Anna Jones, Author, Agricultural Journalist and Broadcaster, Just Farmers
Growing up on a traditional, upland, family-run beef and sheep farm on the English/Welsh border, journalism was not an obvious career path, but it was all I ever wanted to do from a young age. So, I skipped off to university at the age of 18, dreaming of concrete and skyscrapers, and never expected to look back. But to my great surprise, it turned out that the farming gene was strong in me.
It comes out in my storytelling; a deep desire to share the stories and experiences of rural communities with urban audiences. I covered rural affairs at the BBC for 12 years, directing BBC One's Countryfile, producing and presenting Radio 4's Farming Today, On Your Farm and Costing the Earth and reporting on agricultural issues for BBC News and the World Service.
In addition, I have written for The Guardian, Countryfile Magazine, Farmers Guardian and Farmers Weekly.
My career took an unexpected turn after doing a Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 2016/2017, which looked at how the media portrays farming and country life to the public.
I travelled the world and discovered a deep disconnect between the metropolitan mainstream media and a distrustful and defensive farming industry.
It made me even more determined to motivate farmers to step up and share their stories. In 2018, I quit my staff job at the BBC to set up a communications project called Just Farmers, aimed at connecting journalists and programme makers with independent, authentic voices at the grassroots of UK farming.
My mission to improve the national conversation around rural issues, agriculture and the environment inspired my first book, 'Divide: The relationship crisis between town and country', published in March 2022.
I recently moved from Bristol, my home city since 2012, to Shropshire, the rural county where I was born and raised. I'm not sure what it means yet, whether it will become a permanent move, or what it means for my career, home and identity.
Like so many people, as we emerge from this terrible pandemic, life feels in a state of flux. Outside of work, I enjoy running, yoga, long walks with my partner Alex and our mad spaniel Lucy, going to festivals and dancing to everything from funk and soul to drum and bass.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
I have not warmed to the social media age. I sometimes daydream about getting rid of my smartphone! But, for me, social media is part of my work - not my personal life - which is why I'd have to choose Twitter.
I use it for research - staying across the news agenda and quickly bringing myself up to speed on the position of industry organisations on the issues of the day. In addition, it allows me to share ideas and quick thoughts, promote blog posts (and my new book), and engage with my professional network.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
My identity, and sense of self, have been shaped by two powerful and often conflicting forces: a childhood in the countryside, growing up on a working farm, and adult life in the city, working for the most famous broadcaster in the world.
I had no idea how much these worlds had shaped me - or how deeply I felt torn between them - until I sat down and started writing my book 'Divide'.
Articulating my true feelings, and hearing other people's experiences of the urban/rural divide as part of my extensive research, has given me a whole new area of interest, and focus, in my journalistic career.
The subject is huge, wide-ranging and overwhelming at times - and I've barely scratched the surface.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
So few - too few - young trainee journalists want to specialise in agriculture and rural affairs. It is a great shame and a total misnomer that farming is seen as somehow less relevant, rewarding, or exciting than other briefs - be it politics, economics, environment, or business.
The great thing about my area of focus - agriculture - is that I get to cover all these topics from a more unusual angle. The fascinating world of farming is the best-kept secret in journalism. I have travelled the world, explored incredible places, interviewed great leaders and written a book - all thanks to a career in ag journalism.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"You don't have to be a farmer to be a Nuffield Farming Scholar" - those words gave me the confidence to pursue a life-changing adventure.
And: "You are enough." I can't say, hand on heart, that I have learnt to follow that piece of advice yet, but I am trying.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
People. An interviewee once told me, "I am very open to infection from other people's enthusiasms, " and I recognised myself straight away. I love listening to people's stories - their experiences spark ideas and help me figure out my own way forward. So, I do feed off people (I hope that's a good thing!)
What are you proud of in your life so far?
As a newly published author, of course, I'm going to say my book 'Divide'. It fulfilled a lifelong dream, and I gave it everything I had. I am also enormously lucky to have a lot of love in my life - both given and received - which fills my heart with pride.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
In-person and naturally, without the pressure or expectation to 'network'. I am an old-fashioned soul. I'm just as likely to strike up a conversation at a bus stop as at a conference. I meet the most interesting people by accident.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Talking and listening, in equal measure.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
That perfection doesn't exist, that it's ok to take your foot off the gas sometimes.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Charlotte Smith, a UK-based agricultural journalist and BBC presenter. We worked together on Countryfile and Farming Today, and I've always admired - and strived to emulate - her ability to combine razor-sharp journalistic instinct with warmth, humour and humility.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
Running (preferably off-road), yoga, hiking, countryside, cafes, eating good food, drinking good wine, watching Netflix in pyjamas with Alex and Lucy, whiling away weekends with friends and family and laughing 'til my stomach hurts. Regular visits home to the farm is essential for soul survival.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Professionally, it was very positive. I was lucky enough to get a lot of freelance TV and radio producer work, which I could do from our kitchen in lockdown. I was able to write a book in less than 12 months - made possible only by the fact there was nothing else to do.
I was freed from FOMO, allowing me to focus on writing. Personally, it was a difficult time - as it was for many millions of people. My grandmother caught Covid in her nursing home and passed away in May 2020. Her socially distant funeral was desperately sad and surreal. The heartbreaking image of Mum sitting alone, her shoulders shuddering with sobs, and being unable to hug and comfort her will stay with me forever.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Not in an official sense - but there are dozens of people who have guided me over the years, particularly Editors and Series Producers at the BBC. I have been blessed with fantastic bosses throughout my career. In addition, I mentor others through my charitable project Just Farmers.
I run media education workshops for small groups of farmers, building their confidence about working with the media and improving their communication skills. I like to think I help those individuals come out of their shells and own their stories, which is a very rewarding form of mentoring.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Be ambitious but humble. Listen to and learn from those with more experience. Ask questions (never stop asking questions). Let your passion shine through, even if others find it 'a bit niche' (I've been there).
Don't be afraid of showing your true character - your strengths and vulnerabilities. Don't believe the cliches about journalists being uncaring hardasses. Instead, try your best to understand people's motivations. Empathise.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Losing confidence and not asking for help. I have lost confidence more times than I care to remember, but I let people know, and they help me find it again.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
When I was a little girl, my Grandad Wilfred said to me: "The key to happiness is not getting what you want, but wanting what you've already got."
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
The Oxford Farming Conference - the leading international conference held in the UK for farming and agribusiness. The first time I attended was around 2012 as a member of the media. Back then, I found it a stuffy event for privileged white men in tweed. In 2019 and 2022, I attended as a delegate. In that intervening period, the OFC had modernised, opened up, and become much more diverse, friendly and inclusive. I admire and respect that journey and hope it continues.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success means different things to different people, and I'm still figuring out what it means to me. I've always believed success is a high, a rush of adrenaline, the buzz of achievement. But that feeling is addictive - it just makes you want more, so you set ever bigger goals and chase an unreachable destination.
The older I get, the more I realise real success is a sense of calm, like a shepherd looking at his loyal sheepdog and quietly nodding: "That'll do." I'll let you know when I find it.