The competition, now in its fourth year, aims to engage and inspire students in England and Wales from Year 9 - 11 about farming and food production and highlight the many career opportunities available in the land-based sector. Secondary schools from across the UK are encouraged to enter the competition.

This year's competition is all based around the statement 'Farming is about working with the natural environment' and the best responses to the online application form will win, up to one of ten semi-final on-farm visits.

The semi-final on-farm visits, which take place with LEAF’s team of Regional Education Consultants, will see students being asked to answer a hypothesis using their experience on- farm, combined with wider research, and present their response. The recorded presentations will then be judged, to win an exclusive weekend experience on a real working farm at Coleg Cambria Llysfasi, in the Vale of Clwyd, North Wales.

The finalists will be invited to bring up to three students and two teachers to a weekend experience to learn more about food production and farming at Coleg Cambria Llysfasi in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the end of the weekend, one school will be crowned the 'National Winner 2022'.

The finalists’ weekend experience will take place from the 21st – 23rd October 2022, including all food and accommodation. The competition partner Bayer will also provide kit needed for the weekend, such as wellies, to ensure greater access for all young people.

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Students will experience milking cows, handling sheep, whilst understanding the role that drone technology has to play in producing food. They will also get to visit the agri-forest, see countryside management in practice, and will even have a go at tractor driving and experience the driverless technology used by the agricultural industry. They will also see other modern technology used in today’s farming practices and much more.

The students will cover a range of educational topics, focused around the competition title will compete in answering an hypothesis over the weekend - the winning school team will be crowned the 'National Winner 2022’

The competition has had a significant impact in opening young minds to what farming delivers as well as issues around health, wellbeing, sustainability, climate change and career opportunities. Over one-third of students who took part in the competition, have since gone on to apply to study at land-based colleges, with all students reporting that it had changed their perception of the farming industry and helped them with their studies back at school.

Sec­ondary schools look­ing to apply need to com­plete the online form. The form is to be answered by a teacher on behalf of the school and their stu­dents. Win­ning schools will be noti­fied by the 29^th April, for on-farm vis­its to take place in the Sum­mer 2022 term. Deadline for entries is the 8th April.