High-fliers told to consider down-to-earth career

A FARMING entrepreneur who has set up her own booming business selling free range pigs is to promote agriculture as a career for high-fliers at a conference next week.

The event at Askham Bryan College, near York, aims to get school teachers and careers advisors to encourage more young people to think about working in the countryside.

The Food and Farming Forum for Yorkshire and the Humber will be highlighting careers in research, technology and land management as secure jobs for top graduates to pursue.

Anna Longthorp, 28, who is one of the main speakers at the event, began rearing free range pigs at her family farm, near Howden, two years ago selling around five animals a week to local butchers.

Now, her business, Anna’s Happy Trotters, has 2,100 breeding sows and sells 700 pigs a week to Waitrose with another 140 to butchers.

She said: “The event aims to show that farming can be a challenging career.

“I love my job and find it massively rewarding but I think there is a perception among some people that farmers are a little bit thick.

“They do not realise what is involved, you need to have marketing skills and my job is also very scientific.

“For instance we have worked hard to develop the best taste for our pigs by using different breeds and looking at the ph of the animals.”

The event at Askham Bryan College, on Thursday November 4, will be based around three themes; Farm to Fork, Going Green - Social Responsibility and Science and Business.

Askham Bryan’s principal, Liz Phillip, said: “We need to dispel the myth that agriculture is just people pushing around a shovel.

“Agri-food is very important to Yorkshire’s economy and is the only growing manufacturing sector in the country.

“It is a hi-tech industry and we need to get more good graduates coming in to drive the sector forward.”

Askham Bryan runs a range of courses in areas such as agriculture, land management, forestry and arboriculture and food production.

The conference is being organised by the Food and Farming Forum for Yorkshire and the Humber which is chaired by Harrogate farmer Steve Willis.

During the event the audience of invited teachers and careers advisors will be able to talk to a variety of businesses working in the sector ranging from locally based rural producers to national food, science and technology companies.

Organisers of the conference hope their message will be taken back into schools to increase awareness of the jobs available across the agricultural sector.

Other speakers next week will include Julian Davies from Stockbridge Technology Centre in Selby, Claire Foster from the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and Prof Nicola Spence from Science City York.