In September 2024, Derek Lough was appointed as the new chief executive of the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU), having previously spent 21 years with the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), including 11 years as its membership director.

However, as well as experience of building relationships and team working within the UFU, Lough came to the YFCU with other skills.

He is chair of the board of local charity Rural Support and also a long-standing director of Larne-based charity, the Mae Murray Foundation.

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“Those organisations teach you it is all about inclusion – that is not just about disabilities, but also about welcoming people from all backgrounds and having exchange programmes, etc, that are open to everyone,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Now in its 95th year, the YFCU undertook a survey of members and non-members last autumn, designed to help shape the next 95 years.

The survey asked young people about their experiences and their opinions on the YFCU.

According to Lough, the survey helped identify some of the main barriers to membership, including that venues can sometimes be an issue and there is a lot of competing interests, whether from sporting organisations or faith groups.

“People have so much on. They can’t commit to a meeting on a Monday night. We need an offering to these people, so they can still be members and participate in competitions and be part of the YFCU,” said Lough.

As well as the survey, the YFCU has also recently conducted a census of members.

It showed that out of the current membership of around 3,300, there is a split of nearly 50:50 between males and females and a similar equal split among under 18 (junior) and over 18 (senior) members.

One of the issues to come from the census is there is an opportunity to do more to help young people at the start of their careers, whether with writing CV’s or developing contacts within the industry.

Lough is also keen to help develop leadership skills within the organisation and ensure that everyone within the YFCU is given the same opportunity to step forward into leadership roles. But it should also be recognised there is much that is currently done well, whether it is the various YFCU competitions, the arts and drama or the thousands of pounds raised every year by clubs in support of local charities.

Roots

Lough is also keen to re-emphasise the farming roots of the organisation.

“The YFCU should be the voice of young people in farming. We can’t be a lobbying organisation, but we can advocate for policies that work for young people,” he said.

At present there are over 50 clubs, but still some pockets of NI where there isn’t a club nearby. Lough would be keen to change that or potentially look at forming clubs within schools, although that is often constrained by ongoing pressures on teachers.

There are currently eight members of staff within the YFCU, including Lough. The organisation relies on membership fees, industry support and core funding from DAERA.

The YFCU is seen by the department as being crucial for the delivery of educational programmes and developing skills, as well as alleviating rural isolation. The department has helped fund the YFCU since 1934.

“That DAERA funding is vital for us,” acknowledged Lough.