The Farmers Mart Apr/May 2014 - Issue 33 | Page 4

FROM THE EDITOR At this very busy season, it is good to see that we are not experiencing the extreme weather of previous years. Our team has been out and about, meeting the people at the ‘sharp end’ and, as ever, they have plenty to say! New TFA chairman, Stephen Wyrill who has set our his stall to put an end to short-term Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs) which he says discourage any kind of long term planning and just “don’t make sense.” He points out that these FBTs offer not much incentive to young firsttime farmers plan their future when what they have could be taken away inside three to five years. Chris Berry met Stephen at East Appleton. Stephen’s comments about future uncertainty are borne out by many of the young farmers who took part in the NFYFC recent survey, marking the launch of a new NFYFC/FCN campaign called Rural+, which highlights the many challenges faced by young people living in rural areas. The survey a ͭ