Taking stock of the growing female presence in agriculture

Her farmer grandfather has given her a calf – she had the choice of a foldyard full and somehow managed to pick the one with most “personality” – and was keen to see how the students went on with their animals.

She has been busy halter-breaking the Blonde d’Aquitaine heifer and wanted to compare progress and perhaps pick-up a few tips.

May 11th marked the 52nd annual running of the event at the college near Beverley – the oldest college-run stockmanship competition in the country.

There was extra excitement surrounding this year’s event, with the arrival of a film crew from the popular BBC programme Countryfile.

Viewers last Sunday saw presenter Matt Baker watch students preparing their animals – shampooing, grooming, halter training – and witnessed him rolling his sleeves up and getting involved himself.

As well as the stockmanship competition, the programme focused on 17 year-old twins Lizzie and Vicky Appleyard, from Goole, and Jess Graves, also 17, from Dunnington, near York. Lizzie and Vicky are sheep enthusiasts, while Jess already has her own pig enterprise. It compared their lives with that of Bishop Burton student and farmer’s son Jack Johnson, from Welwick in East Yorkshire.

Females now make up 21 per cent of all agriculture students at Bishop Burton College. This is compared to just eight per cent five years ago.

Researchers for Countryfile have joined other media in finding the increase in wannabe lady farmers of interest.

Helen Martin, Bishop Burton’s agriculture course manager, says today’s female students see a “clearer career path” than those of yesteryear.

“Attitudes towards female farmers have changed beyond recognition over the last decade,” says Helen.

“People always used to say women weren’t strong enough for the physical side of the job but now, with modern machinery and techniques, the job isn’t all about physical strength. ”

Jeanette Dawson OBE, principal and chief executive of Bishop Burton College, made a point of asking my daughter about her calf.

“Stick at it,” she told her. As did Bill Cowling, show director of the Great Yorkshire Show.

“The way this competition gives youngsters a taste for preparing animals for a show is marvellous,” he said. “As the public becomes more concerned with welfare and traceability; then the importance of being able to present and show stock increases.”

Preparations for the event began around six weeks ago when – as part of their studies on the Extended Diploma and First Diploma Agriculture programmes – the students were allocated an animal to enter into the competition.

All bred and reared at the college, the animals then became the responsibility of the students. One of the main challenges was getting the animals to walk on a halter.

Purely by coincidence, the overall champion was a female student – Megan Thomas, 17, from Cowling, near Skipton. She won her class for dairy heifer and then claimed the overall title.

“I’m thrilled,” said Megan, who had put in over 50 hours’ work with her animal, named Bluebell, over the past fortnight. “Every spare moment I had was spent up here in the cattle sheds”.

Megan hopes to work in the dairy industry when she has completed her studies.

“I’m all for promoting girls in farming. Every opportunity I get I’m telling people how girls can do just as good a job as the boys!”

Equestrian students were also involved in the competition, with 19 year-old Georgia Webb from Rotherham taking the overall title.

Lizzie Appleyard’s Limousin heifer became too frisky to take into the ring, but she was still smiling afterwards.

“When we were at school we were often teased for being into farming,” she revealed.

“But now we are at college we are so pleased we ignored them and stuck to what we love doing. At first the boys were quite sceptical – thinking we would be no use – but now they just treat us like one of them. It’s just brilliant here.”

Final word then to the top woman, principal Jeanette Dawson: “The extra hours some of these students put in for this competition are absolutely fantastic and will help put them head and shoulders above other applicants when it comes to entering the workplace.”

Sorry, not quite the final word.

“How old do you have to be to leave school and go to agricultural college…?” asked a certain 12 year-old in the car on the way home.

Full results for the livestock section of the Bishop Burton College Stockmanship Competition are:

Sheep: Nick Moulds, from Withernwick, near Hornsea, East Yorkshire

Dairy Calf: Zachary Cowen, from Grimsby

Dairy Heifer: Megan Thomas, from Cowling, near Skipton, North Yorkshire

Beef: Dominic Cuthbert, from Hutton Cranswick, East Yorkshire

Reserve Champion: Dominic Cuthbert

Champion: Megan Thomas