Farmer: The salt of the earth; rich whinger; straw-chewing simpleton; or oik in the bush who only wants to joyride in a very thirsty V8, drink excessive quantities of Bundy’n’Coke, shoot guns at one another and abuse women?
I’m sure one or more of us fits into any one (or more) of those categories. Some of us won’t fit any of them. We’re just people after all.
There’s also a lot of talk about how we can attract young people into agriculture. ABC journalist, Warwick Long, asked Twitter how it can be made sexy enough and Graeme Nicoll (@Hoddlecows) responded with this:
“If you’re looking 4 a sexy job buy fish net stockings,if u want a job at the cutting edge of technology &the enviro get into ag”
I think Graeme’s hit the nail on the head. You just have to love the outdoors. It’s not glamorous but it is great.
The Milk Maid Marian 
Now that is a great reply from Graeme!
I just happened to be in the car on Friday during the country hour where this was discussed and it started to get me thinking…
So if you wanted to say attract someone like me to work in #ag then what is on offer??
There was discussion around 4000 jobs available out there and I it would be great for young people to have a nice and easy way to find out what is actually available.
What it would take to get a job and the career prospective?
What is the path to own a farm and make it profitable?
Do you need a degree in something from somewhere to be able to succeed?
I know that I have been watching this get young people in to #ag for the last couple of months thou no one has given me a story, video or anything else to say…. “This is what you need to do, you can do and what you will get out of it”
Sell it to me!! (me being the young hard working city type)
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Now that’s a job for a couple of people I know. Please stay tuned!
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Mr Russell… YOU are the farming type of today… Young and hard working! City type is doable, I know many city people who have moved to the country to get into #ag… check out Long Lane Capers for example or the Farmers Larder. Being on the farm for me means innovative thinking, marketing strategies, following and keeping up with food trends, working with people in the food industry such as chefs and food writers and raising the animals to best suit the environment they live in. Like many, we started off leasing land and grew our business from the ground up, only doing what was in our budget at the time. It’s amazing to think how far we have come in 12 months, from leasing a small amount of land with a few pigs to having 20 breeders and owning two properties with plans of growing and diversifying. Never a dull moment, great lifestyle, diverse, super rewarding, and comfortably profitable. Get into it and grow some food!
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Very wise words!
You have a great story!
I’m in the process of working on a project with another ‘great person’ that will see me put my feet into the world of agriculture in an interesting innovative way. At least innovative for Australia!
Thou you are right that it really is up to us to make it happen and can’t just rely on someone else to create it for us. With saying that there still needs to be the people who are happy to work for someone doing the hard yards and they are the ones that need to be enticed to come into the life!
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You have to admit, there’s some truth in the stereotype about young bogan blokes. Maybe less so in Gippsland than the dry rangeland grazing areas, but the number of tailgating effwits (no longer driving V8 utes, more like a Hilux these days) driving too fast on local roads is pretty alarming.
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Sadly, I don’t think we have many young farmers here. Ironically, I generally see them only when I go to the city!
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