As the name suggests, Young Farmers has a strong link to the countryside and rural life in general. Whilst many of us Essex members are not from farming backgrounds, the Countryside Committee organises events throughout the year that give us a taste of the agricultural industry and help us to learn more about the British countryside. Annual events include a hedge laying day, stockjudging, farm valuation and, for the first time this year, a ferreting demonstration day. All these are very interactive and everyone gets involved. Don’t worry if you’ve never done some of the things before as you can be sure you won’t be the only one, and even those that have experience are sometimes no better than the novices!

Besides these, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in many other country pursuits, be it taking part in our clay shoots, or simply coming along to one of the many fine rural pubs we use as our regular watering holes. As with all our committees, ideas for new things to do are always welcome.