Caitlin Oxton is in her second year studying applied farm management at the Royal Agricultural University. Not from a farming background, Caitlin went to an agricultural college instead of the traditional A-level route, which kickstarted her interest in the industry.

Although it is still some way off, Caitlin is considering a farm consultancy or agronomy career and would love to have her own livestock. This is what she has the ‘Cultivate a Generation’ grant in mind for.

“I think I am going to save the grant until I need to invest in electric fencing and stock management equipment. It will help me get started,” says Caitlin.

Malachi Fisher has a military background, with his parents serving in the forces. Malachi’s passion for farming began when working on dairy farms in New Zealand while travelling. This brought him to the Royal Agricultural University, where he is currently in the second year of a degree in agriculture.

“I’d love to get into dairy farm management,” says Malachi. “I have a placement coming up on an arable farm near Banbury. Winning the grant has been amazing because if I need some extra gear for my placement, I can use it for that.”

Matthew Easton is from White River, Mpumalanga, east of Johannesburg in South Africa. His family has a forestry enterprise, growing eucalyptus trees, with a proportion also growing macadamia nuts and avocados.

After a recommendation from a friend’s father, who had attended the Royal Agricultural University, he decided to study for a BSc in agriculture. Matthew’s parents encouraged him to travel for his studies to explore something new.

“I will most likely use the grant to buy equipment for my farm, perhaps some power tools,” says Matthew. “I am still working it out, but whatever I get will have to be small for me to take it home in my luggage.”

Haleem Tumilty is two years into a three-year Agriculture degree. Not from a farming background, the experience of the Covid pandemic led Haleem into agriculture. He was shocked by his family's reliance on the big supermarkets and thought there could be a more sustainable way of living if he learned about food production. Haleem hopes to start farming himself once he has graduated.

“I am going to save the grant to help me when I start my own farm,” says Haleem. “There are so many things (on the Kramp webshop), and I am still looking through everything on there.”

Jack Sowerby lives and works on his family’s dairy farm, milking 180 cows near Appleby-in-Westmoreland in Cumbria. They have been on the farm for nearly 21 years, and Jack hopes to be there for many more years to come.

“I will probably use it to buy some of the tools I have always wanted but never had the money to get,” says Jack. “There are always plenty of things that need fixing around the farm.”

Cameron Merryfield received the first agricultural engineer grant. Cameron has worked for the John Deere dealership Mason Kings, which covers the South West, since 2012. He began on the John Deere AgTech apprenticeship, and since graduating from this, he has established his career as a skilled agricultural engineer.

Acquiring workshop equipment is something many young engineers struggle with when they start as apprentices, and Cameron also experienced this. However, he stresses that there is now more support for apprentices than when he started.

 “Acquiring tools is a slow burner. It is something you have to keep ticking away at every month when you can spare the money; it’s what you have to do to get started,” says Cameron. “You might go out on a job early on (in your career) and have to get by with a socket set, a spanner and a hammer.”

“I was about five years in before I could say I had everything I needed to keep me going, and by then, you are talking of £15,000 worth of equipment.”

Cameron is delighted to have won the Kramp Cultivate a Generation grant and plans to spend his grant on axle stands to help with safer working when he is out at a breakdown. Promoting safety for agricultural engineers is something he feels strongly about.

“There is only so much equipment we can hold in the vans, and an axle stand isn’t always one of them unless you know it is needed. If you go out to a job that requires it and don’t have it, you are still expected to get the job done.

“You can always say no, but there can be pressure from the customer, especially at busy times, to get by without everything you need,” adds Cameron.

This is different to engineers in the construction industry, where it is more culturally accepted for engineers to leave a job and return once they have all the necessary equipment, explains Cameron. He hopes that agriculture gets to a similar point in the future.

“Thank you so much to Kramp; it was a wonderful surprise. The grant will help with paying for breakfast and after school clubs for our boys during busy periods on the farm. 

“What a great start to lambing time and half term!”