I’M MARTIN Ulyatt and I am the new chairman of Spalding and District Young Farmers’ Club.
I work for my dad and grandfather on our farm and contracting business in Fosdyke, and main jobs include fertiliser spraying, combine driving and sugar beet harvesting.
Along with many farmers, I am hoping for more sunshine as all this rain and patchy weather is really starting to be quite annoying when harvest is my favourite time of the year.
What can I say about Spalding and District Young Farmers’ Club?
A fantastic group of young people looking to meet new people with similar interests, learn new skills and have lots of fun.
Spalding Young Farmers have been meeting for over 60 years, last year celebrating our 60th anniversary with a party at Park Farm, Deeping St Nicholas, by kind permission of Chris Carter. Over 150 people attended, including current members, ex-members and friends of the club, enjoying a hog roast, Scalectrix racing and DJ Chris Bee (club president Chris Bettinson) playing music all night.
We currently meet at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding on Wednesdays from 8pm, with our weekly programme starting in September and including a talk from Lincolnshire police, exotic wildlife game cooking, a tour round a brewery and a butcher’s, as well as various sports and games nights and our annual pub quiz. We attend various county events including the County Ball at Lincolnshire Showground and we are planning socials with North Holland, Terrington and Newborough Young Farmer clubs.
We also like to do our bit for the community and charities when possible.
In the last year we have helped out Spalding Rotary Club with their Christmas sleigh collection, car parking at Holbeach Town and Country Fayre and Deeping Show as well as doing the barbecue at Cowbit’s diamond jubilee celebrations.
In February this year we held our annual club ball at South Holland Centre in Spalding with over 200 people attending a brilliant night with a two-course meal, games, a DJ and a live band.
From the proceeds of the games we gave £500 to Spalding Hospice Foundation, based at the Johnson Community Hospital, a charity very close to our hearts.
I got into farming after finishing my A-levels. Luckily for me there was room for me on our family farm to enter an industry with so many opportunities that others may not be aware of.
The agricultural industry offers various jobs in food production, energy, manufacturing and engineering, retail and recycling, to name a few.
Entering the world of farming can be achieved at various levels – after school, through an agricultural college or even an agricultural university degree. With such a wide range of sectors in the industry there is potentially something out there for everyone and it should not be overlooked when young people are contemplating what to do with their future.