Young Farmer Focus: Clover Crosse - 'I never considered agriculture as an 'acceptable' career'

Clover Crosse, 25 is second in command on a 530ha arable farm near Salisbury.

I am not from farming stock and count myself very lucky to have fallen into agriculture.

When I was 12 years old, my mother moved into a cottage on a 320ha farm, running 1,500 Romney ewes, 2km, as the crow flies, from where I work now. And the rest is history.

I attended the local grammar school and had not ever considered agriculture as an ‘acceptable’ career choice, despite spending every spare hour on the farm.

I had resigned myself to a sports science degree, an answer that I thought people wanted to hear when I was asked, ‘What do you want to do when you finish school?’.

Fortunately for me, my PE teacher, who had spent countless hours listening to me talk her through local farms from the minibus window, gave me the best career advice yet.

She said ‘You are so passionate about farming Clover, why don’t you do it for a living?’. At first, I was slightly offended that she did not think I was cut out for a career in sport science.

However, as time went on, I realised that she did not mean that at all, but that if something makes you happy, then give it everything you have got. 

Shortly after that, I sent off my UCAS application to Harper Adams University to study Agriculture with Mechanisation. After my A-levels, I was not ready for more studying, so impulsively booked flights to New Zealand a week before I flew.

I spent three months working on farms and travelling the South Island. My only regret is not spending longer there. 

On my return to the UK, I had lambing jobs lined up from January until May and a harvest job for Summer.

Before I knew it, I was packing my bags for Harper. I spent my placement year at Daylesford Organics in the Cotswolds, which was immensely valuable.

After graduating, I started at Flamstone Farm with a view to bolster my arable experience. Although it is predominantly an arable role, I also manage the sheep while they are here for winter, do some tree surgery, firewood processing and delivery. In short, I am a combine-driving sheep-a-holic.