Hi this is my first post on the forum so hope its in the correct section.

 I have just returned to the UK after spending the past 15 months in New Zealand, whilst I was over there I ended up working on a 1400 cow dairy farm, for around 10 months all together. This was the first farm I worked on and despite the long days and the hard work I really enjoyed it. By the time I left the farm I had gained various skills and was running the 70 bail rotary 3 days a week.

Now here is where I need advice. I have decided I would like to become a farmer in the UK. I have looked through the jobs section on here but are there any other sites where I will find job adverts? Also is it possible to start at the bottom of the ladder and work up or do you need to go to college / university. I am 19 and don't come from a farming back ground, would 10 months experience help me get my foot in the door so to speak or would I need a qualification before people would even give me a second look?

Any advice on where to start would be greatly appreciated, thanks for taking to time to read this.

Dan

  

 i think i might be in a similar situation to you in a couple of years Dan, so i will be watching this thread to see the responses. hwever, i'm from a farming background, and am currently doing A-levels.

 I did my A-levels before I went to New Zealand but nothing remotely to do with agriculture. When I was in New Zealand I managed to get quite a bit of experience (in my opinion) and was a great experience. If I can find a job in the UK then it would be brilliant I am just not sure if I have enough experience to make the first step on the ladder without having any qualifications. I am prepared to relocate anywhere in the UK for the right job, just hoping for a little bit of guidance from the forums more expereinced members as to what the best/most appropriate path to take would be.

 Thanks,

Dan

I think I would be tempted to work as a relief milker for a while with one of the agencies. It fits your experience and you will see a variety of situations where farmers manage themselves into a hole. When I did this I was always amazed at the call that went something like.

"hello"

"Hello"

"you are a relief milker"

"Yes"

"Can you start this afternoon?"

However, I think you will build your experience, and learning is always from mistakes. These farmers who use relief milkers are always making mistakes, sometimes it is unlucky (I do think you make your own luck). Then after a while you will find a place, or get a worthwhile job.

I do recommend that you get some education in dairying on herd management, animal behaviour, welfare and disease, foot care, feeding, fertility, grassland management and record keeping.

My seminal experince of working in dairy in 1974 was the row I had with a herdsman. He thought milk was only kept in the udder, for taking out at 5am or when ever, and had to be taken out totally even if it took 20 minutes. Oxytocin and milk letdown was a step off the planet, for him. The farmer kept me out of the parlour after that. I remember meeting the farmer later and asked him about it, and he explained that I was only temp. the herdsman was for ever.

Dan,

         if you can face the thought of doing a degree or other course before going into farming full time, do it.   The world changes rapidly these days, and the broader your education the more employable you are (within reason).  It certainly won't hinder your chances of employment, though it often does for those who go through the mill of first degree then masters degree, then maybe a research post, and so on without any real work experience.  Employers often look at such people as perpetual students, and there is some truth in that, even if it is unfair to many individuals.

Dan .you enjoyed the experience of New Zealand farming and are keen to take up farming a career why not look at moving to NZ to fulfil your ambition of farming? It has several advantages, it is a rural based economy, a cooperative structure that derives the best price for the producer, has a share milking structure in place that helps the younger generation get on the farming ladder which can lead to farm ownership. Outside the farming side there is a better climate, lower population etc etc.   

danbradbury:

Any advice on where to start would be greatly appreciated, thanks for taking to time to read this.

If you want the best chances to actually farm, consider using your NZ contacts for more experience and settle there.

Not knocking a technical or academic farming education, but you're better off starting at the bottom, and more so in a country where you actually stand a chance of ending up with your own set-up, if thats what you want.

Sounds like good advice.Sad,really,but thats the way it is.

Dan. I cannot help on the work related front but I can say that your written work has impressed me.

You can express yourself precisely and concisely using correct grammar, capitalisation and punctuation. On that basis alone I would head towards the commercial end of agricultural or horticultural management if I were you. You might even lean toward journalism in one of its forms.

That said however, whilst young and, presumably, with no comittments; you could for a while, aim to garner as much practical hands on experience as possible before heading off into the commercial jungle.

All the very best.  

 

 

First off thank you all for replying. I appreciate any help I can get.

I have considered starting farming in Nz but I think I would have difficulty getting a visa unless I went to university and got a degree/masters. Which doesn't really appeal to me right now. I would rather get the hands on experience and learn that way. I just wanted to know if it is still possible to get a job at the bottom of the ladder and work your way through the ranks.

 When I was on the farm in Nz I started off as a backpacker, basically just temporary labour for milking and a bit of stock work. I was given all the crap jobs and I struggled through them, gaining the trust of the farmer. I was slowly given more and more responsibility and by the time I left was running the 70 bail rotary 3 days a fortnight, administering drugs to the cows, calving cows, treating milk fever/grass staggers and some tractor work (fert spreading and a bit of spraying).

I would really like to gain some more hands on experience in the UK for a couple of years, I understand that farming over here will be different to New Zealand but I am interested to see the different ways of farming life. I think it would be nice to get a job on a family run farm where they are willing to help further my training. Are there still jobs available where you can get on the job training or do employers prefer for you to learn it in a class room first? Also you mentioned relief milking, could you recommend any agencies?

 Thanks for your help/advice,

Dan

dan i have sent you a PM first time i've tried it so hope it worked

 

lazy

dan, i think they are crying out for dairy managers out there in nz. get yourself a sponsor, and get over there. your old employer will surely do it.

dont waste your time in over regulated britain.

brilliant relpy glasshouse  we produced northwards of 13 billion litres in the uk and some of that milk is even produced profitably

regulations are an issue the world over the only problem in the uk is the bloody subsidy system stiffling innovation and giving the majority excuses for failure and the ability to moan and sound ungrateful

lazy

Glass house - I would really like to go back out to New Zealand but unfortunately it will not be possible for me a couple of years, which is why I am hoping to gain a bit of experience whilst I am in the UK. I figure that some experience in the UK is better than no experience at all for a couple of years.

 Thanks for the PM Lazy, I will reply shortly.

Dan,

Good luck in your quest.

Do get a good business education. You can combine this with vacation work and get lots of usefull experience and money or combine the education with a full time job, up to you these days!

Farming is very technical so dont neglect husbandry education, though again desen't have to be all at once and before you start a full time job.

Working and studying in the UK's fine but becoming a farmer is another matter. Farm managers jobs no problem or food producer doing the farming and marketing is still possible.

Could always head out East (anywhere E of Germany), it's still all to do and opportunities will abound for a long time.

Bon Courage,

JC.

 

 

Thank you for all the replies to this thread, it is far more than I expected. I do have a couple of other question which I would be very grateful if somone could answer them.

 Could people please recommend a few websites where I should be checking for job listings? I have found the job section on FWI.co.uk but I canät find much else. Or on the off chance you know somone who is looking for another enthusiastic team member?

Also when I was in New Zealand I heard of a scheme/training program called Agriculture ITO, is there a similar system to this in the UK. It is completed whilst you have a full time job on the farm, and you were sent papers to complete through the post and had a time limit to complete them and return them. http://www.agricultureito.ac.nz that is there website for anybody keen to know more.

 Thanks,

Dan

Hi again, I have applied for a few jobs now and I have recieved very positive replies however most seem to want AI and foot trimming expereince/certificates. Is there any where to do a college course on this or is it something that you have to learn as part of a longer course? I really don't want to have to spend a few years studying I would rather get the hands on expereince. I kind of feel like im heading down a dead end at the moment. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Dan

I thought I would keep this thread up to date for those of you still interested. On monday I am going to go an visit a farm to see if myself and the employer get along and to see if I like the farm :-) I can't wait! Will be great to get back on a farm and working again.

 Keep your fingers crossed for me please!

Dan

Good luck on Monday. Never Say Die was the name of a racehorse that once won the Derby. He was not the fastest horse in the world, but he lived up to his name. Do not give up, even if you have many knock backs. Your posts reflect that you are intelligent, so you will eventually succeed. Nothing to stop you studying whilst you are working. I took quite a lot of agricultural short courses over many years, and even obtained a degree by part-time study when I was in my 40s. You might be well advised to check out the Smallholder magazine and web site (I hope it is permitted to name another mag) because it is geared towards people starting off, admittedly on their own land, but the principles hold good.

Well I am still looking for work. I am still waiting to hear back from a couple of jobs I have applied for through this site. The problem I seem to be having is there are a lot of applicants for each job and there is always someone with more experience than myself. How am I supposed to get more experience if no one will take me on?! I am planning on attending Bakewell cattle market on Monday and see if they mind me putting a couple of posters up looking for work. Can anyone else suggest places I could try? I feel like I am trying to fight a hopeless cause at the minute, there seems to be a lot of people out there with experience. Its really hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel at the minute. Thanks for any help from a slightly depressed, Dan

Dan don't do depression.

Advice is difficult to give and difficult to receive. As is often pointed out to me, you are here to give advice (which is my job) and I make the decisions (is the person provided with advice).

Reading through the thread here, what I have gleaned is you want to farm, and to get there you want to work in UK. You have been applying for jobs with out much luck.

What are the jobs you have applied for? are they matched to your cv?

Who have you spoken to? What questions have you asked? And what have you learnt in this activity?

Have you spoken with your local college, and indeed some out of the area?

Have you joined a YFC club?

Have you joined a local stockman/farmer discussion group?

Have you spoken with your local nfu/cla people?

Have you spoken with Dairyco (at Stoneleigh)?

Have you tried relief work agencies to undertake relief milking?

I think you want to do dairy and milk cows and need to get more skills:

Have you applied for charitable help to get on these training programmes and get the certificates? There is help available through many charities such as your local Agricultural society. There is help also from government training programmes.

The real trouble is to provide targeted information much of what is available varies from area to area. I live and work in Suffolk, but I am aware of what happens in Devon where there is much more help and money for the type of thing you need.

The problem I have in putting forward ideas is the limited information that  I have to work with. What you have been up to in the last couple of months?

I checked your information on the FWi site, you have very limited information. You can check me out if you like. However I must provide a stonking great caveat that I seem to have upset some of our friends on the site with my views about agriculture, and they will tell you to steer well clear of Motley.

Fear not if you persevere you will get what you want, you may have to be flexible in what you do though.

Dan don't do depression.

Advice is difficult to give and difficult to receive. As is often pointed out to me, you are here to give advice (which is my job) and I make the decisions (is the person provided with advice).

Reading through the thread here, what I have gleaned is you want to farm, and to get there you want to work in UK. You have been applying for jobs with out much luck.

What are the jobs you have applied for? are they matched to your cv?

I have applied for herds person/assistant herds person positions throughout the country, and I have had a couple of interviews. I found out yesterday I didn't get one of the jobs but I asked the farmer for feedback about my interview and he said they were very impressed with me and I was seriously considered for the position. Unfortunately for me they decided to give the job to a family friend that had more experience than myself.

Who have you spoken to? What questions have you asked? And what have you learnt in this activity?

I haven't spoken to that many people as I am not sure where to ask. I attended Bakewell cattle market just after Christmas and I asked around and passed my details to number of people all whom said they knew somone who was looking for a worker so they were going to pass my details on.

Have you spoken with your local college, and indeed some out of the area?

I wouldn't know where my local agricultural college is as I don't really come from a farming area. Could you advise me as to where I could find this information?

Have you joined a YFC club?

No I haven't joined a YFC club.

Have you joined a local stockman/farmer discussion group?

I wouldn't know where to find out about local stockman/farmer discussion group, but I would be very interested in joining if someone could advise me as to where I can find out about it?

Have you spoken with your local nfu/cla people?

Yeah I went into the local nfu office, they recommended a few websites and said I might find something by asking around the farmers market.

Have you spoken with Dairyco (at Stoneleigh)?

No I haven't spoken to Dairyco, that is the first time I have heard of them. I will get onto that today

Have you tried relief work agencies to undertake relief milking?

No I haven't tried any relief work.

I think you want to do dairy and milk cows and need to get more skills:

That is correct. The main thing I find seems to be holding me back is a lack of experience. I have 12 months experience working on a 1400 cow dairy farm in New Zealand. For every job I apply to there is always someone with more experience but I don't know how I can get more experience if no one is willing to give me a chance?

Have you applied for charitable help to get on these training programmes and get the certificates? There is help available through many charities such as your local Agricultural society. There is help also from government training programmes.

No I haven't applied for charitable help to get on training programmes as I didn't realise you could. I will look into this further now and see if I can get on some courses.

The real trouble is to provide targeted information much of what is available varies from area to area. I live and work in Suffolk, but I am aware of what happens in Devon where there is much more help and money for the type of thing you need.

The problem I have in putting forward ideas is the limited information that  I have to work with. What you have been up to in the last couple of months?

I checked your information on the FWi site, you have very limited information. You can check me out if you like. However I must provide a stonking great caveat that I seem to have upset some of our friends on the site with my views about agriculture, and they will tell you to steer well clear of Motley.

Fear not if you persevere you will get what you want, you may have to be flexible in what you do though.

I am currently living in Dronfield which is between Sheffield and Chesterfield but I am more than happy to relocate for the right job. I will start to update my information on Fwi. In the last couple of months I have been looking and applying for jobs and passing my time by trying to make a little pocket money with a few little projects. I am happy to receive any advice that I can get! I know that not coming from a farming back ground may hold me back slightly and I may be less informed than most about what is available to me. Thanks for all your help, Dan

danbradbury:

living in Dronfield

Loverley part of the world. I envy you.

Derby College Broomfield Hall Campus, Morley, Ilkeston, Derbyshire DE7 6DN.
Tel: 01332 836600

I will come back to yu with more contacts when i have a bit more time. I might have to wind up Kansas and Old Mac soon!

 

Bon chance.

dan, why dont you head back to nz to milk cows?

glasshouse:

dan, why dont you head back to nz to milk cows?

Because I have a partner over here and she is tied over here for another 2 years. 2-3 years down the line I would love to head back out to Nz to milk cows, but for the next couple of years I might as well use it to gain some experience in the UK