An honest insight into the world of farming

On 8 August, Farmers Guardian will be having their annual Farm24 campaign. It’s the UK’s biggest digital agricultural event and provides a great opportunity for people to show their support for British farmers and to encourage others to do the same. AHDB’s CEO Graham Wilkinson shares his thoughts on the campaign.

Farming is in my DNA and part of who I am. It has given me the opportunity to be part of an amazing community and to operate in many fantastic roles across farming, processing, retail and now at the AHDB.

Being brought up on a farm and now working for levy payers often makes me think about the seasons and how much effort is made by so many people, year round, to produce food here in Britain.

Farm24 is on Thursday 8 August and is about shining a spotlight on the world of agriculture, for us to celebrate our work and to inform those who aren’t in our community.

Visiting farms and farm businesses is part of my day job. I’m constantly discussing financial pressures, availability of labour and the expectations placed upon farmers to do the right thing for the environment, all when doing everything possible to feed the nation.

Farm24 provides a useful snapshot of the hard work, technology, machinery and not least the animals which make up our world of agriculture, and that’s why my colleagues and I at AHDB are proud to be part of this initiative.

I appreciate most people outside our world only get to see TV shows or perhaps drive past fields when the combines are working and can be forgiven for thinking machines do a lot of the work, as they don’t get to see the nurturing side of the job. That’s why I’m a fan of Farm24, as farmers and the vital others in our vast community including vets, agronomists and all the other professionals can take a moment to give the world a peek into what goes on most hours, days and weeks in the fantastic workplace our countryside provides.

Any opportunity to showcase and share our story is an opportunity not to be missed as far as farming is concerned. Farming people telling other people the real story is the way forward if we are to successfully challenge some of the misinformation which sadly continues to get airtime. To do this effectively, we must provide our audience with the facts and be mindful of exactly who we’re trying to reach when posting content. Are we speaking to young people, shoppers, policy makers or all three?

Being clear about the message is one thing, but being clear about the perception we want the audience to be left with is essential, particularly since the levels of knowledge vary so greatly between different audience groups.

Farm24 is a valuable platform, and one of many to use when storytelling online, and I would encourage as many people as possible, including my AHDB colleagues, to get involved. We must take this opportunity to tell the honest story of life on farm in a way that helps the public continue to give their support to everything we do, when we farm all day, every day.

Graham Wilkinson – AHDB Chief Executive