31 March 2021

As a trainee farm business consultant and part of her family’s mixed farm, Sammy Allen understands many of the issues facing the industry today. It’s why she is happy to be championing agriculture in her new role as Vice Chair of YFC AGRI

Q. What's your role in the industry?

A. I work for Active Business Partnerships, an independent strategic agricultural consultancy based in Newark, as a trainee farm business consultant.

Q. What are the enterprises on your family farm and do you still get involved in the farm?

A. My family farm is a mixed, pigs, sheep and arable farm. We farm around 1,000 acres, and I still get involved in most aspects of the farm helping out mainly during busier periods such as lambing and harvest.

Q. What do you hope to bring to the YFC AGRI group in your new role?

A. I hope to be able to bring a different point of view to the group and help to support its ambitions. Being vice chairman was a great opportunity for me to become a bit more involved in the YFC AGRI steering group.

Q. What role do you think YFC AGRI plays in NFYFC?

A. YFC AGRI gives our members the chance to raise, discuss and in some cases action any concerns or opportunities within the agricultural sector. As a group we are all very geographically spread and from different sectors in the industry with a variety of expertise, so we are able to represent a large proportion of the industry.

It is always important to discuss the outlook of the industry, but even more so now with so much change. We are the future of the agricultural industry and we need to have our say on shaping its future.

Q. Have you stayed connected to your YFC during the pandemic?

A, Yes. I am a member of both Collingham YFC in Nottinghamshire and Harmston YFC in Lincolnshire and neither one has let the pandemic faze them. We’ve met weekly on Zoom with some great meetings and speakers that we may not have heard from had we not been in this situation.

Q. Has YFC been beneficial to your career and why?

A. Definitely, I have learnt so much from YFC from simple organisational skills to growing confidence through entering competitions such as Stockjudging. And it is still beneficial now through always meeting new people in the industry and networking.

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