A HEREFORDSHIRE farmer had to sacrifice her teenager lifestyle to run the family farm after her father died when she was only 17.

Jo Lawrence has been a full-time farmer since 2017, and it’s no ordinary life for a teenager with early starts and 18-hour days during some months of the year.

She said she had to takeover the farm the day after her father, 50-year-old Bob, died unexpectedly in September 2017 while she was studying agriculture at Hartpury College, near Gloucester.

“It doesn’t come without its tricky moments, but I love it. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it,” said Jo, now aged 19.

“Because I have the passion there it’s not as tricky as it could have been. I was quite fortunate I was involved anyway, it wasn’t quite as big a leap.

“Losing my dad was a massive hit to me, but I had something to concentrate on and try and make him proud. It helped me in a really backwards way.”

Running the 200-acre sheep, beef and arable farm in Allensmore was made slightly easier with help from her family, as well as being involved with a local young farmers’ club.

She found the isolation of going days without seeing anyone a big problem since taking over, as well as unpredictable weather.

“It’s nice that I still have bits of my childhood because young farmers’ is all about fun and being not so serious, so it’s nice to take myself away from the farm to have some fun,” she added.

“I loved farming anyway so it wasn’t quite such a dramatic change. I’d always dreamt over coming back and taking over; it was on my radar anyway.

“It was obviously a massive change, but it was where I saw myself in 10 years, it just came a bit earlier.

“Because of the circumstances i was so determined to prove everyone wrong, I didn’t think twice about giving stuff up.”

Jo, who said she usually “keeps herself to herself” has also been nominated for this year’s Three Counties Farming Awards.

She also featured in the Channel 5 series Springtime on the Farm, which began on Easter Monday.

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