Thanks to the kind sponsorship of AGCO, Year 9 students from Birmingham and Coventry got to see cutting-edge agricultural machinery and technology from leading companies in the farming sector first-hand.
They received a guided tour around the show by NFU Farmers for Schools Ambassadors and took part in hands-on practical tasks, where they gained valuable insights into the latest advancements in farming and explored the exciting opportunities within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers in the industry.
Showcasing farming to the next generation
Year 9 student Eve said the day the experience had taught her “how hard farming is, how much work goes into it, and all the different types of farm machinery – I thought it was a tractor and that’s it”.
“When you see how many people are actually farmers and interested in farming, it’s kinda cool to see a big community of people who enjoy the same thing,” Eve added.
The students learned how to connect up and create power using ‘Locktronics’ electrical test rigs with AgCo, took part in a growing workshop from G’s Fresh - one of Europe’s leading fresh produce companies - and had an editorial and social media session with agricultural trade magazine Farmers Guardian.
“It’s incredibly important to encourage young people and find ways to make farming fun and interesting so that as they grow they can become more involved in the countryside.”
NFU President Minette Batters
AGCO Ltd. Aftersales Training UK & Eire Manager Charlie Rollason said: “Collectively our industry's talent pipeline is very poor, and we do not attract people in from outside the rural world. We need to capture the interest of youngsters and raise their awareness of the vast array of opportunities for careers in and around the world of agriculture & agricultural engineering.”
Mr Rollason added he was “proud” to have been able to support the NFU, Agriconnect and Farmers Guardian to provide a bursary which enabled the schoolchildren to gain an insight into the industry and “spark their imagination”.
Agriconnect Marketing Manager Sophie Jackson-Holgate said: “Securing future talent for the industry is really important and we’re trying to educate people from non-farming backgrounds on how much the industry has to offer.”
