Lancashire farmer inspires thousands of schoolchildren with talks about life on the farm
A Lancashire farmer and NFU member has spoken of his passion for educating the next generation after giving talks to thousands of schoolchildren.
John Alpe volunteers as an NFU Farmers for Schools Ambassador, a role which has seen him speak to more than 2,000 schoolchildren about British food and farming over the last three years.
He had the privilege of taking part in the ‘Lessons at 10’ event where he spoke to primary school pupils at 10 Downing Street.
Mr Alpe is an organic farmer and runs a small dairy herd of 45 milking cows alongside young dairy stock, beef cattle and a flock of 1,000 breeding sheep at Whitewell near Clitheroe.
He said: “I really enjoy going into schools, talking about what I do, and the children are often very engaged and interested, asking all sorts of questions.
“I think it’s really important that children understand where their food comes from, that it doesn’t just come from the supermarket, and to have a bit of an understanding about what farmers do. They are the consumers of the future.
“I get a lot of enjoyment out of it myself. When I see the children so interested in farming it makes me come away feeling inspired and reminds me that farmers across the country do great work feeding the nation and looking after the environment.”
Mr Alpe, who is Lancashire council delegate, hopes his talks will help to inspire farmers of the future and support the NFU’s educations work in promoting careers in farming to young people.
The NFU has launched a campaign for an updated school curriculum that represents British food, farming, and our food security fairly across the education system.
Earlier this year the NFU conducted research which revealed that two-thirds of teachers believe food and farming should play a bigger role in the national curriculum – a view echoed by the public, with more than 36,000 people signing the NFU’s petition calling on government to act.
Over the past year, more than half a million schoolchildren have taken part in NFU live lessons, while the ‘Farmers for Schools’ programme – where trained farmers and NFU staff visit schools to share their stories – has more than doubled in reach. In the 2024/25 academic year alone, the programme has connected with over 30,000 pupils, thanks to the dedication of nearly 400 trained volunteers bringing food and farming into classrooms across the country.
These large numbers were made possible thanks to the Trust’s support, and its continued investment helps NFU Education continue to expand its reach, develop new resources, and inspire the next generation to learn more about where their food comes from and the role farming plays in their lives.
To help tackle this, the NFU runs several projects to promote farming careers to young people, including the Farmers For Schools Programme and the NFU Student and Young Farmer Ambassador Programme, which helps to give farmers aged 30 and under a strong voice in shaping the future of the agricultural industry.
Mr Alpe said: “I think the NFU Education team does a fantastic job.
“They come up with so many great ideas about how to teach people about food and farming in a fun and engaging way.
“I would highly recommend becoming a Farmers for Schools Ambassador to anyone thinking about getting involved – it’s such a rewarding experience and it feels great to be doing my bit.”