A mob of ewes are brought into the yards so a group of 20 high school students can get a first-hand experience of farming. Photo / Tim Cronshaw
A mob of ewes are brought into the yards so a group of 20 high school students can get a first-hand experience of farming. Photo / Tim Cronshaw
Agonising over the biggest call of their young lives has just got easier for high schoolers visiting a large Canterbury farm on Banks Peninsula.
About 20 high-school pupils spent four days on an all-expenses paid educational camp taking them through the “gate to plate” supply chain.
The final day made an impression on many of them when they visited Willesden Farms - a more than 6000ha sheep and beef operation going from sea level to steep hill country that also has two dairy farms.
They were treated to a dog demonstration, ear tagging, drenching and shearing displays and a tractor talk, before taking part in a gumboot-throwing competition.
During the Rabobank Client Council-funded FoodX programme, hosted by Lincoln University, some of the pupils admitted they were reconsidering their career aspirations.
Christchurch Girls’ High School year-12 pupil Lily Saunders said she was keen to pursue environmental science, but was now thinking about adding a bachelor of agriculture to a double degree.
“I don’t think farmy-farming is for me, but I would like to be somewhere around it,” she said.
“I’m from the city so don’t know much about farming and it’s been quite cool seeing all the things that actually do happen in the sector. Before I thought it was just some dirt and soil and some cute little cows, but there is a lot more to it like cultivation and crop rotation and it’s been really good learning about that sort of stuff.”
She said it was not easy working out her next step and camps like this helped them make up their mind.
The Christchurch Youth Council member is part of the School Strike for Climate movement and, after visiting farms and seeing their care for soils, she could see the agriculture sector was getting a bit of a bad rap.
Year-13 pupil Nora Paicu, from Dunedin’s Columba College, said she was keen to do a degree in agribusiness and possibly a double degree in law.
“I think the courses at Lincoln University are very cool and agribusiness and agriculture is what I’m interested in.”
Dunedin year 13 pupil Nora Paicu, from Columba College (left) and Christchurch Girls’ High School year 12 pupil Lily Saunders see themselves in an agriculture career in some shape or form. Photo / Tim Cronshaw
Also a city girl, she takes agriculture and agribusiness courses at a boys’ school, as few girls are interested in the subjects.
She enjoyed learning about shearing and drenching at Willesden, while Lily took a shine to the dogs working with the sheep.
Both of them appreciated hearing about the farming story of Katy Iremonger, wife of operations manager Matt Iremonger, who was in London on a Nuffield Scholarship.
Katie Iremonger told the pupils there was a huge selection of jobs in farming and could not recommend it more highly.
“We are really passionate about agriculture and getting people into the industry and it’s a fantastic industry to be involved in.
“We want to show kids there is a great pathway and career in agriculture for city and country kids. We employ a lot of junior shepherds that aren’t brought up on farms.”
A group of 20 high school students got a taste of farming at Willesden Farms on Banks Peninsula during a Rabobank FoodX Programme. Photo / Tim Cronshaw
Each year they liked to hire a school leaver, she said.
“We appreciate it can be quite hard and daunting for young people to get into the industry and we want to dispel some of the myths and show them there is a place to start at the beginning.”
They started off themselves as young shepherds and progressed from leasing a farm to their managing position.
There were ample opportunities outside of moving sheep as bankers, vets, agronomists and other roles, she said.
Willesden, owned by Brent and Belinda Thomas, has about 3600 breeding, trading and raising two-year-old cattle, 16,500 breeding and trading lambs with 3300 mated hoggets and 1600 dairy cows and 800 dairy heifers.
Listen to Jamie Mackay interview Lincoln University recruiter Lucy Grubb, about Rabobank’s FoodX programme:
A large team to run them and the pasture and crop programme included 10 sheep and beef staff and eight dairy staff on top of casual staff.
The farm is on 3500ha of steep and improved hill country rising to 800m above sea level, 500ha on cultivated hills and 2000ha on flats including 850ha of irrigated country.
The pupils also went to cropping, dairy and sheep and beef farms, as well as Fonterra, NZ Merino, Oakley’s Premium Fresh Vegetables and New World sites.
Rabobank country banking manager Bruce Weir said attracting more talented young people was one of the ways to address the challenge facing the agri-sector of long-term industry capacity.
“The FoodX programme does a fantastic job of highlighting the employment opportunities available across the agri-supply chain, and it was great to get the programme up and running again this year after an extended break due to Covid-19.”
