My Experience as a Farming Connect Intern

Hello! I’m Llio Davies – a farmer’s daughter from Llanefydd in north Wales. I’m currently studying Agriculture with Animal Science at Aberystwyth University and, during the summer, I had the opportunity to work as an intern with the Farming Connect programme through Mentera.

The Opportunity

I saw the ad on social media, and I was immediately drawn to it. The application process was challenging – from filling out the application form to the interview itself – but I received great support throughout the process, and the interview was a valuable experience in itself. I was extremely glad to be chosen, and very grateful for the opportunity.

An Invaluable Work Experience

I was hoping to gain hands-on experience of working with a hard-working team, and indeed, I got the opportunity to learn about different projects and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. The weeks have been varied – from attending team meetings, collecting data and assisting at events, to helping Innovis and attending the Denbigh and Flint Show. In addition, I got the opportunity to help different departments within the Farming Connect programme, including the Advisory Department, where I got to contribute to business plans. Such a variety of work is done to give us the best support as farmers. Every week was different, and that was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the opportunity.

What I Learned

I learned a lot during my time working as an intern. Before the internship, my knowledge of sheep wasn’t detailed, but now I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit. I learned about the importance of grass, daily liveweight gain, and targeted treatments based on FEC results – extremely valuable exercises. The post-mortem meeting was a real eye-opener, demonstrating how understanding the causes of death is critical to effective flock management.

I was also introduced to new technologies such as AgriNet, which enables farmers to keep individual records on each animal. This helps to identify problems at an early stage and contributes to creating a more efficient flock in the long term – a core aim of Farming Connect.

Personal and Professional Skills

I developed a lot of personal skills during my time with the Farming Connect programme, and met many very experienced people. By going to meetings, I learned about team priorities, the importance of communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. I also had the opportunity to help with the Our Farms events by contacting farmers and assisting at the events themselves. The experience was a great opportunity to develop transferable skills and gain a deeper understanding of the agriculture industry.

Highly Recommend & Thanks

I would highly recommend this opportunity to anyone interested in agriculture. It’s a great way to develop both personally and professionally, and to find out what areas fuel your enthusiasm in order to open doors to the future. Working with an active and experienced team has been a very positive and rewarding experience, and I’m very grateful for every opportunity and support I’ve received.

Thank you very much to the team for everything – I’ve enjoyed every moment. We as farmers are very lucky to have such valuable and enriching support available to us.

If the opportunity arises to apply for an internship with Farming Connect, go for it – this is certainly an opportunity not to miss!