Congratulations to the Scottish Association of Young Farmer Clubs (SAYFC) on celebrating its 80th anniversary at the weekend. The occasion was marked with an excellent ‘80:40 anniversary’ dinner at the Hydro in Dunblane, also celebrating 40 years of the International Trust. It is a significant milestone for any organisation and with past, present and future members in attendance the SAYFC looks to be in rude health.

For many, joining the young farmers can be the first foray into the agricultural world outside the gates of your own farm. While it starts off as just a social club, it soon becomes a tool just as important as any other implement on the farm. Granted not every young farmer joins the SAYFC, but it is definitely worth considering. The friends you make can last a lifetime, giving you a network of people right across the country in the same boat as you; making a living off the land.

SAYFC offers the chance to travel abroad and learn about agricultural practices in other countries and, indeed, elsewhere in Scotland. You compete in stock judging, public speaking, shearing and the performing arts. In some cases the latter can be a lesson in not taking yourself too seriously, learning a bit of humility which is no harm at all, especially among friends. The point is, you put yourself into situations that are outside your comfort zone.

The personal development achieved through taking part in young farmers becomes the real asset to your farm. At the SAYFC agricultural conference weekend in the autumn, the Royal Bank of Scotland held workshops on how to prepare a business plan. In their groups, the members devised a plan and presented it to the RBS staff there. In effect, this takes the unknown out of that first meeting with the bank manager to discuss a loan for the farm.

Many of the leaders we know today in the Scottish agricultural industry initially cut their teeth in the SAYFC, giving them a taste for policy. These include James Warnock, chair of Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS); John Scott MSP; Finlay Carson MSP; Martin Kennedy, vice-president of NFU Scotland; Douglas Ross MP, Kirstene Hair MP and John Fyall, chair of the National Sheep Association – to name just a few.

Communities, the agricultural industry and, indeed, the Scottish Government should make it their job to support the activities of this progressive organisation. Simple gestures such as offering your local club a tour of your farm, or sponsoring a prize for a competition, might just be the hook that draws in one more member. Joining could be the first step in creating a new farmer. Unless you surround yourself with people your own age that have an interest in agriculture, it doesn’t necessarily become an obvious career choice. In a time where we have more farmers aged over 65 than under 35, the power of SAYFC should not be underestimated.

Finally a solution to the ‘lost’ levy

We appear to now have a final solution to our levy paid on animals killed in a different part of the UK from where they were reared. The pulling of the cash into a £2m pot has been a long time coming and is a sensible move. The whole debacle seemed to take up an inordinate amount of time over the last few years, with politicians often using it for their own gain by blowing it out of proportion. Farmers are relentlessly encouraged to collaborate with their neighbours by experts and Government, so it’s heartening to see the levy bodies finally managing to work together on a solution.