The Lincolnshire Show Through New Eyes

Growing up on an arable farm in Lincolnshire, the county show was just part of the summer. Livestock in the ring and many familiar faces from the farming community it was an event you attended long before you understood what it represented. This year, I returned as an MDS trainee alongside my colleague Lucy Wattam, who grew up on an arable farm not far from myself. Two Lincolnshire farmers’ daughters, back at the show, this time as part of the industry.

Coming Back with Fresh Eyes

Attending the Lincolnshire Show as part of the Management Development Scheme gave us a new perspective on an event we have known our whole lives. Where I once saw a great day out, I now saw an industry at work; marketing, networking, celebrating, and connecting. The show is one of the few places where that all happens in one afternoon.

MDS has given Lucy and I that shift in perspective. The Graduate Scheme, and the newly launched Fresh Futures Programme – with hubs right here in Lincolnshire and in West Sussex – are designed to do exactly that for the next generation of people coming into agriculture. Whether you grew up on a farm or are simply curious about the industry, there’s a pathway in. The Lincolnshire Show is a brilliant reminder of how much this industry has to offer.

What the Show Means to the People in It

Having both grown up attending the show as locals, one of the things Lucy and I did this year that we hadn’t done before was stop and talk to the exhibitors. Not to just browse the stands, but to ask people why they were there and what the show means to them.

Graham Main from Peacock & Binnington was straightforward about it: “The Lincs Show is a big part of our marketing year – we get to see a large number of customers and support the industry.” For established agricultural businesses, this is a fixture. A chance to strengthen relationships built over years.

Lily Craven from Tipplemill Gin offered a different perspective – one that resonated with me as someone currently working in crop protection. “The show is a great way to showcase farm grown gin, linking farming in Lincolnshire with the end consumer.” That connection between farm and shop shelf is one the public rarely gets to see. Many people pick up a bottle of gin or a piece of cheese without any thought for the farm it came from, the soil it was grown in, or the hands that produced it. The show changes that, quite literally putting the farmer and the consumer in the same field.

And Tim Jones from Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese summed up the spirit of the whole event: “We’re very proud to be part of the Lincolnshire farming community. The show is a great way to celebrate that.”

Why It Matters for Careers in Agriculture

If you’re a school leaver or a student wondering what a career in agri-food actually looks like, spend a day at a county show. You’ll see the full breadth of it, from agronomy and crop science to food production, machinery, sustainability, innovation, and rural business.

MDS exists to help people find their place within that. The new Fresh Futures Programme is a direct route into the industry for those who don’t want to wait until after a degree to get started. For those already on the program returning to a show you’ve attended your whole life, this time as part of the industry, is a moment worth noticing.

The same show. A completely different perspective.