Agriculture: Life on the land’s rewards

A career in agriculture can have more than its fair share of tough times but the rewards are plentitful.

One of the biggest challenges facing the agriculture industry is a lack of young talent. With the average farmer’s age tipping 55 and shrinking numbers in agriculture-related university degrees and courses, the pressure is on to drum up new interest.

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“There are fewer young people coming back to work on the land. Anything I go to that is industry related, I am always the youngest there,” says Wagga Wagga farmer Lachlan Harris.

Tocal Agricultural centre director Cameron Archer says there is a risk the agriculture workforce will become less edu-

cated and therefore less productive. He says fewer people are now needed but they need to be better trained and technology savvy.

“Agriculture is becoming more sophisticated with technology and seeking highly skilled people. I suspect professionals in agronomy and plant production would be the most sought at present,” he says.

Dr Archer links the agriculture skills shortage to the increased demand for mining labour.

“In general the miners can pay a lot more money and it is largely independent of weather, unlike farming,” he says.

“A farm worker might earn $40,000-$50,000 but they would probably earn $100,000 in a mine.”

There are various programs in place including the Primary Industry Education Foundation, which raises awareness of a career in agriculture in schools, and the Woolworths Agriculture Business Scholarship Program, which is run in partnership with the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW and the University of Western Sydney.

“The Woolworths scholarship has two aims; to promote sustainability in agriculture and creating a new level of interest in the agriculture sector,” says Woolworths fresh foods general manager Pat McEntee.

It’s a two-week course for 30 applicants aged between 20-30 focusing on learning about the entire “paddock to plate” food process.

“We’re telling young people, you have the opportunity to be big in this industry if you’re hungry for it,” McEntee says.

Career path

After completing an agriculture degree at Marcus Oldham College in Geelong and stints working on farms near Hay and in New Zealand, Lachlan Harris (pictured) is back working on the family farm.

“Dad had run it up until I came home a few years ago. Now in addition to me we have two full-time employees,” Harris says. “We run three properties, one of them is cattle and the other two are mixed farming.”

Harris says he never considered alternative careers; for him the benefits of working the land provide continual challenge and reward.

“There’s a lot of variability in farming, in the markets and in the weather, there is big risk involved,” he says. “But when you have a good season like the last 12 months it makes the job very enjoyable.”

Of his fellow university students, Harris says many chose a career in agribusiness. “Jobs like banking and grain trading are more attractive both financially and in the hours they work,” he says, adding that pay for farm managers varies widely. “The good people do well with the corporate farming, they end up earning quite good money.”

Agriculture
Career prospects: Farm hand, farmer, agronomist, grain trader, sales manager, mechanic, researcher, business development manager, vet
Salary: entry-point $40K-$50K; average $50K-$70K; top-end $110K and beyond
Jobs advertised this month onCareerOne: 24