How a new generation is discovering farm life

This is a landscape rich in sheep, but apparently devoid of local youngsters to become the workforce of the future. That is why the Yorkshire Moors Agricultural Apprenticeship Scheme has been set up. "It's really to transfer the skills which have been learnt over many years, and transfer them from the upland farmers to new younger people." says Nicola Welford, the co-ordinator of the scheme.

The farm she runs with her husband Steve has been turned into an outdoor classroom for the day. "Today they're coming to our farm where we're scanning our sheep to find out who's in lamb and whether they're having twins or singles. They're going to help move the sheep about, they're going to look at how they're scanned and really learn all about it."

It all started when a group of farmers from the North York Moors paid a visit to some Cumbrian farmers who were running a similar scheme. From there the idea of the North York Moors project was developed with the help of Share to Farm, an initiative managed by Andersons Northern and English Farming and Food Partnership.

It encourages farmers to work together in joint ventures and gives them support. Share To Farm and the apprenticeship scheme are supported by funding from the Rural Development Programme for England through the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

"A number of the farmers identified that labour was short and that they were struggling to manage some of the requirements of the agri-environment schemes in terms of stocking and shepherding," says Fiona Tweedie, a farm business consultant with Andersons Northern.

"The farmers mostly used one contractor who was 'ageing', shall we say, and it became apparent that there was a potential loss of skills in the area."

In the first wave of the scheme, which began in November, seven apprentices are placed across 12 farms. One of them is Adam Judson, who grew up in urban Keighley in West Yorkshire and now lives in Kirkbymoorside. "I'm a townie lad," he says. "It's just something that interests me, with work round where we live, you've got no other choice, apart from going to college or do an apprenticeship scheme.

"I moved up here and it's the next best thing you can do, farming, it's something that interests me."

Sheep are a relatively new experience for Adam. His placement is with a beef farmer who has just a few sheep. So far Adam, who gets paid 139 a week is enjoying being on the scheme.

"It's got its hard bits and it's got its easy bits. If the weather's sunny it can be good, but if it snows it just makes things five times harder."

Adam is an apprentice at Jim Bailey's farm at Spaunton. "It's a good scheme," says Mr Bailey. "We need to get young people to learn the traditional skills of upland farming in the North York Moors. Certainly in the case of Adam, I like the lad, he's not from a farming background and it's good for him to be learning some practical skills."

The farmers who employ the apprentices pay their wages, set by the Agricultural Wages Board, but they receive a rebate of half the amount from the Rural Development Programme. It also helps fund the involvement of Askham Bryan College, near York, where the apprentices spend one day a week.

Jonathan Murray, one of the course tutors, says almost all of those who applied for this first course are from urban areas. "Farmers' sons and daughters are not joining these courses and all of the students on this course now don't originate from farms which is interesting.

"So we're bringing people back into the industry where there's a shortage of labour really. Plenty of work, not enough money, but lots to do."

Share to Farm: contact James Severn 01845 524455.