a platform to share my thoughts and showcase our struggles, because I know full well that one day I’m going to have to have a conversation with Bill to explain to him why he will face racism as he grows up and yet Pippa and Ruairí won’t.”
Those of us who have the privilege of being born white might think of this as a ridiculous concept, and AK says people tell him all the time he won’t have to have that conversation with Bill. In response, he says simply: “If you think that, you’re naïve.
He continues: “There are times I think ‘I can’t be bothered with this social media’, but, if I don’t do it now, who’s going to do it and take that step? It’s not about the followers for me; it’s about getting the word out.”
One of AK’s inspirations and allies on the farming social media scene currently is Flavian Obiero, who also documents his farming work (check out the last edition of Student Farmer for our interview with him), but when he joined Instagram, AK was the only person of colour he could see showing themselves on farm.
On being a role model for people of colour, AK says: “I tell people that I want every kid, no matter what colour they are, to have the chance to get into the farming industry, if that’s what they want.”
To help this ambition, AK is also a supporter of the FarmerTime initiative: “I’m paired with a school in East Sussex. It’s absolutely amazing – the kids are fantastic. I was worried, because I don’t work much with livestock, that I might come across as very boring. But they have so many questions.”
Because he’s inspiring young people, it’s easy to forget that in the big scheme of things, AK is still a young farmer himself, and working out how to get his welly properly through the farming door. He’s hoping to have his own farm tenancy at some point in the future.
He says: “I think Defra really needs to think carefully about the rules around giving grants to people leaving the industry. Succession in the farming community is complex, and the distribution of money could end up being quite unfair. I think there should be government loans for new entrants with good business plans – and once they reach a threshold, they could start repaying that money. Like a student loan maybe.”
And Nat is fully on board too. After a career at the NFU Mutual, she recently branched out on her own and has a poultry business, which she runs alongside her dog boarding business. They have it all planned out: “If we could get a tenant farm, we already have diversifi cation ideas so we’re not reliant on one farming business strand.”
He’s determined, he’s got the knowledge and skills, and he’s standing up for what he believes in. Arron Kennedy and his family are changing the face of farming for the better, so watch this space.
but, if I don’t do it now, who’s going to do it and take that step? It’s not about the followers for me; it’s about getting the word out.” the farming social media scene currently
Follow AK on Instagram @The_RainbowFarmer
