Event organizer DLG has arranged a dedicated Young Farmers Day at the exhibition for some time now – at Agritechnica 2015 it is on Thursday, 12 November 2015 – and this provides young farmers and new recruits to the agriculture sector to gather for a valuable technical program with information and discussion forums, as well as ample room for personal exchange of experiences.
This year there will also be a Campus & Career sector for the first time. This will offers job seekers and young entry-level professionals a dedicated forum for career orientation in all fields of agriculture.
Of course, young farmers have a well-deserved reputation as party animals, and perhaps the highlight of Young Farmers Day for many will be the legendary Young Farmers Party, which takes place in the TUI Arena, EXPO Plaza 7, from 20.00 on 12 November. At Agritechnica 2013, more than 4000 young people attended the party, so it’s crucial to secure your tickets in advance.
Bookings for the Young Farmers Party, which is for over-18s only, start on 8 September. Tickets cost €15 and are available from: https://www.agritechnica.com/en/visitorservice/tickets/
There is also a dedicated Facebook page for the party that can be found at: www.facebook.com/YoungFarmersParty
Agricultural remains a popular choice for study
It is encouraging that there appears to be no shortage of young people who want to join the industry. Studying agriculture is becoming more and more popular, which is clear from the growing numbers who choose the subject. But why are they deciding to study this topic? One important reason for the decision is certainly the varied choice of jobs that agricultural offers. The sector and its diversified branches have lots of opportunities to work in.
The varied science behind the subject also makes the studying pretty exciting. You learn facts about plants, animals and also about biological and even business topics. For example, you learn how to plant different crops with different techniques and methods, but furthermore you learn important information about the nutrition and physiology of livestock, or the marketing of food.
As exciting as the sciences are, it’s also worth considering the people you will meet during your college life. Anyone who believes that all agricultural students are male and come from a farming background is wrong. These days, the student mix includes as many females as males, and there are also many young people without an agricultural background that decide to study the subject.
Students study agriculture for different reasons
“I decided to study agriculture after I spent a year in India after my A-levels,” said an agricultural student from Göttingen. “It was really exciting because I got lots of insights of the dependence of the small farmers in India, and how they have to fight against climate challenges. Their farming requirements really touched me a great deal, and that’s the reason I want to learn more about agriculture at all levels.”
For Elisabeth Kotthoff (29), who studied agriculture at Bonn and now works at the Raiffeisen association in Berlin, her upbringing influenced her decision.
“When I was a child, I spent every holiday with my family on a farm in the north of Germany,” she said. “The farm work impressed me so much, and I had a lot of fun all the time. Since then, I could not imagine doing any other job.”
Many students go back to their parents’ farm after finishing their studies. Normally they run a small part of the farm before they take over completely. You learn about the necessary knowledge and skills you need at the university, but you also form a social and work-related network.
Julius Aundrup (27) is typical of this group as he went back to his parents’ farm after his agricultural studies at Göttingen.
“The time at the university helped me a great deal,” he said. “The many people I got to know now give me the chance to communicate with a group who are at the same level – and that’s a network that will last my whole lifetime.”
Find the type of work you want to do
“If you do not have any idea of the job you want to do at the beginning of your studies, that will change during your time at university or college,” said Vanessa Aufmkolk (26), who’s currently an intern with the German Agricultural Association (DLG eV) in Frankfurt.
“Different internships during your semester break will help to find the right kind of work for you. For example, you can work as a harvest hand on big farms in foreign countries, in the distribution of agricultural machinery companies or in the editorial offices of agricultural journals.
“Also the ‘Young Farmers Day’ and the ‘Campus & Career’ sector at Agritechnica are important and helpful platforms for young people to get insights into the many opportunities of agricultural jobs.
“Most interesting for me are the experiences of young people who have started in their first job not long ago,” Aufmkolk added. “The Agritechnica exhibition, with its huge variety of exhibitors, is also really interesting for students like me. The innovative developments show that the agricultural sector is a very pioneering industry, providing the best prospects of getting a good job in the future.”
