NFYFC Stockman of the Year FinalsGOOD LUCK to Rory Ferguson in the Junior Stockman National Finals on Sunday 1st September.

The last competitions that we have going to National Finals will be the Floral Art on Sunday 29th September to Malvern Show. Junior Floral - Isobel Wilson (Malmesbury) Intermediate Floral - Ellie Gassor (Purton & Cricklade) and Senior Floral - Jake Simpkins (Malmesbury)

Dates for your diaries

Sunday 1st September      Young Stockman Finals

Monday 2nd Sept              Junior Leaders Meeting 7.30pm in County Office

Friday 6th Sept                Malmesbury Harvest Hellraiser, Startley

Monday 9th Sept               Rally meeting 7.30pm S3 Lackham

Tuesday 10th Sept          Three Counties Ball AGM & meeting 8.30pm, Keysham Rugby Club Monday

16th Sept            Staff Management meeting 7.30pm & F&GP (all Club Chairmen) 8.00pm

Wednesday 25th Sept SWA staff meeting in Devon

Sunday 29 Sept                 Floral Art Finals at Malvern Show

Monday 30th Sept            COUNTY AGM 7pm at Lackham

Sunday 6th October         SWA YFC AGM in Devon YFC Offices

Monday 7th October       Rally meeting 7.30pm S3

Saturday 19th October    200 Car Club Supper, Seend Social Club

Wiltshire Federation of Young Farmers Clubs

YFC Office, Lackham College, Chippenham SN15 2NY             

      Phone 0795 795 1994                  email: wiltshireyfc@live.co.uk    

National YFC website -   www.nfyfc.org.uk        Charity Number 305607

Website  www.wiltshireyfc.co.uk

Newsletter : 23rd August 2019

‘Farm safety is a lifestyle not a slogan’. 

SOUTH WEST AREA JUNIOR ACTIVITIES WEEKEND 20197 Wiltshire members attend the weekend at Llangorse, Brecon along with 85 other Junior members from Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Gloucestershire.The members took part in outdoor activities and team building games and came away with new friends and great memories (all be it a little tired!)Very many thanks to Ben Cavill from Cornwall YFC on his 3rd successful organisation of the trip and to all of the leaders who gave up their sleep to make it possible! Good Luck to the new organiser of next years’ trip.

Rural Youth Europe RallyNFYFC hosted the 2019 Rural Youth Europe (RYE) Rally over the last week at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester. The RYE is an international youth organisation, bringing together rural young people from more than 20 countries. Their main aim is to help rural young people share ideas and experiences and promote an awareness of rural issues. This weeks topic was mental health issues for rural young people. With visits to local farms and businesses to see how they run and look after their workers. Steph and Ellie from Purton & Cricklade YFC were fortunate enough to attend and enjoy the experience.

Changes in SOMERSET YFCAfter 19 years working for Somerset YFC, Gillian Dosson, their County Organiser is moving on to pastures new. Gillian will be greatly missed by all in the South West,

but we wish her all the very best in her new job.

SOMERSET YFC COUNTY ORGANISER position available (on indeed website)

Job Type: Part-time Salary: £20,000.00 to £23,000.00 /year

Experience: operations or customer service: 3 years (Preferred) Licence: Driving License (Required)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and self-motivated leader and County Organiser for Somerset Young

Farmers Club based at our newly refurbished offices based at The Old School, Westonzoyland, near Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 0LN.

Somerset YFC covers the county of Somerset with a total of 23 clubs spread across the country serving 950 members, making Somerset YFC one of the largest youth organisation in the country.

You’ll be running a very busy organisation that manages a huge competition and social programme including a wide range of regional events, competitions, shows and charity support. A key aspect of the role will be to support our members and charity objectives, so you’ll need excellent organisational, communication and IT skills along with the drive and enthusiasm to deliver against key targets. Occasional working at weekends and evenings for some of our events is also a requirement of the post.

The role includes the supervision of administrative staff, work experience, trainees and voluntary helpers with whom the post holder is working.

Experience of working with budgets, databases and property management would be beneficial along with experience of grant applications. Ideally, you also have a working knowledge of safeguarding and health and safety procedures. A full UK driving licence is essential.

The role is currently part time (25 hours a week) split across 3 days and some evening and weekend work. A salary of circa £22k (pro-rata) is on offer together with a pension and 28 days holiday per year.

If you believe you can make a difference to our organisation, please apply on the advertised job on the indeed website. A full CV and covering letter are required for your application to be considered. Closing date for applications is September 13th with interviews being held at our head office in Westonzoyland on Monday September 30th..

JOB OPPORTUNITY at Howard and Sons, DevizesKubota Agri Main Dealers for Wiltshire & Somerset, are currently looking to add to our

team of experienced Agricultural Field Service Technicians.Main job roles include…

-Servicing, diagnostics and repairs of tractors and farm machinery, both mobile on-farm and at our Manor Farm headquarters.

-Pre Delivery Inspection of new tractors and machinery.-Attending development training days at Kubota University HQ, working with the very latest

products.Attractive remuneration packages available to include service van, mobile phone and tool

allowance.For more information and applicants CV’s, contact us at info@howardandsons.co.uk

Milker / Relief Milkers requiredWe are near Stockbridge in Hampshire that's near Andover.I have a youthful team which are proactive, we offer training and I'm flexible on days.Carl 07712 890845 or email carl.charnley@waitrose.co.uk

Hello! My name is Alec Temple and I am a geography student at King’s College London. The topic of my dissertation is the views and opinions of farmers in the South West of England of what it means to be a British farmer in 2019. I hope to receive responses covering three major themes:

• How do farmers perceive their relationship to the landscape and environment?• What does sustainability mean to farmers?• What do farmers wish to see in (new) agricultural policy?

I am looking for farmers from the South West who would be willing to be interviewed and have their opinions included in my research project. I hope to conduct these interviews over the next couple of months and will try to arrange these to be as convenient as possible for you (e.g. in person or by phone at a suitable time/place). This project has received ethical clearance from King’s College London and all information collected as a part of the study will be treated sensitively and in accordance with data protection law.

If you or someone you know might be interested in participating in this study or if you have any questions about the project in general, feel free to contact me by phone (07783671324) and/or email (alec.temple@kcl.ac.uk).

YOUNG FARMERS FESTIVAL 2020Following on from discussions held at the NFYFC Council meeting in June, the NFYFC with the Farmers Weekly is looking to hold Young Farmers Festival (YFF) in the summer of 2020. In Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.This means that the NFYFC supports this new event in the calendar which is aimed at rural young people. The Farmers Weekly is producing this event to support and celebrate the next generation of farmers including YFC members. Activities will include:Ø Festival style event with entertainments and activities (Radio 1’s Greg James and Scott Mills, local bands, sports, inflatables, talks and debates) from a Friday evening until a Sunday night (all to have cleared the site by 11am on the Monday).Ø A range of festival style accommodation and catering - camping (own tent/equipment), pre pitched tents can be reserved, caravans can be brought to the site, on-site showers and lavatories and catering for the duration of the event.

Ø Discounted ticket prices for YFC members £125 whole weekend (non members £150). Day Tickets will also be available.

30 September- 4 October 2019 - supported by NatWest

What is National Young Farmers’ Week #NationalYoungFarmersWeek?

National Young Farmers’ Week is a chance to celebrate all that is great about Young Farmers' Clubs. It's a week-long celebration to raise awareness of the work all of our YFCs do with rural young people in their

local communities as well as encourage more members to join the organisation.

This year we're launching the first ever Give it Some YFC Welly Day and there's also a fun Meme competition for all YFCS to enter with a chance of winning £300 for their club, courtesy of NatWest! 

We have all the tools and resources to help you get involved in National Young Farmers' Week 2019 and you can download a copy of the toolkit here and as well as all the associated graphics for the week. The toolkit includes loads of sample posts to help you get started on social media too. 

 Good luck!  https://youtu.be/V0KLGR9I2YI

The Tesco Future Farmer Foundation is available to anyone involved in agriculture, horticulture and

aquaculture who is aged between 20 and 35 years, based in the UK or ROI, and not in full time education. 

In case you missed it, applications for the next intake are now open.  The deadline for applying is the 29th

September, so make sure you start your application in good time.  If you are looking to further your career

in an agricultural role, network with likeminded individuals and learn something new, then what are you

waiting for? info@tescofuturefarmerfoundation.com

Bridgestone treading new ground in the hunt for four VX-TRACTOR drivers!Bridgestone is preparing to hit the road to bring its new VX TRACTOR tyre to life to the agricultural world – and the company is now on the lookout for four young farmers to steer them in the right direction!The Bridgestone VX TRACTOR Road Run takes place over two weeks in September, stopping at 10 dealerships on its journey from the North, to the South of the UK. Each of the events will be geared around young farmers and Bridgestone is specifically looking for four tractor drivers to handle the journey’s relay from the Scottish Borders to North Devon.The drivers either need to be available for the North leg between 9-13 September, or 23-27 September for the South portion of the adventure.Accommodation and expenses will be covered over the period, and all that is missing for Bridgestone is four enthusiastic YFC drivers to keep us on the road. Be a key player within the team!This journey is an opportunity of a lifetime, full of adventure and great memories. If you are interested in being one of Bridgestone’s designated drivers, send an email to Helena Davis explaining why you’d be perfect for the role.

Message from Wiltshire Police Rural Crime TeamSince May 2019 both Wiltshire and Dorset have seen a rise in thefts from tractors of the GPS receiver guidance systems. John Deere say the plug-and-play design of its displays and GPS receivers are making them more attractive to thieves than other available systems. Each unit bought from new costs between £10,000 and £15,000, which can still be sold on for around £2000 - £4000.

To date Wiltshire has suffered thefts of these units to over £100,000 from the Chalke Valley, Devizes and Warminster areas.

There is no way to locate the units via GPS, as they are receivers rather than transmitters. However, John DEERE have now added an update which adds a pin code to the unit, making it harder to use if stolen. Additionally lock in brackets can be purchased. Farmers are urged to speak to their local dealers or NFU rep for advice.

Prior to releasing the PIN-code system, Deere says the only way to lock and protect displays and receivers was via mechanical means or removal from the tractor.

Wiltshire Country and Game Show Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th September 2019 at Bowood. Hopefully they will allow us to have a stand there to publicise YFC.

Tree PlantingTwenty One YFC Clubs and County Federations have applied for sapling trees from The Woodland Trust in support of NFYFC’s Protect Your Future campaign and six more are looking to apply soon.It’s estimated that YFC members have applied for over 7,000 sapling trees to be planted in November this year in locations chosen by clubs and counties. There’s still time for your club or county to get involved and be part of this initiative, which was launched during the Government’s Year of Green Action and in support of #iwill4nature. The national campaign aims to get more young people involved in environmental social action. NFYFC has chosen to encourage YFCs to plant trees in their local communities due to all the benefits it can bring to climate change as well as wellbeing. The #iwill campaign is planning a UK-wide tree planting day on 30 November called Tree Charter Day. It is a call to action for everyone and anyone to engage with tree planting as a positive response to the climate and bio-diversity crises and also to demonstrate hope that, collectively, the worst effects of these threats can be mitigated. Clubs have so far chosen a range of sites to plant trees this November – including schools, community centres and nursing homes. The following clubs and counties have submitted applications to the Woodland Trust and if you haven’t done so and still want to, then please speak to your neighbouring counties for top tips.

1. Bedfordshire2. Berkshire – Bradfield YFC3. Brecknock4. Buckinghamshire5. Cumbria6. Derbyshire – planting at the people’s forest7. Devon – Braunton YFC, Blackmoor Gate8. Gloucestershire9. Hertfordshire and three clubs10.Kent – Weald of Kent YFC11.Leicestershire12.Lincolnshire – North Holland YFC13.Norfolk – Swaffham YFC14.Northamptonshire15.Nottinghamshire16.Oxfordshire – Abington YFC17.Somerset – Wedmore YFC, Ilminster YFC18.Staffordshire – Ashley YFC, Abbotsholme YFC19.Warwickshire20.Wiltshire21.Yorkshire – Rathmell YFC

VISION 2023 - What could NFYFC look like in five years time? It’s an exciting prospect and one that NFYFC wants all its members to help shape and deliver!NFYFC wants to bring the 86-year-old organisation up to date and provide a programme of events and activities that meet the needs of rural young people today and in the future.This isn’t about forgetting the Federation’s heritage – no one can deny the incredible history

YFC SKI 20204-11 January 2020

Snow-lovers will be blown away by NFYFC’s amazing ski offer for 2020. We’re heading to Argentiere – a once in a lifetime must for anyone who loves to ski in style.Surrounded by the Mont Blanc Massif, five miles up from the valley of Chamonix and lying at the foot of Les Grands Montets is the stunning and vibrant village of Argentiere.

What’s new in 2020? This year we have an all-inclusive package that packs a lot of punch! These mountains are for descending, hopefully with as much style, skill and finesse that YFC members can muster. We have partnered with Outgoing and the UCPA in Argentiere to offer an exciting package at a premier winter destination that comes at an amazing price for YFC members. But with only 120 places available, you’ll need to make sure you secure your place quickly! 

Your 2020 ski trip includes:  7 x nights accommodation,  4-6 berth rooms, some twins available at a supplement 7 nights x evening meals, 7 x breakfasts & 7 lunches, dining together with stunning

views of Mont Blanc  A massive 6.5 day Valley lift pass (Sunday morning until following Saturday lunch), 6.5 x days  quality  equipment rental A choice of full or part time lessons, off piste course options (small surcharge), and

all with the instructors and equipment shop on site.  Resort transfers from arrival at Geneva airport to resort and departure from resort

to Geneva airport to resort are all included. (All you have to add on is your flight and with some cracking farmer friendly return rates from some of the leading economy airlines with various UK departures into Geneva, there are bargains to be had). 

Private residents bar Chill out areas Climbing room Dining room Picnic lunch available.

Full apres programme including: make your own crepes, stretching, quiz night (including the  wheel of shame), two gigantic nights out in Chamonix town with late night return, YFC coach transfers and all the usual frivolities with a few new twists. YFC Winter Games On top of this amazing ski package, we’re also launching the first ever YFC Highland Winter Games that will be held in resort. There’s a whopping £500 cash prize to be split between the winners. You’ll need to remember to keep your farm friend (soft toy) attached to you throughout the action. With everything from a pineapple shy to the slush net, sliding the plank to tossing the ice-sausage in the bucket, and a frantic hunt for a carrot filled with treasure, the event promises to be an hilarious part of your week. 

What does it cost? All of this for just £724 per person. All you need on top is spending money and return flights to Geneva airport.  There are limited places available so YFC Ski is offered on a first come first served basis so please book early to secure your place.

VISION 2023 - What could NFYFC look like in five years time? It’s an exciting prospect and one that NFYFC wants all its members to help shape and deliver!NFYFC wants to bring the 86-year-old organisation up to date and provide a programme of events and activities that meet the needs of rural young people today and in the future.This isn’t about forgetting the Federation’s heritage – no one can deny the incredible history