New challenge......new bucket list......

Just over a week ago an email came through informing me that it's time to order my cap and gown for my graduation this summer (BIG gulp). Feelings of excitement as well as nerves started to kick in and it made me realise that the tough three years of gaining and agricultural qualification were nearly over.

I was excited as I had almost finished my second degree which would allow me to continue with my new journey working within the agricultural sector, but I was also nervous as it reminded me that I only had two weeks left to try and gain the best possible grade I could.

I won't deny it, it has been a challenging three years, and on occasions I have questioned why on earth I would think that going back into education was a good idea, especially when I have had to write assignments on topics I haven't looked at since school!! However there have been so many people I need to thank that have helped me along this journey from family, close friends, lecturers and even individuals I had never met before but who have come to be people that will happily allow me to call on them again in the future if I need to. 

But the email also made me realise that over the last three to four years of changing direction and working within the agricultural sector, that my bucket list was starting to look very bare, as I had been able to cross off a large number of other items initially listed all those years ago also. It made me start thinking of new ideas before the boring, same old, day to day tasks of life kicked in.

My first challenge has already been purchased, and for those that have not already seen the puppy spam on my Instagram account or other social media sites, then let me introduce to you the new member of my farming team, Glen!! 

He is my very own tall, dark, tanned Scottish man and he is currently causing absolute chaos in my farming world. However, I am excited to take on the task of training him up in the next few months to be able to take over from our soon to be retired, old working dog, Meg. I know it's not going to be easy, so keep your fingers crossed as I think I am going to need it. 

In others news, one of my highlights from 2018 so far was being able to attend the Wales YFC Rural Affairs conference in Builth Wells Showground back in January, to listen to a selection of speakers living, advising and working in the agricultural industry, to hear their views and debates on the theme of 'marketing' in our industry. This was my second year of attending the conference and yet again I was able to leave with gained knowledge of the subject, and in particular was very inspired by one speaker overall.

Matt and Pip Smith are a sheep farming couple based in Cornwall. They won the Farmers Weekly  Sheep farmer of the year award in 2017. Matt also holds the nine-hour sheep shearing world record. He is a kiwi which has moved over to live and work in the UK alongside his wife Pip, and it was great to hear and see the kiwi attitude and ingenuity that I hadn't seen or heard for a very long time.

His presentation was simple but also very inspiring to a younger audience that may not have the confidence to market and promote themselves in this industry at present. Matt was direct with the advice he provided and made it clear that if you really wanted to succeed in this tough industry, you need to be prepared to work hard, ask questions, travel and overall learn and take on board as much information as you can. Don't complain, just get on and do what needs to be done. However, more importantly, don't ever let someone tell you you can't achieve your dreams and goals. If you want to succeed you will find a way to do so.

There was one piece of advice that really stuck out for me and I haven't forgotten it since. Matt and Pip  said that as youngsters in this industry we need to 'Grab any possible opportunities that come our way in order for us to learn new skills and knowledge. Understandably we may not always agree with what we get told and there are possibilities that what we get taught may not be able to be applied to our own farming systems, however it is important to learn the good as well as the bad as it also teaches you what not to do'.

Since starting my journey working, learning and living in the agricultural industry, I have always been a strong believer of the phrase 'knowledge is power' and have been intrigued to hear other people's stories of success as well as failure within this industry. I believe that you are never too old to learn something new and once this final assignment is handed in, I hope to be able to continue learning outside of the four walls of a classroom. I won't state that I know everything there is to know about farming, and in reality the things I have learnt over the past number of years have helped me apply new systems to our family farm, however I still say that most of the time I'm generally just winging it. What I do hope to do is keep on learning and hopefully in some way be able to pass on the knowledge and experiences I have learnt to theirs in the industry that may benefit from it.

So taking inspiration from Matt's advice, Glen is the next chapter in my crazy, roller coaster ride of a journey through this farming dream of mine. I haven't thought of any other items to add to my bucket list as of yet, maybe that's because I think this is a big enough challenge to start.

Wish me luck!!!

H xx