We received the following letter from Judy Stuart who started and runs the Future Farmers Foundation. Naturally we receive feedback on the Agri Handbook gratefully, but it is the hope and positive perception on youth and on agriculture that shines from Ms Stuart that we would like to share with you.
Dear Craig,
Last year, you gave me some of your books. I have one and found good homes for the rest. The book is really good. It is a huge amount of work. The research and dedication that goes into it must be massive!
Doug Greenshields is assisting Future Farmers and I would love him to get a copy from you. Is the new one out yet?
At the moment, we have 17 interns gaining experience overseas and we are working on visa applications for a further 12. We are active in many sectors, albeit on a small scale. We expect to send the first horse intern to Australia later this year, he is from the racing industry and is well qualified.
The biggest difficulty is getting new farmers on board. Change does not come easily. We need many more farmers to work with us to create opportunities for our amazing young people. We have probably 15 new people to interview every week. Far more than we can help. The industry could absorb most of them, but we do not have the resources to do the work.
There is a misconception out there, that young people do not want to get their hands dirty. It could not be more wrong. The potential is there to produce hundreds of top commercial farmers. How to get people to believe this is the big question.
Even the Department of Agriculture invests resources in subsistence and small scale farmers. They do not seem to believe that impoverished rural communities may be the best source of top commercial farmers in the future. We need them to put food on supermarket shelves!
On Wednesday, I am due to meet with someone who may be able to teach our future farmers environmental conservation. Not sure how we are going to do this. Farmers are custodians of the land. It should be their goal to hand it on in a better state than it was when they took over. Farms are not just about crops and livestock. Every one of them has a niche for flora and fauna and it is often unnoticed. If only we could create an awareness of this amongst the landowners.
We have taken on a big challenge at Future Farmers. We are helping young people to achieve more than they ever dreamed possible. But, we are scratching the surface.
If you are in KZN sometime, please come and visit our Howick office. It would be great to see you again.
Kindest regards,
Judy
