Two years ago, I saw a job advert that looked ideal and, although I had enough on my plate, it kept drawing me in.
When I was shortlisted, interviewed and offered the position, I messaged a very wise NFU president to see if it was the right thing to do. Her reply was instant and positive (thank you Minette) and I accepted the role which was EU funded for two years.
The funding comes to an end in March, and the sensible thing would be to continue with my financially stable teaching job. I have decided, however, to follow my heart, not my head, and after 27 years I am leaving Coleg Gwent to continue to work as a woodland creation officer, employed by Stump Up For Trees - an ambitious tree planting charity.
It feels like the right thing to do. Agriculture has one of the highest potentials for reducing carbon emissions and helping adapt to climate change, and there is huge economic value in what we have to offer as farmers - particularly in a catchment-based approach. This must be farmer-led.
The new planting scheme in Wales does not seem to take on board the need for relationships and conversations in developing and understanding our complex landscapes. It might be an idea, since farmers manage the majority of land in Wales, to have a farmer or two on the advisory board.
Our charity finds out who wants to plant trees and then asks them how they want to do it, carefully checking for environmental, historical, social or other sensitivities. The current Government approach - short-term solutions with no cultural relevance over the long term - goes against the Future Generations Act.
Íæż½ã½ã know their land best and it is the conversation that arrives at the best result for the landscape; every farm is different.
This week, on our own farm, we planted a 300 metre species-rich hedgerow consisting of 2,000 trees and planted by 30 volunteers, whose ages ranged from toddlers to octogenarians. It is part of a planned 1km hedgerow scheme, creating a wildlife corridor and shelter for livestock.
WeÂ’ve also started lambing, and conversation continued over refreshments in the farmhouse discussing the positive link between livestock farming and the environment.
Climate-friendly farming, food security and resilience resonated throughout last weekÂ’s NFU conference, plus how we need to work with the political grain, not against it. With the GovernmentÂ’s priority of getting to net zero, I hope we can all work together.
Setting targets is the easy bit; carrying them out is harder. Collaboration, transparency and fairness needs to be maintained throughout.
