Past and Future

This project was born searching for a wool jumper. I wondered if the wool was a valueless byproduct of keeping the sheep and how the farmers were compensated. I found Sam - a shepherdess living in Wales. She is a third-generation farmer but has moved away from her family to practice her own ways of keeping animals. She is a strong young woman, single minded and determined to farm in her own way. She and her boyfriend work hard at several jobs to survive and I admire their work ethic in a demanding and uncertain environment. Costs and sale prices fluctuate over a year and these financial considerations are largely out of the farmer’s control as they depend on the weather, animal welfare and market price. The subsidies are given to the landowners, not to young people renting their land. For young farmers starting out, the rented parcels of land available may be a long drive from their accommodation and may also have poor quality grazing and wet winter conditions.