Young Farmer Focus: Nicholas Bell - ‘Young Farmers are challenging stereotypes’

Photography: I am from rural Wiltshire and have been studying photojournalism for three years at the University of South Wales, Cardiff.

When I moved to Cardiff, Brexit was a pretty fresh topic, and one issue that kept popping up was the impact a hard Brexit could have on agriculture.

I noticed stark differences of opinion between politicians and economists. On top of that, the farming community seemed torn over the issue.

At home, I have always been surrounded by farming and understand its importance to rural communities.

So, I decided to look further into the issue to find out how young farmers in Wales feel about the future.

Project: The end goal was a series of portraits which would sit alongside a written account of the conversations I would have with young farmers I met.

Over a period of nearly four months, I travelled across Wales, knocking on farm doors to obtain a rounded perspective from young people working in various types of farming.

It soon became clear that although Brexit was the main topic being discussed in the mainstream media, there are many other issues young farmers are concerned about.

From my experience, the family farm still plays a crucial role in Wales and to see so many people my own age completely dedicated to continuing the work of their parents, grandparents and beyond, is inspiring.