Spreading the word on rural careers

The conference, organised by the Food & Farming Forum, will take place on Thursday October 20, under the title A Future in Food, Farming and the Environment – A Career to Consider.

It is aimed primarily at careers advisers and teachers across the north of England.

Adam Henson of BBC TV’s Countryfile will open the conference, after which delegates will be invited to tour four sectors entitled:

Farm to Fork – opportunities along the food chain from farming through to primary processing and retailing;

Going Green – environmental sectors such as renewable energy, biofuels and resource protection;

Social Responsibility – land management, wildlife conservation and education

Science and Business – research and development, marketing, agricultural supplies and engineering and new product develop- ment.

Organisations represented will include Bishopton Vets, Natural England, the National Farmers Union, McCain Foods, Velcourt, Science City York, Ripon Farm Services, JSR Farms, Smiths Gore and the Environment Agency.

The event is free and lunch is provided but pre-registration is required. Contact Liz Hudson on 07702 598 108 or email [email protected]/

Steve Willis, chairman of the Food & Farming Forum, said this week: “It is absolutely vital for the future of our industry that young people are aware of the exciting and rewarding opportunities there are in the sector. We need top-grade students to not only become the hands-on practitioners but the leaders and successful businessmen of tomorrow. To do this we need to enthuse and inspire careers advisers so that they are aware of the amazing choices open to their students, and go back to ‘spread the word’.

“Farming is a high tech global industry. The kit on many farms today is worth tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. A-grade students are needed.”