Jon completes Farmer Apprenticeship
Celebrating our 1st Francis Stone Apprentice in Cumbria
Jon with visiting Cumbria Connect Apprentices
Low Beckside Farm, Cumbria
Jon had some advice for the next apprentice who gets the opportunity to work with the Trust, adding that Hector (Farm Manager at Low Beckside) was an excellent – and patient – teacher!
Get stuck in – don’t dilly dally – and don’t be afraid to make mistakes because there is plenty of time to improve
Combining conservation with food production is the way ahead for modern farmers, says 18 year-old Jon, who has just completed an 18-month apprenticeship on The Ernest Cook Trust’s Low Beckside farm in Cumbria.
Jon, who was selected to become the first Francis Stone Apprentice, named in memory of a long-serving tenant farmer of the Trust, worked under the direction of Low Beckside Farm Manager, Hector, on the 410-acre holding on three sites near Mungrisdale.
The former Kendal College student whose family farm near Wigton, said the importance of mixing conservation work with traditional farming practices was the most valuable lesson he had learned during the apprenticeship.
Low Beckside is farmed under a Higher-Level Countryside Stewardship Scheme, with extensive hedgerow planting and carefully managed wetlands for the benefit of a range of species including threatened birdlife. Jon said:
It was definitely the conservation side of things that I found the most useful. I had never done much of that at home before – now I have a much better grasp of what it is and its value.
He said the financial support available for conservation initiatives – despite recent changes announced by the Government – can still provide a vital boost to farm incomes now that traditional land-based grants have been scrapped, following Britain’s exit from the EU.
“There are a lot of farmers who don’t know how they are going to make any money now that the single farm payments have gone,” he said. “The grants available for conservation can help to fill the gap and add to the money you can make from traditional farming.”
Low Beckside is a commercial operation, with Farm Manager Hector running around 550 ewes producing 800 lambs a year. It also provides a range of land-based and Outdoor Learning opportunities for children and young people, as one of the Trust’s Outdoor Learning sites.
Conservation measures have been undertaken as part of the Higher-Level Countryside Stewardship agreement covering around 70 acres of land identified as unsuitable for farming, which has become a haven for curlew, lapwing and snipe.
Having completed his apprenticeship and finished his college course, Jon is returning to work on the family farm as well as continuing to work for two days per week at Low Beckside. He said stand-out moments from his apprenticeship included gathering the sheep from the fell and clipping them.
Vicki, Head of Learning, Operations and Partnerships (Cumbria/Lancashire) with The Ernest Cook Trust, said:
We believe it’s essential to support the next generation of farmers, and to help them develop and put into practice nature friendly farming techniques which lead to a more sustainable way of farming.
The Ernest Cook Trust’s next Francis Stone Apprentice is currently being recruited, to start in September 2025.
Listen to BBC Radio Cumbria’s coverage of Outdoor Learning events at Low Beckside Farm:
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