Top tips: For NI farmers, by NI farmers.
The farming community has perhaps faced more challenges than any other industry in the last twenty years or more. With Brexit just around the corner, the push on a greener future and the rise in electric and autonomous vehicles, the industry faces unrelenting challenges and a drive toward continuous change.
A daunting time to join the farming community, then. Yet it’s not without its benefits. There is a real hunger for locally-made produce from consumers and the relationship between farming and the wider community bodes well for the future.
We asked farmers past and present on their top tips to get into farming successfully.
Get the right education.
Whatever your background, a solid education can help you to specialise in certain aspects of farming. With this, you can not only benefit from your specialist skills, but the farming sector can, too.
Bring innovation, accept change.
Diversification has been the keyword for the farming sector for years now, and with good reason. Look at other diversification projects, successful and unsuccessful, and consider the feasibility and scope to implement this into your farm. Getting the angle right can boost your project long into the future.
Never let up.
Depending on how you plan on getting on the farming ladder, reading farming news, checking online and regularly staying in touch with any schemes or plans can be the gateway to your career in farming.
Make connections.
The community around you is what counts, as you’ll no doubt learn to lean on it when the hard times come. Visit local farms to lend a helping hand and the foundations you make won’t go unnoticed.
Always plan ahead.
The industry is always changing, so it’s important you are dynamic and reactive in your decisions. However, sometimes, being reactive just doesn’t cut it. Instead, you’ll need to consider the potential of long-term changes. Try to take an all-encompassing approach and consider your own decisions and their implications. If you feel there’s something worth investing in now, do your homework to minimise the risk and maximise the result.
Whatever type of farmer you are, our specialist knowledge of the sector allows us to equip you with the right level of insurance at the right price.
If you own a farm, farming equipment, properties and/or employ staff, talk to FindInsurance NI today for a great deal on farm insurance.