At the age of 36, Cumbria's new NFU county chairman, Russell Bowman, is leading by example.
Due mainly to animal diseases and poor farm gate prices, Mr Bowman believes his industry is in danger of losing a generation of farmers – his generation. That's his motivation for deciding to lead the county's farmers for the next two years.
"I see it as my job to get younger people involved in the NFU," said Russell of Castlerigg Farm in Armathwaite, Carlisle.
"My dad always taught me not to complain about the farming industry if I was not prepared to go to meetings and do something about it. Milk price is increasing but production is falling. This worries me because once production is stopped it's impossible to switch on again, especially if my generation fall by the way side.
"People I consider to be dyed in the wool farmers are beginning to question whether they want to carry on farming. This is alarming. Therefore I will do my utmost during my time as county chairman to encourage my generation to get more involved with the NFU and the politics of farming. If we want this industry to flourish for ourselves and our young families, then it is up to us as young farmers to ensure its survival."
Russell is married to Christine and the couple have three children aged six years, four years and seven months old. He is a tenant farmer who has 420 acres of severely disadvantaged land. He keeps 75 dairy cattle, 350 beef cattle, 500 breeding ewes and has 225 acres of arable crops.
Russell will be officially inaugurated as NFU Cumbria County Chairman tonight (Monday 21 January) at the NFU Cumbria annual dinner held at the Westmorland Hotel in Tebay. Russell takes over from Trevor Wilson of Low Bankside Farm in Cartmel. Trevor took over as county chairman on Monday 23 January, 2006. He has helped guide the county's industry through the FMD and bluetongue outbreaks as well as the Single Farm Payment fiasco which began when he took over as chairman and is still dragging on today.
"It annoys me that we are now two years down the line and the Single Farm Payment is still disadvantaging English farmers, not only against the rest of Europe but Scotland and Wales also," said Trevor.
Speaking about Russell's appointment, Trevor said: " I wish Russell every success. He is a well educated, articulate farmer who is working at the coalface of this industry. He is precisely what NFU Cumbria needs."
