Some dairy farm workers cry exploitation over working long hours for minimal wages but they are on the way to earning $100,000 a year within five years, says a farming leader.
Otago Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Stephen Korteweg said some workers, still in their early 20s, were already earning six-figure sums.
"Possibly, those early years sort out the people the industry needs," Mr Korteweg said.
"But the rewards are there. Once the worker makes it through to 50/50 sharemilking, they're pulling in the equivalent of $150,000 to $200,000 a year.
"Many of these sharemilkers will still be in their 20s or early 30s.
"I have a lower-order sharemilker. He's in his early 20s and I know what he's making.
"The dairy industry offers opportunities found in few other professions. There's nothing in any other agricultural section that can compare."
Mr Korteweg said success required hard work and long hours.
Sharemilkers had to risk burnout to make it through to farm ownership. But the rewards were great - the average dairy farm had 350 to 400 cows and would be a multimillion-dollar operation.
Some career sharemilkers owned large dairy herds and had the staff to reduce workload and stress. They had a good lifestyle and usually other investments.
There were several examples of sheep and beef farmers using sharemilking as a stepping stone to their properties.
Mr Korteweg said the shortage of good dairy workers meant there was no need for any workers to stay in a position where they felt an employer was exploiting them.
"We know the good and bad employers. Anyone looking for employment is unlikely to be penalised for leaving an unsatisfactory position," he said.
There was solid support in the industry for further education and training through polytechnics or the agricultural industry's training organisation.
"To me, the ideal is someone coming into the industry, spending two or three years learning the ropes and getting academic training," he said.
"I'm certainly giving these schemes full support as I believe we need highly skilled people in the industry.
"For someone who's done the hard yards well at the beginning, the sky's the limit."
- NZPA
'Big rewards in sight' for dairy farm staff
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