When you mention farming, many think of grassroot careers, but there are many more interesting and diverse careers in this thriving and vibrant sector.
ice cream
Ice cream taster
Is this not everyone’s dream job? Hannah Beattie, 25, landed this tasty role as a new product development co-ordinator at Mackie’s of Scotland, putting her taste buds to the test to develop new ice cream flavours. It is all about creativity, innovative new ideas and, of course, ice cream.
As well as the practical development of new products, technical and analytical elements of the job are crucial for ensuring products which hit supermarket shelves and freezers have the best chance of becoming long-term favourites.
If you have the latest scoop and flavour ideas you think would be popular, then this is the job for you.
lawyer
Agricultural lawyer
Do you like telling people key information so they understand what they can do? Agricultural law, of course, deals with the traditional areas of farming, such as business and dealing with disputes and buying or selling farmland.
But they also ensure farmers understand their rights. At present, there are new opportunities for farmers with the new environmental laws and these need to be communicated clearly. It is about building a strong relationship between yourself and farmers.
video games
Video game designer
Instead of playing video games every night, why not come up with and design the next popular game, like Farming Simulator?
You could create a whole concept or you could even create a virtual reality game people could play and pretend to be farmers.
The UK’s video game market was worth £5.3 billion in 2020 and with the advancements in technology, innovative and ‘out of the box’ ideas will be key to attract a new generation of gamers.
fashion
Fashion designer
Fast fashion is out – buying for life and buying sustainably is in. And that is where farming could play a huge part. Take Yan Tan Revolution, for example, a sustainable knitwear brand which uses British wool, and asks the all-important question – why does the British fashion industry import so much wool when it is readily available in this country?
Yan Tan Revolution wanted to offer a responsible approach to fashion and has created biodegradable knitwear.
If you love fashion and enjoy textiles, you could build a career on what you think the general public should be wearing and maybe be fashionÂ’s next big designer to watch.
police
Rural police
A relatively new unit to the police is the Rural Task Force, which patrols the UKÂ’s rural communities. Rural crime ranges from stolen machinery to wildlife offences, and a typical day is varied.
As a rural officer, you could be visiting farms to check their machinery is safe and that the necessary security is in place or be stopping vehicles on the road to check the machinery in tow is not stolen and informing farmers you are there if they need you.
It is vital to build a good rapport with the community. The South Lancashire Rural Task Force has recovered more than £1.1 million of stolen machinery in the last year, winning it a recent award.
