It’s not every day you get to go head-to-head with Kaleb Cooper, but for Oxfordshire’s County Chair Jack Saunders, it was an exciting opportunity on the Young Farmers’ Stage at Cereals in June.
Oxfordshire County Federation worked together with NFYFC and Cereals event organisers to plan the content for this year’s Young Farmers' Area, which was sponsored by Michelmores Solicitors.
Despite it being Jack’s first time at Cereals, as he is a livestock farmer, he worked with organisers to choose topics that are pertinent to all young farmers.
“We wanted succession planning type seminars in there, a bit around mental health and challenges that we see happening, and quite a lot about how we think young farmers can jump on how things are progressing with technology,” said Jack who was given the opportunity to be involved in a conversation with Kaleb Cooper on stage about how young people can get into the farming industry.
“Kaleb answered differently to me. He went down the route of suggesting people volunteered. I went with my Young Farmers’ hat on and encouraged people to get involved in Young Farmers, which connects them with people in their rural communities who will help you get in that way.”
As well as discussions on the stage, visitors to the Young Farmers’ stand could also enjoy breakfast and a careers luncheon with networking opportunities.
The two-day event was hosted at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm this year, which attracted a crowd of people hoping to catch sight of the stars from the popular show.
Jack found there was plenty to enjoy at Cereals, even without the celebrities – and despite the torrential rain they faced this year.
“I absolutely loved it even though it’s not what I do,” said Jack. “I think its eye-opening what technology is coming out such as drone spraying and robot weeding. I see the robotics coming into the livestock world, but I didn’t know much about how it was impacting the rest. The soil pit was fascinating seeing all the root structures.
“It was interesting to explore a different side of farming and the impact it has on my side of it. I’d highly recommend it to anyone in the farming world.”
Next year's Cereals event will be from 9-10 June 2027 at Heath Farm in Lincolnshire.
