Opinion: It’s wrong to ignore hands-on farming as a career

Since I left my office job to go into farming, I have been told more than once it’s a “shame” I gave up my career.

Some people seem to think agriculture is not a proper career choice, or doesn’t have the same potential or prestige as a job which involves sitting at a desk (although I still do plenty of that).

Every year my old school invites successful alumni back to the careers fair to give presentations on their occupation.

See also: Opinion: Farming shouldn’t be about machismo and muscles

Lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects and engineers all profess the merits of their chosen field of expertise – high salaries, opportunities for professional development, varied and stimulating work.

For some reason I have never been invited. Why not? Farm careers can fill all those criteria.

Supporting industries

The Ag Careers Live event has just taken place, and I was surprised in the Grow 2016 brochure that came with Farmers Weekly there was not a single profile from a successful farmer.

It was largely geared towards the supporting industries: precision farming, grain buying, genetics, sales.

Liz Haines and her husband Nick milk 320 spring-calving cows.

Of course there is a place for all this, but these enterprises need the next generation of farmers to support.

Surely we should be proud to promote hands-on farming as a fantastic career path for the brightest young people.

More to the point, farms need young people with business acumen as well as practical skills if they are to continue to thrive.

We shouldn’t automatically assume intelligent young people are better off going into the allied industries instead of farming itself to fulfil their potential.

Apprenticeship

In the past we have considered taking on an apprentice, thinking this could be a good way to fill our labour gap while offering an opportunity to a local young person.

However, apprenticeships involve a very small amount of time in college, placing a lot of responsibility on to the individual for their own learning.

Students as young as sixteen are required to make a significant step up from school into what can be a potentially dangerous workplace with limited previous skills and experience, and without the right support this can be a risky proposition.

Sadly, we felt we weren’t equipped to manage this in our current situation.

Equally, a student who has completed a four-year degree in agriculture may still have limited practical workplace skills when they leave university.

Standout help

We have had two standout people help us during our time at Hardwick Farm, in very different circumstances.

One of the best people we have ever encountered was a young female vet student who came to us for three weeks during the spring. She was a godsend.

Despite having very limited experience, and only completing the placement out of necessity for her course, she threw herself into everything with gusto, and within a fortnight was milking independently, feeding calves, driving the quad bike and everything in between.

We would gladly have given her a permanent job.

Hard work

Another outstanding individual was a young man in foster care with our family, who came to stay with us during school holidays.

He was one of the most hard working and driven young people I have ever met, and had a natural ability with machinery and animals.

An apprenticeship would be an obvious step in the right direction for him, I just hope that whatever course he undertakes will equip him with the necessary skills to thrive in a real farming business.

For me, this proves that attitude is by far the most important attribute to look for when recruiting.

You can teach someone almost anything if they are willing to learn, and for those who have the right attitude, a bright career in agriculture beckons.