'You are on your own - but I still love farming'

Dairy farm worker Terri Taylor says the job can be rewarding

Farming can be rewarding but is not without its challenges, according to one south west agriculture student.

Dairy farm worker Terri Taylor said: "It's a lot of long hours and hard work. You're on your own most of the time - you really have to love it."

Ms Taylor, from Devon, and Abi Radford, from Liskeard in Cornwall, are both studying agriculture at Cornwall College but their journeys into the field could not be more different.

Ms Taylor was raised in a farming family while Ms Radford is a self-confessed "townie" who stumbled into farming after she was offered a job on a smallholding.

Abi Radford has grown her career in farming after being offered work on a smallholding

Ms Radford said she was offered a job on a smallholding a few years ago.

"I thought it sounded fun, so I gave it a go," she explained.

"I really enjoyed it and decided to pursue a career in farming. I didn't know much at the time, so I enrolled in college to learn more."

Farming is gaining popularity among young people, thanks in part to more positive portrayals in the media and increased awareness in schools, said Alex Hollands, farms director at Cornwall College.

"Schools are starting to talk about it as a real career path," he said.

"When I first said I wanted to be a farmer, people thought I was crazy.

"There are so many different roles, you don't have to be out in the field getting wet."

Terri Taylor: "You really have to love it"

Ms Taylor points out that while farming can be rewarding, it is not without its challenges.

"It's a lot of long hours and hard work. People think tractor driving is easy, but it can be lonely.

"In farming you're on your own a lot of the time. It's a very lonely enterprise to be in "You really have to love it."

Despite the demands, both students are enthusiastic about their futures.

Ms Radford is particularly drawn to livestock and currently works two days a week on a dairy farm.

She also enjoys the balance of practical and theoretical learning.

"I didn't realise how much there was to it until I started studying. I love it," she said.