1 Year Blog-Aversary & 2016 Round-Up

Today is my one-year blog-aversary or woesofwellies.com’s 1st birthday... My sister pointed out today that this time last year, my Dad was fixing the car with her husband and my Mum was looking after her daughter Sophie, while me and her sat down and she drew out my blog header. I thought that it would be a nice idea to do a post to round up some of the exciting things I have done this year to commemorate 1 year of blogging.

I decided to pinch this idea from Cesca (her blog is here) as I thought it was a lovely post and I really enjoyed reading hers and seeing all the things she has done this year. I don’t think mine will be quite as exciting as hers, as I haven’t been running any dairy farms solo, or flown to Portugal, but here it goes anyway...

•          I went shooting for the first time (properly).
•          I went point to pointing twice! (One outing was kindly sponsored by Subaru.)
•          I did my first bit of lambing – and saved a newborn lamb!
•          I competed in my first ever YFC  stock judging competition – breeding ewes.
•          I did my first YFC junior exhibit box all on my own.
•          I came 2nd in the WFYFC junior cookery competition.
•          I learned to weld and produced a weathervane (with a lot of help from my Dad.)
•          I did my GCSEs and came out with 1 A*, 8 A’s and 2 B’s. (and a new Schoffel & a pair of Le Chameaus!)
•          I went to Canada for what I’m pretty sure was the 27th time (genuinely) and spent my first Canada Day in Canada.
•          I competed in the YFC junior cookery at the Royal Three Counties Show and came 4th.
•          I spent a week doing work experience with a large animal vet.
•          I went to my first ever young farmers doo.
•          I went to my first ploughing match.
•          I went to Cambridge University on a residential.
•          I started sixth form and a-levels.
•          I got my provisional driving license & started driving lessons.
•          I won Best Junior Member in my YFC club and the stock judging cup.
•          I went milking for the first time.
•          I bought my first car.
•          I went to my first young farmer's ball/black tie event.
•          I went to the NFU Headquarters with #studentfarmer.
•          I competed in my first public speaking competition with YFC and won WFYFC Junior Member of the Year.

There are probably some more things that I have forgotten to mention, but these are the things that have stood out to me the most looking back on this year (in approximate chronological order).

Hopefully this time next year I will still be blogging and can do another post to commemorate my 2-year blog-aversary! Thanks to everyone for reading my blog & supporting it. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the best for the new year!

NFU #StudentFarmer Student Forum

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the NFU Headquarters at Stoneleigh Park for a forum/feedback session about the NFU publication #StudentFarmer and some of their other publications, with the main focus being on Student Farmer. I was very keen to go as I recently signed up for student membership with the NFU – this is a free (yes, completely FREE!) membership option from the NFU which you are entitled to as a student or YFC member aged under 26. With membership, you get sent copies of #studentfarmer and B F & G magazine from the NFU, you also have the opportunity to visit lots of conferences and meetings so you can help to shape the future of farming, there are also plenty of discounts on offer to members ranging from discounts on trailer tests to savings at Merlin Entertainments (Alton Towers, Warwick Castle etc...). You can’t afford not to be a member!

In the week before the forum, I was sent a package of past editions of NFU publications to browse through and familiarise myself with on preparation for them to get our opinions. I really enjoyed reading them and seeing the variety of content through the publications.

Finally, the day came and we drove into Stoneleigh Park for the forum. I was the youngest person there (this happens to me all the time!), and there were only five of us. We all sat down in the conference room and were briefed on what we were going to do and who was going to come and talk to us, and then it was time for lunch. The infamous NFU lunch... There was a lovely spread of sandwiches, pastries and sausage rolls, as well as cakes and a fruit platter. Everyone loved it!

We spoke about the #studentfarmer magazine and then had editors from B F & G, NFU Poultry, Countryside Magazine and the NFU Comms come to speak to us about the publications and how they could be improved, what we like etc.

I had a really good day and I want to thank the team at the NFU for having me, especially Vicky who made me and everyone else feel very welcome. 

The Ultimate Country Christmas Guide - Country Gift Guide

Christmas is just around the corner, there are less than two weeks to go, so for all you last minute shoppers I thought I would compile a list of country related gifts to put on your Christmas list. Ruth from Farmer Ruth has also done a country gift guide for our Ultimate Country Christmas Guide so you can find that on her blog here. Here are my top 5 favourite country gift ideas for Christmas time!

1.      A Schoffel Lyndon/Oakham

This is the perfect gift for anyone who loves spending time in the countryside. It’s a classic piece that everyone needs in their wardrobe. I love to layer mine over a country shirt and under a tweed coat or something similar. They can be smart or you can wear it down to the yard or on the farm. I have the Lyndon in Ruby and in Navy but they come in loads of lovely colours! You can buy them direct from Schoffel or from any good country retailer...

2.      A Shotgun Cartridge Letter

This would be the perfect gift for someone who shoots! These letters are from Country Plum and are absolutely gorgeous... It would be a lovely thing to display in your home and its such a unique gift. You can get them here. Country Plum make lots more shooting related pieces that would make great gifts, like their festive feather baubles.

3.      A Magazine Subscription

Who doesn’t love getting post? I do! So why not give the gift of a magazine subscription to your friends and family... There are so many great country and farming magazines out there such as Farmers Weekly, Countryside (by the NFU) , Horse and Hound, The Countryman and much more.

4.       A Pom-Pom Hat

Pom-Pom hats are great for the winter and they’re so cute too! Lots of great brands are doing them now with real and fake fur pom-poms, some of my favourites are from Holland Cooper, Joules and Rydale. The one on my Christmas List this year is from Rydale, it's their grey one and I think it's really lovely so fingers crossed! Rydale is currently doing the 12 Deals of Christmas where a different one of their products is being offered with a great deal every day for 12 days! You can find these deals here on their website.

5.      A Pair of Le Chameaus

Le Chameaus are the Louboutins of the countryside, so what better to treat a loved one to than the finest wellies on the market? I would recommend the Le Chameau Vierzonord wellies which are neoprene lined and great for the cold weather. There are lots more wellies in their range, short wellies, zip up wellies, leather lined wellies and more – so there’s a pair of Le Chameaus for everyone!

I hope this has inspired your Christmas shopping, I look forward to seeing what everyone gets up to over the Christmas holiday! Me and Ruth would love to see your Christmas photos so you can share them on Twitter or Instagram using #UltimateCountryChristmas. 

**I have not been sponsored or asked to write this blog post, all views and comments are my own. 

YFC Public Speaking Competitions

On Sunday I was at Droitwich Spa High School with my young farmer's club for the Worcestershire Federation YFC public speaking competitions. I had been roped into the Junior Member of the Year competition my our chair lady this year, which is something new for me. I was also entered into the Brainstrust debating competition at the last minute. I’m not usually one for public speaking much to the surprise of my friends and family! At school I have always been criticised for being too quiet in lessons, but out of school it never seems to be a problem... When I was thirteen, working at the riding stables, I was given the Little Miss Chatterbox award at our Christmas party, so I suppose it was no surprise that they picked up on this at young farmers and signed me up for the competitions.

For the Junior Member of the Year competition, I had to prepare a CV and Personal Statement in advance of the competition day. This had to highlight my activity within YFC in the past 12 months, my qualifications and awards, my aspirations and my hobbies and interests outside of YFC as well as some general information about myself. This was sent off to the judges and then I had to prepare a presentation for the day. This was to complement my CV and personal statement, I also included some photos to make it more engaging. It is important not to overfill your slides with information, you should include only key points and give more information through the presentation of the slides. I prepared key note cards to prompt myself while I was giving my presentation without scripting it so that I could engage with the judges more, rather than just reading out information. After the presentation, I sat down for the formal interview. The judges first asked me some questions about my presentation, and then went on to the set questions about YFC. Competitors should definitely brush up on their YFC facts and figures for this part of the interview. My judges were both lovely and made it a really pleasant process to be interviewed.

The brainstrust competition is a structured debate in which four members compete in a team. One person is the chairman of the debate and receives a list of 6 topics just before the debate. They then select three of the six to offer to the panel of young farmers. The young farmers must listen to these topics and come up with their viewpoint on the spot, with relevant information to back it up. However at least one member of the team must agree with the motion and at least one must disagree. The brainstrust was an interesting competition and definitely a challenge.

I watched a few more competitions throughout the day, after dinner speaking being one of them, and street dance another that was particularly entertaining.

At the end of the day, all of the competitors gathered in the auditorium and the judges gave some feedback from the competitions. Then the national chairman of young farmers, Chris Manley, presented the awards for the day. We had had no indication as to how we had performed so it was all quite tense when they started to read out the results. There were four competitors in the Junior Member of the Year section, and they announced that there was a joint 3rd place which sparked excitement in my club that I had definitely placed! They called out the third place competitors and neither was me, which sparked more excitement that perhaps I had won. They called out second place and it wasn’t me. We all realised at the same time that I had won! It was great to win it for myself and for the club as we haven’t had a winner of Junior Member of the Year before! I was quite shocked I had managed to even get through the day as I had barely got a voice and I still hardly have one... The public speaking was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone to have a go!

We ended the long day of competitions with a club trip to McDonald's where there was a lot of chat about the day and a general buzz of excitement and achievement despite how tired we all were. 

Update: Young Farmers, Hunting and #studentfarmer

Last weekend we went out following our local hunt for the first time this season. It was great to get out again to see the hounds, even if it was a bit cold! But we managed to see a couple of draws and got a few nice photos. We were stopped to watch them draw a bit of cover and some muntjack deer ran out into the field. With the trees changing colour and the wildlife, it was an autumn scene fit for a postcard.

I was at the Worcestershire Young Farmers Winter Wonderland Ball last night with my club. It was a really good night out with some great people and good music! We really danced all night... They had a live band, The Tsars, who were really good and a big bar. There were dodgems too which were hilarious. Everyone had loads of fun and the committee did really well to put such a great event on.

Next Friday I am going to NFU #studentfarmer headquarters for a forum they are hosting to improve their magazine and get some feedback. It’s going to be a good afternoon  and a chance to have a look around their headquarters and meet some people involved in the student farmer magazine. If any of you are going let me know and I’ll see you there!

Next Sunday I am in a young farmers competition, it is the Junior Member of the Year competition at county level. I have to give a presentation and have a formal interview so I better brush up on my YFC facts and figures! I will probably do another post about the competition day for anyone who is interested/wants to know what the competitions are all about. That should be a good day because there are a few competitions on the day such as public speaking and group street dance. It’s always a laugh when we all get together on competition days. 

8 Members You Will Find in Every Young Farmers Club

I’m sure many of you are young farmers or have at one point in your life been a young farmer. There are some massive clubs and it’s easy to let the crowds blur into one; after all everyone is in the same shirt, gilet, boots and polo belt... But if you dive deeper into the masses you will pick out a few distinct personalities, I thought I would pick some of these out (just for fun) and compile them into a list of the 5 people you will meet at every young farmer's club.

1.      The club chairman

Every club needs one, so every club has one. I take my hat off to the club chairman because running the club is a full-time job – one that you aren’t paid for! They give up their time to plan weekly activities and keep it all going. You can spot them as the extra frazzled looking one around rally time. Often, they are one of the more senior members of the club, they have been in young farmers for years and has really seen it all.

2.      The social butterfly

There is always one person in the club who is at every doo, dinner, and competition. They are the one who you can depend on for a lift to anything because they are definitely going! When there isn’t an event on they can often be found in the local pub organizing the next party and getting all the gossip on what’s going on and who’s been where.

3.      The one that's away at uni

There tends to be a lack of members aged 18-21 in my club, it’s because between these ages lots of people are off at uni. You will see these people again (eventually) but for now, the occasional message in the club group chat or appearance at a big event will be the most you see of them! Meanwhile, the club is severely lacking in intermediate members...

4.      The keen junior (I will admit that this one is probably me...)

We all know that juniors are the easiest to convince to do the pantomime or group dance competition but there is always one in the club that will literally put their name down for anything. They seem to have more competitions to do at rally than hours in the day but they manage to do them all and come away with certificates! (This eagerness will most likely wear down after a few years)

5.      The one that only turns up to doos

There are sometimes a few of these in the club. They hand in their membership forms at the start of the year and then you don’t see them until doo season. If you’re lucky you might convince them to do a competition at rally but it’s hit and miss to whether or not they will make it, or whether they will miraculously turn up for the after doo.

6.      The one that's always late

There is always that one member that somehow manages to turn up late enough to miss the meeting, but not so late that they miss the trip to the pub. Hmm... suspicious.

7.      The ‚Mum‘ of the club

There’s always one older member that seems to be unofficially in charge of the juniors. She has to wait for their parents to pick them up before she can go ‚off duty‘ and join the party.

8.      The one that has been in young farmers forever

Someone who has probably been a member since they were 10 and will be until they are 26. They have seen many rallies’s in their time, wins, losses and everything in between. If there are any discrepancies within the club they are the ones to ask because chances are they have seen it all before and know how to deal with it. 

Trophies, Cars, the NFU & More

I’ve been quite busy recently with young farmers, half term, milking and other bits and bobs. I thought I would do a quick update to let you know what I’ve been up to and what’s to come over the next couple of months and over Christmas.

On the Saturday before half term, I was at my young farmer's club’s harvest supper. It was my first time going to one of these but I knew it would be a good night and well worth going to as it is the last event hosted by last year’s chairman, as the chairman hands the shield over to the next year’s chair of the club. There was a lovely ploughman's buffet for dinner, and then some speeches from the previous year’s committee before they moved on to the cups and trophies for the year just gone. Last year I was lucky enough to be awarded the cup for the best junior girl member of the club, I’ll admit that I am one of the only junior members in my club so I didn’t have to fight off too much competition to win it again this year.  However what did come as a surprise was another cup I was awarded. This was the stock judging cup for the whole club. You may remember from my post earlier this year that my stock judging competition didn’t exactly go as well as I had hoped, although I did have a lot of fun trying, so I was shocked when I found that I had won the club trophy for it. Overall the harvest supper was a success and it was a great way to bid goodbye to our chairman who was unable to rejoin the club this year because he had reached the age limit. Hopefully, we will still see him at events from time to time.

The following week I was doing my work experience on the dairy farm if you didn’t already read my post about that you can find it here.

The weekend after my work experience, I went to look at a car to buy, since I have been doing driving lessons. We went to check it out and decided it was a good deal and that I liked it, so we bought it. I’ve shared a few photos of it on Instagram – it's a blue Hyundai Getz. I like to think its the same colour as the inside of my Le Chameaus! My family was laughing at me because they said how lucky I was to have air conditioning in my car, but I thought that all cars had air conditioning... I drove it for the first time this weekend too.

Another thing I wanted to mention is that I joined the National Farmers Union last week, and because I’m a young farmer, it was completely free! I would recommend joining to absolutely anyone because it is a great organization and you get so many benefits. Members are represented politically, there is a free helpline for Farmer & Grower members, you get a whole range of discounts and publications such as Student Farmer and much more. Anyone can join, the fee isn’t very much and it’s definitely worth it. If you are an agricultural student or a young farmer you can join for free, so what are you waiting for? Visit their website now and get signed up!

I’m back at school now and counting down to Christmas... But in the meantime, myself and Ruth from Farmer Ruth are going to be writing an Ultimate Country Christmas Guide on our respective blogs, so look out for news about that!