"We Shouldn't Subsidise Young Farmers" : A Response

This morning I read Matthew Naylor’s article “We Shouldn’t Subsidise Young Farmers” (http://www.fwi.co.uk/articles/30/03/2013/138227/opinion-we-shouldn39t-subsidise-young-farmers.htm). This is my response.

As a prologue, I would like to point out that being a Young Farmer is more than an “on trend” thing to do. Yes, many a teenager might think it “cool” to attend the annual Good Friday and Boxing Day Discos, but those who attend the weekly meetings and stay up until 3am gluing rhinestones into their class 101 entry of a “free-standing bird feeder made from a recycled tyre and yoghurt pot” would beg to differ with you. We do it because we love it, not because we care about being cool.

My first observation of the article was that there really doesn’t seem to be any indication of a good time to invest in young farmers. Though Mr Naylor says that “young farmers deserve encouragement, advice and opportunities”, he doesn’t seem to acknowledge the fact that there is also a necessary monetary contribution. By investing in young people in their 20s, yes, one is creating the “golf handicap” scenario mentioned, but then when the “old” farmers are gone, who will take over? Who will run the land left behind by farmers with no children?  We should welcome the competition. As the article points out:

“Successful farming requires experience, good judgment and wise investments. It is not about radical actions, risk-taking or bolshie sales techniques”

Experience, good judgment and wise investments cannot be taught in months or weeks, these things take years to –pardon the pun- grow. Young farmers are investing thousands in their education in an effort to further their knowledge and kick-start their careers. Couple that with apprenticeships and further qualifications, it is hard to argue that young people are not suited for the profession. One cannot gain a job without experience and one cannot gain experience without a job. There exists a vicious circle in many professions, including farming.

“Maybe I was very fortunate to enter the industry at such a tough time. I had big dreams but low expectations.”

Entering any profession with £30,000 of student debt is tough, particularly when land is so expensive. One might argue that the university fees are unnecessary and that young farmers should go straight to work, but then those who argue the opposite make education necessary, and the vicious circle is complete. Let’s also not forget those of us who are not fortunate enough to enter into 400-acre Lincolnshire partnerships with our fathers. Without financial aid and support how are we to enter into the industry? Economies of scale mean that without large investment, a business is not viable. Big dreams and low expectations are still commonplace.

We should also not forget the long-term indications of an investment in youth. Perhaps, a better perspective to look at the issue from would be that instead of investing in young farmers, we are investing in Britain’s agricultural future. In a more competitive world, British agriculture needs to step up to the mark; by investing in young farmers now, we are investing in Britain’s food security, and place in the global market. If we do not invest in the future, how can we expect it to be secure? The industry faces unprecedented forces from across the globe driven by changes in technology, changes in demand and production displacement. If we do not invest in British agriculture, we allow the industry to stagnate. I understand that this investment means domestic competition is also heightened, however it is an unfortunate reality that to compete on a global scale, we must push new entrants into the domestic market. The article questions recent media attention of young farmers:

“The media celebrates young farmers as heroes and the salvation of the planet. Is that really appropriate? They haven't done anything yet.”

The answer is exactly the same as the reason Mr Naylor was given an opinion column in Farmers’ Weekly: people care about what other people have to say. Young farmers may not have accomplished anything yet, but it is what we are working towards that is impressive. Just as many young farmers will read Mr Naylor’s writing in Farmers Weekly and gain insight into the present state of farming, many will look to young farmers in the media and see hope and vision for the future. Ingenuity and fresh ideas should never be seen in a negative light.

To me, it seems that an extension of the article is that some people are “true” and “valid” farmers and others are not. Mr Naylor seems to imply that those who apply for grants or aid have a somewhat less valid career, or that their merits are of a lesser value. On his twitter Mr Naylor says he has “no sympathy” for first-generation farmers, stating he has a first-generation farming friend who drives an Aston Martin. Instead of taking the cynical view of “no sympathy”, would it not be better to use Mr Naylor’s friend as an example, look at his business strategies for insight so that we might all afford an Aston Martin? There is more than one way to carve a career and just as Mr Naylor’s first-generation friend drives an Aston Martin, there are plenty who do not.

I am not able to inherit a farm, though I desperately wish that I could. Instead I will have to make poor judgements, take risks, use bolshie sales techniques and learn from my mistakes. I will climb the ladder, fall down, be overtaken by those who were there before me, and be laughed at by people who think I am not a wise investment. However, the beauty of making mistakes is that each one made is a lesson learned, and the thing with investments is that their worth can only be known once they have matured. I hope that one day when I have made mistakes, I am able to prove to Mr Naylor, the public, and all those who laughed at me, that I was a good investment. I am not asking for or advocating that we give all young farmers millions of pounds, land on a platter and a straight-off-the-production-line New Holland, all I am asking for is the reciprocal respect of my elders, and the same hope in my actions as I put into the decisions they are making now which will determine my future.

Sometimes, when people ask me why I want to go into farming I am unable to give them an answer. I can soliloquise over my grandfather and my inspirations all I want to, I can talk about my interest in sustainability, in food education, my passion for the job, but that isn’t a true answer. To answer that question honestly and be understood I have to awkwardly fumble with some “umms” and “ahhs” before eventually a silence. Only someone else who understands the passion can fill the silence without words. Only someone who once held the same grand aspirations I do can remember what the silent spark meant. I hope that when I am older I never lose or fill my silence, and I hope above all that I am able to understand and nurture the silence of young people, for they are, after all, the future.