A record number of young people are seeking careers in food and farming according to figures compiled by Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

More than 36,000 applications for farming-related apprenticeships in agriculture, horticulture and animal care were made in the sector in England and Wales in 2013/14 - a nine-fold increase since 2010.

They are a timely boost for the farming industry, which needs to recruit an estimated 60,000 more employees by 2020 to replace an ageing workforce. The shortage of well-trained workers is a growing problem.

A recent piece of research suggested as few as 4 per cent of young people were considering a job in food and farming, with the widely held view that jobs are boring, repetitive and low-paid - and possibly even just for those with few options.

A survey of 1300 Farmers Weekly readers carried out in April in association with recruitment consultancy De Lacy Executive found the opposite was true.

Asked to rate their place of employment, 79 per cent said the work they were given was interesting, and the physical working environment was also rated as good or excellent by 70 per cent. When asked whether they would encourage people to join agriculture as a long-term career, 80 per cent of farm-based workers said they would.

According to data collected by the Government, the average person in the UK earns a gross salary of £27,200, but the survey revealed a more mixed picture for farm-based workers.

Annual salaries are below the national average, coming in at £26,193. However this is before any benefits are taken into account and 87 per cent of respondents had some sort of additional benefits including overtime, accommodation, their mobile phone being paid for or a company vehicle. The figure also masks some higher wages with workers on 500 hectare-plus arable units earning an average salary of £34,849.

However, pay for workers on dairy and livestock farms was lower, with the smallest amounts being paid to those working in beef and sheep enterprises which were £23,710/year and £23,082/year respectively.

The survey also confirmed that the hours can be long, with the statistics suggesting those in farm-based roles work an average of 51.6 hours in a typical week and an average of 84.6 hours in a busy week.

Sainsbury's is a retailer leading the way in the recruitment drive and opened applications for its new horticultural and agricultural apprenticeship programmes in September. They give young adults from the age of 16 the chance to work with some of the retailer's most progressive food suppliers, many of whom use the latest innovations and technology in the sector - from learning the digital infrastructure of glasshouse computer systems to managing crop growth through the use of drones and smart phone apps.

Research reveals that over a third of 16-24 year-olds match the criteria for a modern-day career in farming, and they are being actively encouraged to consider it.

It's not all mud, tweed and early mornings is the message on the cover of the new NFU magazine for young people aimed to encourage new entrants into the agriculture sector.

Studentfarmer "Schools Edition" is currently being trialled in over 140 schools south of the border and promotes varied and exciting careers in agriculture to 13-16 year-olds making decisions on their studies.

The NFU for England and Wales has had success with the original Studentfarmer launched in 2012 and distributes thousands of free copies to agricultural colleges and universities. NFU President Meurig Raymond said with the new "spin-off" the NFU hopes to inspire younger students who may not have considered a career in agriculture.

Editor of Studentfarmer Emily Cole said: "The aim of the School's edition is simple - we want to make sure the next generation has the facts about the farming industry before they make decisions influencing the career they pursue.

"From the perspective of a person on the outside looking in, the industry has a lot of false stereotypes."

Through research carried out by YouGov over three-quarters (80 per cent) of young adults still have outdated perceptions of what careers in the industry actually involve.

However, the study further uncovered that over a third of young adults selected criteria that match modern day careers in farming when they were asked to describe their ideal job - access to the latest technology (selected by 20 per cent), flexible working hours (58 per cent) and variety in their day-to-day work.