Itâs not all mud, tweed and early mornings â thatâs the message on the cover of the new NFU magazine for young people aimed to encourage new entrants into the agriculture sector.
#studentfarmer âSchools Editionâ is currently being trialled in over 140 schools and promotes varied and exciting careers in agriculture to 13-16 year olds making decisions on their studies.
The NFU has seen award-winning success with the original #studentfarmer launched in 2012 and distribute thousands of free copies to agricultural colleges and universities. NFU President Meurig Raymond said with the new âspin-offâ the NFU hopes to inspire younger students who may not have considered a career in the industry.
Mr Raymond continued: âWe believe the future of agriculture depends on excellent young farmers driving forward innovation. Playing a part in putting food on the worldâs plates is an incredible thing - we need to promote this. Thatâs why weâve furthered our efforts with #studentfarmer to encourage younger people to look to our diverse industry for an exciting and rewarding career.â
Editor of #studentfarmer Emily Cole said: âThe aim of the Schools Editionâs is simple: we want to make sure the next generation has the facts about the farming industry before they make decisions influencing the career they pursue.
âFrom the perspective of a person on the outside looking in, the industry has a lot of false stereotypes. We wanted the reality to shine through. Farming has a really exciting future ahead of it, and we want young people to consider being part of it.
âThe result is an easy-to-read magazine packed with stimulating content. It looks nice, feels nice and has a Border Collie pup in a flat cap on the cover â what more could a student want?â
#studentfarmer was established in 2012 and is published three times a year. The publication has won and been nominated for many prestigious awards.