Cumbria Young Farmer wins Senior Member of the Year
Robbie Tuer from Grayrigg YFC in Cumbria has won the Senior Member of the Year award 2022, sponsored by Tama.
Robbie, 25, is the current County Chair for Cumbria and was recognised by the judges for the work he has done to support YFC members and the local community.
Robbie, who has been a club chair and a chair of the Northern district of YFC, said:
“I am overwhelmed. I could have cried in the AGM when I was recognised as Senior Member of the Year. Winning this award shows I have done well, and I have put the time and effort in, as have the other finalists.
“The amount of work that goes into the competition is massive. I do feel I am an ambassador for Young Farmers and I hope this accolade can help me promote YFC to people in Cumbria and nationally. I wouldn’t be the person I am today, personally or professionally, without joining YFC.”
During the pandemic Robbie, who has been a YFC member since he was 16, organised a charity bike ride and raised £11,000 by cycling 140 miles with 15 other people to visit all the YFCs in Cumbria.
Robbie said: “Clubs were not able to meet in 2020 and I wanted to boost morale, get everyone together and do something worthwhile. The government promoted exercise, and it has been proven to improve mental health. Agriculture is such an isolated industry to work and live in, so I wanted to get people off their farms and exercising. Raising £11,000 for two charities by biking around all the YFCs in Cumbria over two days was very rewarding. I have another county bike ride planned for this year and I hope to raise even more this time.”
Robbie, who is not from a farming background but is now a Ruminants Specialist for Aspatria Farmers, is passionate about promoting agriculture and YFC to more people outside of the industry.
In his role as County Chair for Cumbria YFC, he has worked with Multicultural Cumbria to connect with more ethnic minorities and break down any barriers. Robbie spoke passionately at NFYFC’s AGM about the need to promote the industry to more people when he backed a motion for YFCs to actively source local British produce for their events and activities.
Robbie’s comments earned him the Sidney Fawcett Trophy for making the greatest contribution to the democratic proceedings at the AGM.
“I work in agriculture and it’s a tough industry to be in – and it’s going to be an even tougher eight months, even if things settle down elsewhere in the world. We need to realise farmers are important and what we produce here is important. I’m an advocate of using local produce where I can. The less food miles, the better. Being awarded Senior Member of the Year is going to help me promote British agriculture more.”
Robbie dedicated his Senior Member of the Year Award to Gordon Brown, a former Senior Member of the Year from Cumbria, who sadly died last year.
Tama, specialists in crop baling solutions, sponsored the Senior Member of the Year Award and said Robbie was a worthy winner.
The Senior Member of the Year is an annual competition organised by NFYFC. Finalists of the competition must compete in county and Area rounds to get through to the national final. The seven national finalists are then asked to complete a synopsis form, give a presentation and be interviewed by a panel of judges, and take part in an on-stage interview in front of an audience.