Amy Park - Modern Apprentice in Agriculture

Amy Park - Picture
Amy Park - Modern Apprentice in Agriculture

Amy Park, aged 19 from Hawick, has been doing a Modern Apprenticeship in Mixed Farming with JA Park through Borders College.

“I first got interested in the farming industry at a very young age. I was always out helping my dad on the farm, and from then on knew it was what I wanted to do. I started my own flock of sheep when I was 12, and from then started breeding my own tups for Kelso Ram Sales. I have always enjoyed being outside in the fresh country air, whatever the weather.

I am a self-employed shepherdess and work part-time alongside my father on our family farm at home. We run 1200 breeding ewe flock, 550 of which are blackies and 500 of which are mules. We also have a pedigree flock of Suffolks and Texels and my role is to keep their pedigree breeding papers up-to-date each year.

Each day I check stock, do the feed, bedding and water, whatever’s needed. I take a role in vaccinating the sheep at the correct times of the year, making sure they have the correct medicines when they need them. We also had 50 cows and calves on the farm as summer grazers and it was my job to check them every day and make sure the calves were getting the right amount of feeding. I take pride in how the sheep look and make sure they are nice and healthy.

I also play a massive part at lambing time where I return home for 2 months to work with my father in lambing our 1200 ewes.

I also work part-time on a pig, sheep and cattle farm alongside the stockman with the cattle and sheep. They have 400 breeding ewes and I help with all the bigger jobs like vaccinations, clipping time and general management. They also have 50 cows which I also help look after. I help at calving time, making sure all the cows give birth safely.

Borders College has been great with the different topics going through each part of farming life, from arable farming to upland hill farming. I received my forklift licence through Borders College which is a massive help being self-employed. I wish to go on in the future and learn more about the running of the business side of things, such as doing yearly budgets for the business. I have been lucky that the college staff are always on hand to give advice and help with any issues.

What I find most rewarding within in the industry is lambing time in spring. When you look into the fields seeing all the lambs running around playing, you feel like all of your very hard work has paid off. I also find working with the pigs at farrowing time very rewarding as every three weeks you’re producing piglets, making sure they are all safe and healthy. Another rewarding moment for me is when it comes to sale month and your hard work making sure the animal is fit and looked after well throughout its whole life hopefully pays off. All of the time dressing the animal making it look to its best is always beneficial and helps it sell.

I also have my own working Border Collie that I have trained myself and it gives me great satisfaction to able to see the progress we have made together when working with sheep.

In years to come I hope to see myself slowly taking over from my parents, taking over the responsibilities of running the farm and looking after the livestock on the farm. I hope to be able to return home full-time in a few years’ with all my new ideas and aspirations. This will hopefully ensure the business runs smoothly and make sure I am doing my job to the best of my potential. I love being a farmer and hope to follow in my parent’s footsteps.

I would encourage young people in the farming industry because it’s such a great job. You can go from the everyday things like checking stock to taking a role in the finances. Farming is just such an amazing career and would encourage anyone to take it on. If you work hard enough you can go far in this industry.