The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Couple tell of exciting farm transformation project and plans to inspire the next generation
A young Fenland couple has spoken about their
“fantastic” first 18 months of running and transforming a farm and plans to help
inspire the next generation of
farmers.
Hannah Hetherington
and Tom Martin, both 24,
have recently joined the NFU and want to support the organisation’s work to
promote careers in farming to young people.
The couple took tenancy
of the 115-acre Mendhams Farm in Outwell, between Downham Market and Wisbech, in October 2022.
They have been carrying out
a transformation, with the arable fields resown as herbal
leys under a Countryside
Stewardship scheme and new hedges grown.
The grassland supports the
farm’s flock of 250 ewes. The farming system helps the environment, benefitting
soils and boosting
biodiversity, with wildlife including birds, bees, deer and butterflies thriving on the farm.
The farm is part of the
Norfolk County Council
Farms Estate, more than 6,800 hectares of publicly
owned agricultural land which brings revenue into
the county council, while
creating opportunities for
farmers to expand or start new ventures.
Miss Hetherington said: “It’s
been a fantastic experience
so far.
“We are really happy here. We love farming and the lifestyle that comes with it.
“We plan to stay here long
term and to keep expanding the farm. There is a lot to look forward to.”
Miss Hetherington, who grew up in Gressenhall, near Dereham, is not from a farming family.
She first became interested in farming after listening to a talk from Easton College
when she was a pupil at
Litcham High School.
She said: “I’ve always loved animals and the countryside.
The thought of being surrounded by sheep all day
really appealed to me. “I originally wanted to be a midwife and with lambing it feels quite similar, in a way. “It is really rewarding to be
part of that process of giving
life.”
Miss Hetherington completed a two-year diploma in agriculture at Easton College, where she met Mr Martin.
Mr Martin grew up on his family’s mixed farm in
Hilgay and has wanted to be a farmer for as long as he can remember.
He said: “I was bothering my dad to let me work on the farm when I was a little kid and I haven’t looked back. “It’s a great job. Being
around the livestock is the
most enjoyable part for me. It’s hard work but it’s really rewarding.”
The couple plan to support
the NFU in promoting farming to young people.
A joint industry report
published in autumn 2021 estimated there were 500,000 vacancies across the food and farming industry.
Labour availability is a
significant barrier for many businesses across
the sector and is restricting the opportunities for growth and often resulting in the contraction of food
production.
To help tackle this, the NFU
runs several projects to
promote farming careers to young people, including the Farmers For Schools Programme, where NFU farmer members visit
schools across the country and the NFU Student and
Young Farmer Ambassador Programme, which helps to give farmers aged 30
and under a strong voice in shaping the future of the
agricultural industry. More than 275,000 children witnessed NFU Education’s live lesson, which was streamed into schools across the country, as part of British Science Week last month. In October, a live lesson for
school children was held at
10 Downing Street after being
organised by the NFU with
the Prime Minister’s wife, Akshata Murty.
Miss Hetherington said: “The NFU is doing some great work to promote farming to young
people and we’re really keen
to get involved. There are opportunities in farming for people from all backgrounds. “I love being a farmer and
it feels really rewarding to do our bit to help feed the
nation.”