New YFC AGRI Chair Nathan Greenwood is determined to ensure policymakers listen to the next generation when making decisions that will affect their future in agriculture.
As the fourth generation on his family’s 200-acre upland beef and sheep farm in Stanbury, Yorkshire, and employed by the NFU on its Agricultural Policy Graduate Scheme, Nathan is only too aware of the challenges facing farmers.
Nathan, 27, joined Worth Valley YFC when he was 10 years old and has remained a member of the club, while also more recently joining Brandon and Wolston YFC in Warwickshire so he can enjoy YFC while he’s working at the NFU.
He’s also experienced farming full-time following a family illness when he needed to manage their owned and tenanted land.
Most surprising is that Nathan never set out to work in agriculture.
“I told my parents when I was three years old that I didn't want to be a farmer. That opinion really stuck with me all the way through my childhood and into my teens. I think if you'd said to any of the family, me included, when I was 16 that I'd end up working in an agricultural related field, we'd have laughed you out of the room.”
It was through Nathan’s love of biology and geography that he discovered agriculture was more deeply embedded in him than he had realised. He studied Biology with Enterprise at Leeds and found he was more interested in lectures on ruminant nutrition and crop biology than cancer or pharmaceuticals.
“My dissertation focused on potato cyst nematodes, effectively microscopic worms that parasitise potato plants and greatly reduce yields,” says Nathan.
“After graduation, I spent the first nine months working in the lab that I’d done my dissertation in. Somewhere along the way I’d developed a real passion for food production.”
University also made Nathan realise how fortunate his upbringing had been.
“I realised just how lucky I was to have grown up in my farming community. Most of my friends from university had more urban backgrounds and didn’t have the same sense of place or community back home as I had. It’s something I’ve really grown to value.”
Nathan spent 18 months travelling the world after the Covid pandemic, spending three of those months working on a cattle farm off the coast of Tasmania.
“This was really my first time earning a proper wage from farming and opened my eyes to a farming system that is vastly different to ours. My boss had 10,000 cattle and described his 3,000 Merino sheep as ‘a bit of a hobby on the side’.”
The experience had convinced Nathan that he did want to be involved in farming – even if it wasn’t full time farming at home.
However following his father’s heart attack a couple of years ago, Nathan stepped in to run the farm sooner than he had planned, while his father recovered.
“It was certainly a step up going from a helping hand to the farm manager but also an experience in which I learnt an awful lot. Thankfully dad is much better now. I am still actively involved in the farm, helping with paperwork and out and about at weekends and during busy periods such as lambing time though.”
When he’s not farming, Nathan works at the NFU and will soon be starting a new role as one of the NFU’s International Trade Advisers, which will involve making the case to government that agriculture needs to be protected and prioritised in trade negotiations with foreign partners.
“It should be an exciting and challenging role working on an area that really impacts British agriculture,” says Nathan.
The graduate scheme has introduced Nathan to roles where he has been helping to lobby government and industry stakeholders and he has learnt how to build and manage relationships with MPs and peers in Parliament.
It’s an experience that he hopes to use to YFC’s benefit when leading the members involved in the YFC AGRI steering group.
“YFC AGRI can't solve everything, but what we can do is ensure that when policymakers are making decisions that will affect farms up and down the country, the voice of the next generation of farmers is heard loud and clear.
“It won't always be simple, and positive changes rarely happen overnight, but I am looking forward to working with the rest of the steering group, government and the wider industry to see what we can achieve over the next year.”
The group is aiming to focus their efforts on three key areas over the coming months, with farm safety a priority.
“We won't change culture overnight, but just as our generation has worked to remove much of the stigma around mental health, we also need to make safety on farm more of a default mindset.
“That doesn't, and shouldn't, have to mean more paperwork and admin for young farmers,” says Nathan. “It means taking time to make sure your load is secure, that you have a plan as to how to handle a difficult bull, or knowing what to do if you were injured whilst working on your own in a remote place, for example. It shouldn't take a tragedy or near miss to make us realise the importance of farm safety.”
The group is also keen to strengthen their connections with young farmers across the UK and Europe, and to push for a seat at the table where EU level decisions are being made that will affect the next generation.
Their third focus will be on ensuring NFYFC has a strong range of activities for members interested in agriculture.
“My home club lies on the urban fringes of a number of towns in West Yorkshire and we're immensely proud that our club has often been the first step that many of our members from non-farming backgrounds have taken into successful careers in agriculture,” explains Nathan. “As a group we’re keen to ensure that our programme of activities promotes agriculture and retains a farming focus.”
Nathan recognises a lot of the work of YFC AGRI goes unseen by members as they spend time talking to external partners and government. But, he says, it’s what makes their role so important.
“Our role is to ensure that members’ voices, needs, and interests are heard in all corners of an industry that I know many of them will go on to have great and fulfilling careers in.”
While their work might often feel hidden, their meetings are open to all members to attend, a fact Nathan is proud of because it means everyone can get involved. The group involves people from a wide-range of agricultural backgrounds, which enriches meetings with views from different disciplines.
Meetings happen every six weeks online, with a few in-person meetings throughout the year.
The group is currently planning an AGRI Forum, which will take place on the 26 April after the Annual Meeting of Clubs in Newtown, Wales.
“We have a great line up of varied and interesting speakers from across the industry and all YFC members are welcome to join us,” encourages Nathan.
And there’s a study tour to the Isle of Man in the pipeline for autumn too, where members can enjoy a range of farm and land-based visits.
There’s a busy year ahead for Nathan, but despite starting out as a reluctant farmer, his focus is now very much on ensuring the industry and YFC thrives for the next generation.
“I passionately believe in the power of YFC to improve the lives of young people in rural areas,” says Nathan. “I certainly wouldn't be the person I am today, or able to the job I do, without my time in YFC. I hope being YFC AGRI Chair will be an opportunity to give something back to an organisation that has given so much to me.”
For more information about the Isle of Man Study tour, visit here.
