Opinion: Tararua Federated Farmers: What’s great about farming?

Tararua Federated Farmers executive members.

OPINION

What is it that makes farming attractive as a career?

A fun part of my role in Tararua Federated Farmers is the promotion of farming as a career option.

Promoting prizes for colleges, providing leadership training, having robust contracts, conversations, and allowing farmers to focus on what they are doing on the farm are all ways we as a local organisation try to support and build the local ag community’s attractiveness as a career pathway.

Preparing this week for the Dannevirke High School Careers Day with three executive members in their 20s gives fresh enthusiasm to promoting a career in farming.

There are certainly opportunities for those who can take an enthusiastic long-term view.

The pathways to ownership of land, or animals, are many and varied with leasing, share farming, and equity partnerships as a few of the current possibilities. Both DairyNZ plus Beef and Lamb have good information available on their websites and Young Farmers is a great way to share the journey with others.

As a recruiter, Jeremy Clarkson does well when he states, “You’ve got to be a midwife, a vet, an agronomist, a fortune teller, a gambler, an entrepreneur, a mechanic. You have to be so many things to be a farmer.”

Technology developments, animal antics, biodiversity, infrastructure design and implementation are all attractive to those who enjoy finding solutions and overcoming problems.

Farming has always provided plenty of professional and personal challenges. Weather, commodity prices, input costs, government requirements, the list goes on.

With longer days will come the desire for many to work longer hours. Maybe we need to stop and think, is this making our industry attractive to others if all they see is work, work, work.

Connect, Take Notice, Give, Keep Learning, Be Active. Copied from Live well farm well, Farm Strong. Take some time for a potluck barbecue with neighbours.

Congrats to Matt Gibbs whose “Working Class Man” entry was the winner of the speaker.

Now for this week’s challenge. If you had an opportunity to introduce someone to a career in agriculture – what would your one key message be? Entries to tararua@fedfarm.org.nz.

• Sally Dryland is the co-president of Tararua Federated Farmers.