realjeanie
Member
My 12 year old son has always had a fascination with farming and helped out in France last year on one of the farms we were staying in. He would love to go and help out (I know he is too young to get paid) on a farm, but we just dont know who to contact to help him out. Can anyone suggest what we can do?
SI
Member
Hi realjeanie
Good to hear that your son is interested in farming, and that you are encouraging him.
If you can help him join a Young Farmers Club, and to take part in ALL the activities, he will get involved and meet other farming types.
Young Farmers is a wonderful organisation - they usually meet one evening a week & then have activities at the w/e, like stock judging, fence building, public speaking etc etc.. As he gets to know people, he will hear about opportunities that arise to get more experience & eventually he will be ideally placed to get a job.
admin
Key Master
Hi realjeanie,
Welcome to the farmingfriends forum. What a good suggestion SI gives about Young farmers. My husband was in the Young Farmers and it provided a great social life and gave him contact with other farmers.
If you are not a farming family then do you know any of the local farmers in your area where your son could go and help out on a weekend and during school holidays.
I see from your profile that you are in Derbyshire, what a shame you are not in Yorkshire then your son could have come and had a look round my farm. If you are ever in the York area you will have to let us know and you and your son can come and have a look at what we do here. My husband farms beef cattle and arable crops and I have quail, guinea fowl, hens, ducks and Saddleback pigs.
The Farmers Weekly magazine has a website and a children's blog written by farming children which your son may find interesting. Here is the link http://www.fwi.co.uk/blogs/fw-kids-connect-campaign/
Here is a forum link where a 15/16 year old is asking about getting into farming http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/forums/getting-into-farming-how-15232.aspx
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Sara @ farmingfriends
realjeanie
Member
Hi Sara
Thank you so much for your reply and to SI for yours too. Its good to know there are still people out there willing to help others get ahead.
Sara, my son would love to come and see your farm. We visit York occasionally and are no strangers to travelling around. Can you let me have your details please?
In the meantime I will try and get in touch with a Young Farmers Club as suggested by SI. There are lots of farms around us in Derbyshire but I dont think that we can just pull up outside their farmhouses and expect them to help us?! I dont know how I would react if someone pulled up unexpected on our doorstep.
Anyway, thank you both again for your ideas/help.
Helen
realjeanie
SI
Member
Hello again
There are 11 clubs throughout Derbyshire based around the following areas:
Ashbourne, Ashover, Bakewell, Barlow, Belper, Buxton, Derby,Hope Valley, Melbourne, Pleasley and Smalley. - it is an ideal way to get involved - as they visit farms to learn how to handle animals etc. It is a real 'hands on' organisation
Have a look at this link for your area
http://www.derbyshireyfc.org.uk/
Good luck!