Farmers Guardian head of news and business Alex Black returned from this year’s IFAJ Congress in Switzerland with countless stories, new contacts, and a fresh appreciation for the opportunities that come from being a Guild member.
Selected as one of 10 IFAJ/Alltech young leaders who were invited to attend a masterclass Boot Camp ahead of congress, she shares what she learned from the experience:
Being chosen as a Young Leader and attending the Boot Camp and IFAJ Congress was an absolutely fantastic experience, which really drilled home the value and opportunities from being involved in the Guild.
On what other work trip would you get the opportunity to sit and listen to the cowbells in the alps, tour a chocolate factory and eat your own weight in cheese?
The bootcamp kicked off with sessions from the presidential team and former young leaders, highlighting the importance of agricultural journalism and how the bootcamp experience had influenced them.
We then got the opportunity to get out and see some Swiss farms. The first visit was to an organic farm, producing their own tofu as a diversification. With Swiss farms generally very small scale, diversification has been a key tool for those outside of the alpine areas which receive the most Government funding, to survive and thrive.
Another farm was running children’s birthday parties and holiday clubs. It showed the innovation and forward-thinking attitude of farmers, something we see every day when talking to farmers back in the UK, although I’m yet to visit one making tofu!
We also had the opportunity to visit a traditional alpine farm. Twin brothers ran the farm, with one managing the farm itself and the other making cheese during the 100 days the cows were up at the higher levels.
Balancing tradition with profitability
The closing day of the bootcamp consisted of a cheese and chocolate tour, the essence of Switzerland! Visiting the La Maison du Gruyère and seeing how the iconic cheese is made as well as finding out more about the farmers who produce it before visiting a chocolate factory in the afternoon.
One of the key topics which came up again and again, was how to balance the tradition which underpins Swiss farm produce with modern farming techniques, and crucially, profitability.
At the Gruyère factory for example, there was an interesting discussion over the method of producing the cheese. Farmers were not allowed to feed any silage to cows, as the cheese production, which uses unpasteurised milk, was affected by it. Robotics were a hot topic, with Philippe Bardet from the organisation which represents gruyère production stating that robots could not be used in the production of the cheese.
However, one young farmer I spoke to, whose family farm supplied milk to the factory, disagreed saying the group needed to be open to these new ideas and he wanted a better work life balance, which he believed installing robots could give him.
While milk prices were good, and well in excess of what our big players are paying in the UK, the farmers argued they needed those prices in order to produce milk to the standards required.
Building connections
At the congress itself, we heard really interesting talks from the Swiss Farmers Union, politicians, major companies such as Emmi and Nestle and a well-attended talk on journalists and Artificial Intelligence, as well as more opportunities to eat lots of cheese.
But the real highlight of the trip was the people I met. Those who attended the Bootcamp came from all over the world, Sweden, Romania, Austria, Australia, South Africa, Ghana and the USA.
We spent a lot of time together and I learned so much about the cultural differences and similarities between all these countries (and not just on agricultural production). And many, many of the issues they highlighted sounded very familiar to a British ear. Food security, the weather, predator reintroductions, changing agricultural policy and improving rural/urban relations were hot topics for the other Young Leaders.
The crops we grow and the landscapes we farm may look different, but farmers across the world have far more in common than we often think.
A global perspective
It was also wonderful to sit and discuss with fellow journalists, not as competitors, but as colleagues and hopefully I’ve built relationships and contacts which will last both on a personal level and a professional one. I’ve already been in touch with one of those I spent time with about an issue which FG is focused on and has already been in focus in their country.
So much of what we report on is of a global nature, from commodity markets to animal diseases, and having these contacts who can offer real experiences on the ground, will improve my understanding of what is going on.
What I’m really excited to see is the articles published by my fellow journalists about the trip and see the experiences through their eyes and what stood out to them and how this differs from my coverage.
I came back from the trip with a new appreciation of the importance of the work we do, why we do it and with lots of content which you will hopefully see in FG and online in the coming weeks and months. It also drove home the opportunities offered and the value of being in the Guild.
Next year’s congress is in Kenya and will be an amazing opportunity to see what farming is like on another continent and a completely different climate. I would urge anyone considering applying for the Young Leaders award to make sure they do, the chance to go to Kenya will likely be a trip of a lifetime and the connections you will make and the things you will learn will be second to none.
