“Being part of the Farming Connect Agri Academy not only taught me the importance of taking responsibility for promoting our industry and the quality of our produce, it gave me the confidence and the know-how to do it. I would urge anyone wanting to work in the farming, food or forestry industry to apply,” says 34 year old Abi Reader, who runs a mixed farm across 323 hectares in Wenvoe, near Cardiff.
“The farm grows 60ha of arable, runs 150 sheep and has a dairy herd of 100 Holstein Friesians and 100 Dairy Shorthorns so it’s a full time commitment, but there’s always time for more! The networking contacts, skills and profiling I gained through the Agri Academy experience gave me a new focus to what I want to achieve and an added dimension to my skill set which I’ve already utilised in a number of ways.
Abi, currently county chair of Glamorgan NFU Cymru and member of her local Vale of Glamorgan Agricultural Show committee, has been invited to sit on a number of other influential agricultural committees, and she credits the Agri Academy for raising her profile.
“I am a member of the newly formed Welsh Dairy Farm Innovation Group; a Welsh Dairy Farmer Ambassador for AHDB Dairy; appointed member of NFU Dairy Board and involved with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) through their young members’ forum and on the Glamorgan Advisory committee for RWAS. The RWAS recently awarded me a scholarship to attend the Oxford
Farming Conference, which like the Academy, was another fantastic opportunity to network and I’m currently engaging with some of the industry’s key players on a variety of matters.
And, with an eye on the future, and continuing professional development, Abi is also now on the Tesco Future Farmer Foundation and she’s planning to have more involvement with the Future Farmers of Wales movement.
Farming Connect, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government, first launched its innovative personal development programme in 2012. Now approaching its fourth year and with nearly 80 alumni, the Agri Academy programme comprises three separate elements. Abi was selected to take part in the Rural Leadership Programme, a joint collaboration with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society which aims to develop and nurture a new generation of rural leaders. There is also an Agri Academy Business & Innovation Programme which offers personal and business development and a Junior Programme, a joint collaboration with YFC Wales, which is open to young people aged between 16 and 19 years old wanting to consider a career within the food, farming and forestry industry.
Together, the three programmes bring together some of the most promising people making their way in the agricultural industry in Wales today, giving them the inspiration, confidence, skills and contacts they need to become future rural leaders, professional business people and entrepreneurs.
“There were so many different elements within the programme which have given me not just a new network of friends and mentors with whom I regularly keep in touch, but the confidence to take an active role within not just within my own local community but also within the industry in Wales and the UK.
“During our Academy visit to the European Parliament in Brussels, I learnt to talk strategically and meaningfully to politicians and it was so beneficial to see at first hand how frank and honest discussions with policy leaders can actually impact on the decision making process in Wales.
“Skills and media training was another highlight, and although I have never underestimated the importance of engaging with the media, learning how to make the most of an interview and get your message across quickly and succinctly has already proved an invaluable skill,” said Abi
Director of Rural Programmes with Menter a Busnes, Eirwen Williams explained that the Agri Academy’s format of three short but intensive study periods, usually over a weekend, now has a fantastic track record of paving the way to business success for its alumni, with many crediting the action-packed programme of skills and media training, business mentoring, study visits, support and guidance with their current success as well as ambitious plans for the future.
Applications for this year’s Agri Academy must be submitted by the closing date of 1 April 2016. For more information on all three Academy programmes, eligibility, study period dates and locations and to download application forms, visit the Agri Academy page.