Young farmers will be told they need to be bolder about self-promotion and be proud of their products if they want to build a successful career in the industry.
The advice will be delivered by industry leading marketing experts who will make up the panellists at The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ (NFYFC) AGRI Forum 2017, which will be held during its Annual Convention in Torquay this April.
One of the speakers, founder of British Food Fortnight Alexia Robinson, said: “Like it or not we live in a social media-driven world where he who shouts the loudest gets a lot of publicity and there are no prizes for shrinking violets.
“This is not a natural trait in many farmers, most are more used to just quietly getting on with their daily work.
“British farm produce is some of the very best in the world; there is so much to shout about and we all need to be smarter about telling the consumer why it is so high quality and why they should buy it.”
A report from earlier this year said young farmers in the UK are facing 'serious and unnecessary challenges' which is impacting the entire industry.
The NatWest report, 'Harvesting the future for young farmers', claims young farmers are faced with limited succession opportunities, an inability to embrace new farming models, difficulty accessing funding and a varying level of business skills.
'Testing times'
The AGRI Forum is hoping to combat this. AGRI Chairman Harriet Wilson, from Staffordshire Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, explained why marketing was chosen as this year’s topic.
“There are testing times ahead for the industry so it is imperative that, as young farmers, we are equipped with the necessary skills to market ourselves, our businesses and our products if we want to succeed. This year’s AGRI Forum will help our YFC members and guests learn more about the key marketing essentials and how to make use of all of the opportunities available.”
Self-styled social media expert Simon Haley will advise young farmers on how to take advantage of the internet.
He said: "We are all our own brands. And brand perception is absolutely integral to growth and success. Once you introduce that concept onto a digital platform, the internet becomes a powerful tool with which to project yourself and research others."
Duncan Morrison, vice-chairman of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers, said: "The more young people you've got in an industry, it's always a positive, because you've got young people bringing in new ideas and fresh enthusiasm.
"The average age of a farmer is 58 now, I think, and it's not really good. You need younger people coming in and taking the pressure off the older guys."
