Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
We're going behind the scenes to see and understand modern agriculture, because no matter whether you're in it or not, you probably don't know all the pieces to just how incredible, diverse and multi-layered agriculture is. We do this by uncovering the real stories, experiences and voices of modern agriculture.
Speaker 1 0:02
Welcome back to the humans of agriculture podcast. Last week I had the chance I was on it on a dairy farm. I had a crack at putting on some cups. And when I met this fella, chatted to him a little bit on Instagram beforehand. We'd been in the same pub a couple of years earlier. And Harry Lloyd, I guess, the thing that about you that really struck me when we had dinner and then spending the day with you out of the property, was the outlook you've got around farming. And there was one piece that you said where you'd rather be proved wrong in 80 years time, then kind of wonder like, what if we could have done farming better? And I think what's cool about this conversation is there's these little linkages that have gone back a couple of years, but we probably didn't quite realise that humans of agriculture podcast actually has had a little bit of an impact in your life. Made some decisions, which I guess have opened up opportunities and whatnot. And I think for me, that was incredible to hear, and I went back and read all those messages from a few years ago. I guess just to start off, mate, I want to say welcome, but also want to say thank you so welcome and thank you to the humans of agriculture podcast.
Speaker 2 1:04
Thanks, Oli, good to be here. Yeah, it's pretty crazy how I know, in a way, probably this whole conversation started through your podcast about you even knowing it at the front of a barber shop Indigo. So
Speaker 1 1:16
I think for our listeners, yeah, I would tell us, how did you come across humans of agriculture, and maybe what was the initial thoughts of it for you.
Speaker 2 1:24
I can't remember exactly when it was. I don't know it was just after you started doing your podcast. I think so. I don't know. I've been listening for bloody a while now, and I was just sitting at the front of the barbershop. I think I just finished uni, and I originally wanted, as soon as I finished uni, I've been saying for years that I wanted to go over to America and work on the ranches over there and try and be a cowboy or something. And I was sitting there, and because of covid, I wasn't able to do that, and I didn't I was a little bit lost. And my one of my best mates, Sean, his boss, was also at the barber shop, and I got chatting to him and said that, oh, this is what I want to do, but doesn't look like I can do this. And I'm a little bit lost at the moment and don't really know what to do. And I kind of told him how I wanted to go to America, and he said, Oh, like, I know. I go on. He just started making a podcast, and he just interviewed a fella, and you want to do that guy's done, and I thought, I'll give it a listen. So how to listen to it and come away from that podcast. And the one thing I took away from that particular episode was, you know, just say yes to things and hope for the best. And, you know, and often worked out, and you'll be given opportunities that you never thought possible. From that I kind of just was like, right I've always kind of been someone who's been out of their comfort zone a little bit, but I just figured, righty, oh well, you know, I can't do what I planned on doing. Plan A's not going to happen anytime soon, so I'll just start saying yes to opportunities and see where it leads me. I guess
Speaker 1 2:57
the bloke's name was Mitch height, and I think the title of the episode was just say yes or something like that. Oh
Unknown Speaker 3:03
yeah. I reckon it probably was actually, yeah. What
Speaker 1 3:05
was it about Mitch that you took away from it? What was it about, like, Could you see yourself a little bit in him, his
Speaker 2 3:11
kind of story of, you know, how he went away to America, and I think he straight away, he finished school, if I remember it correctly, and he went over there and was all through saying yes, he was given all these awesome opportunities that he didn't think was going to happen. And I guess I kind of saw a little bit of a, you know, an opportunity for me, because there was, I didn't know what I was going to do, because what I had kind of planned at that point in my life, what I had planned, everything had changed. Kept on changing. It was kind of amazing. Now I'd get one idea. This is what I want to do for my career, and it will change. So in a way, I guess, taking that off that advice and just saying yes, opportunities that are trying to just land on your lap. You know, you might think it's dumb luck, and that's why you get somewhere, but more often than not, you'll find that it's those previous interactions with people that you never think would cross paths you know, that can kind of set you up in the future. I guess absolutely
Speaker 1 4:09
love that. Tell me a little bit about who Harry is. How did you fall in? Obviously, now you're working in the dairy industry. It's how we've got the chance to sit down today. It's part of a partnership that we've got with dairy Australia's around workforce, and as part of it, we get to just understand a little bit of your story. You're from Kai Abraham in northern Victoria. You call it the safest place on the planet. Can you tell me a little bit why that is?
Speaker 2 4:32
Yeah. So I guess I grew up on a on a dairy farm. We milked, I think it was about 280 cows. Growing up on a family dairy farm in Kai. And I guess I've always, you know, loved Kai. You know, the thing I always say about Kai is that safe place in the world because it doesn't flood. There's no bushfires, there's no hurricanes, no volcanoes. You know, you don't need to worry about the world falling around around you. You know, the only thing. You know, you can kind of get us as drought, but, you know, we've got irrigation, so as long as we can use that water, we're, we're all soared, and it's, you know, great little town. When I was growing up, we were also heavily involved my family in, like the local show society, and to this day, I still am. So, you know, it was great going. I think I've been to every carbon rodeo since I've been born, I think I've only ever missed maybe two carbon ag shows. So definitely across it, and it's a part of who I am, I guess at this point, I don't want to miss it, and I just love the idea of that sort of stuff, because it brings the community together. And it's kind of amazing, because there's not that many people on the community anymore. There's probably maybe 10 or so members. It kind of goes ups and down, 10 full time people. And the fact that a community of, you know, that kind of small can just put on massive events for the town that bring people all the way from, you know, America or far north Queensland, you know, down for the weekend. I just love it, and I love that it brings money to the community, and kind of just connects the whole community to weekend, where everyone gets together, I guess. And
Speaker 1 6:07
if you had to describe Clyburn as a community, like, to people who have never been through like, how would you describe it? What makes it so special?
Speaker 2 6:15
I think it's great because there's a lot of opportunity, because we're only, what, two hours away from Melbourne, half an hour bird to say, Shepparton or Chuga, and then an hour to Bendigo. So because of that kind of, I guess, being pretty central to a lot of your bigger towns, it means there's a lot of opportunity for, you know, businesses and and agriculture as well, because it doesn't take that long to get to, you know, your consumer, which is a great asset, especially for you know, those people that you know, selling direct to consumer. I think that's a brutally big advantage with our area, is we're not far to travel. And, you know, we've let anything people don't mind travelling to come out to the farms and see where their food comes from. And I think that's really important, because people care now more than ever. I think about knowing exactly where their food comes from, and knowing that it's coming from a place where animal welfare standards and, you know, done the right way. I guess you can say and they can say for themselves. And I think the advantages of that, I guess you could say it's like social licence, I guess, is maybe the word I'm looking for there. It kind of helps with that. And, you know, allows us to just promote how awesome the industry is, I guess. And
Speaker 1 7:29
it also means that if you find love, they also are going to have career opportunities as well. Yeah.
Speaker 2 7:34
Well, that's it. That's the great thing about dairy, and not just Kai as well. Dairy, you know, dairy farms are often need to be near a kind of larger town. And so that thing of being out west or something like that, where maybe that spouse might feel a bit more isolated. I guess the great thing about being in dairy communities are that, you know, they've got to kind of be near a somewhat of a major town, because there's got to be a factory for that milk to go. It does. I think you know that life balance for the family is, you know, really important, and it makes it a lot easier when you're central to bigger towns as well. You're not really remote. I would say, yeah,
Speaker 1 8:09
absolutely. Your family, your brother and sister, have been really involved in the dairy industry as well, like you guys as kids, were actively part of obviously, as you say that your local show. Look, it was more broad than that, too, wasn't it? Yeah.
Speaker 2 8:23
So what growing up there's, well, there's four of us, so I'm the eldest, and then I've got a brother named Charlie, and a brother and sister, and Sarah and Tom, and they're twins. They're the youngest ones. And at some level, we're always very involved in the farm. And I think that's the great thing about dairy, is because it's not just about milking cows, like there's so much opportunity to even travel. So like my brother and sister, they do a lot of showing cows, stud cattle. And you know that that would send them to Brisbane, Sydney, all over the place. And I know other people in it who also show cows. And they go to New Zealand, America, you know, they go, they you're able to travel the world. And I think sometimes people think that dairy farm, and you can't get stuck to the farm, but there are opportunities, especially for young people, that you can go off and work in an industry that allows you to go off and upskill and see, see the world, which is, you know, really unique, I think, to dairy and especially showing cattle, you know, you get to work with some of the best stud breeds in, you know, in the world, probably, I would say,
Speaker 1 9:28
and for you, like you mentioned before, you had these dreams and aspirations of going over to America. What like, what did you do when you first left school?
Speaker 2 9:35
It's been a very wild ride, I would say, since I finished school, I originally, I went to uni to study sports management, and it was probably it was about two weeks before I left for uni. My dad unfortunately passed away at Dairy week. He bit of bad luck, and I guess you could say and had a heart attack at Dairy week and died there on the spot, really, and that kind of. Shook up the world for me. It's really strange, I guess, because there's this, I don't really remember too much. I like I was 18, but it's weird because I don't really remember that much before dad died. I don't know. I guess maybe they say the trauma of it all kind of muddles that all up, and it's, it's really hard to explain, but that kind of changed the world for us, I guess. And I went, I went to uni, and when I was a later teenager, you know, the 1817, 1816, kind of age, I kind of didn't really I like, I was involved in the farm. I was milking cows all the time, but probably didn't see it as a career, because I just it, just, I like the idea of sport management, for some reason, you know, it stuck to me. And I got to my first semester of uni, and I kind of was more interested in what my mate was doing in his a business agribusiness course than what I was doing in my sports course. And I kind of guess saw the writing the wall like I missed the farm. And I knew, Oh, wait, you know, maybe those early mornings and running around with the key I was actually really did like that. It wasn't till it was gone that I realised it was just who I was, and I probably took it for granted. I realised a long time, and so I finished the first semester and said, Right, I'm changing agribusiness. I am. I kind of see a career in agriculture is probably going to be greater and have more opportunities than than what I was looking at going down that sports management course. So I changed there. And at that same time, I also started looking into, I guess some people might call regenerative agriculture, and that kind of really got me excited, because that that kind of helped me find my niche that I'm really interested and passionate about is, I guess, because there was this way of farming that I hadn't really ever seen much about, and I guess maybe it was the age I am, but school, recycling and all that sort of stuff was always a big thing, I guess, for us, and that idea of we've only got one planet, and you want to look after it was a pretty big thing in my childhood. And so with that kind of being something, I was always kind of conscious about the idea of farming in a way that not only is sustainable, but also benefits the environment and improves it for those future generations. I love that idea, and that kind of made me even double down on this, you know, idea of being involved in agriculture going forward. And so from that, I kind of did a few different things. I when I was at uni, I was still coming back every now and then on the weekends, especially during covid, to milk cows. And then I finished uni, and that's when I was like, Oh, I'm going to go to America. This is something I've always wanted to do, because I had family over there, and I'd always wanted to go there, but I quickly realised during covid That wasn't going to happen. So I kind of looked elsewhere. And that's when I, I think I came home and milked cows for a bit, and then the place I was working for, they actually sold. So I was like, Oh, another you know, because I was thinking, Oh, I'm gonna stick around here. This is really great. And then they sold, and I was like, oh, no, I'm gonna change what I'm doing again. So I had always been pretty involved with the land care group around Kai and just talking to people about that sort of stuff. And some of them I know that's pretty heavily involved in that mentioned to me that there was a regenerative agriculture course at the TAFE that they were going to try and do in Bendigo. So I figured, oh, might as well go back to Bendigo. And it was only a six month thing. So I kind of figured, might as well say, yes. You know, this could be a really good opportunity to specialise in something I'm passionate about. So I went there, and I was talking to my lecturer and saying that, you know, I'm pretty keen to get a job on a farm while I'm studying, because it was the hours went ridiculous, and it was kind of part time. So I kind of wanted a job that could set me up for the future. So I wanted to make sure it was on a farm. And I kind of figured, well, he knows someone that kind of is involved in this, you know, farming to better the environment and stuff like that, then that's a shared value, I guess I could find. And I wanted to find a farm where they they share that value. And that's kind of where I landed a at a farm called Willa and merinos. And that kind of changed my world, especially because it was, I was doing something completely new. And I think probably the best way to humble yourself and get out of your comfort zone and better yourself, is to do something you have zero experience in, because then you're the new person. And I guess when it comes to you showing someone and how to do something, it kind of helps if you've been in that position as well. So I went there, and that was great on a sheep and cropping farm, and a lot of great things from them. They were really awesome. And just that whole sheep thing, you know, it was funny at the start. I swear I could want the sheep go through a gate and they would just go the other way. I don't know what I was doing. I just constantly scaring the sheep the wrong way. I was very useless. They did so well for putting up with me. It was great. You know, I learned so much. And in terms of my. Management of the land for where they are. It's really big because it does get quite dry there. They've got to be really kind to their soil, I guess you would say and and really know not to push it too far, because if you push it too far, it's really hard to come back from that. So that was a great learning opportunity through them.
Speaker 1 15:17
I just want to ask you, and it's totally fine if you don't want to talk about it, but so when your old man passed away, obviously it was pretty sudden. What happened to the family farm? Because obviously you had just left school, and all your siblings are younger than you, too.
Speaker 2 15:31
When dad suddenly passed away on us, it was, it was really hard, like, I guess that's pretty obvious, but it was because everything I'd known kind of disappeared. And I guess for me, I was at that age where, you know, you're looking back, you probably weren't the nicest. You had a lot of blues with your old men on the farm because, you know, you're working with them every day. And that's that was the greatest thing. I love that. But it also meant that sometimes you'd have some pretty fiery conversations with that. And I guess for us, we, you know, we knew straight away that we weren't going to sell our farm, and that's not something we were interested in. So we were, we were very fortunate that car haven't been in the community that it is, you know, I remember straight away afterwards, I had people I didn't know what I was going to do, because I was like, I've got to milk all these cows. Now, what's going on? And people rocked up and they were helping us milk and till we kind of got things sorted, because everything was just so sudden, and we just weren't expecting it, I guess. And we're really fortunate that while we did sell all our commercial cows, all their stud or most of their stud cattle, we were allowed to keep because we had people in the community come forward and say, Don't sell these. This is what your dad worked so hard to breed like, we'll have them on our farm. You know, there's no drums there. Don't worry about it. We'll look after him. And that was great because that, you know, my brother, he'd worked really hard on breeding those cattle, and it was great to see that we didn't have to sell them. And then it kind of came to the next thing was, well, what are we going to do with a farm? We don't want to sell it. What are our options? So we're very fortunate. On some people up the road, they they were looking at leasing a block, so they took on our farm. That was a really big weight off our shoulders, I guess you could say, and it kind of meant that we didn't need, we didn't lose our farm. And it kind of was able to, I was very fortunate that was able to kind of sit idle while I kind of figured out what I want to do with my life. I guess also being one of four, there was other siblings involved too, and my brother, he I think he might have been only 15 or 16 when dad passed away, so he was still at school, and he was very big on not selling the farm too, because he wanted to have it one day and and so we're very fortunate that the people around us kind of stepped up and allowed us to kind of keep the farm in the family and, you know, and now it's back in our hands. And Charlie and I are both playing around on the farm, I guess you could say and and trialling different things and new things, and always learning, I guess, and hopefully for generations to come. I
Speaker 1 18:05
think it's just incredible, like how the community kind of wrapped their arms around it. And kind of, in my head, I can picture that just people turning up before daylight, to come in and and help you guys out. It is an incredible part of rural communities. How beneficial, like now, looking back, how beneficial was it to be able to, I guess, have that really special time like after school, and be able to go and actually explore different pathways and learn for yourself with where you kind of sit today,
Speaker 2 18:34
in my view, there's a few different ways you can kind of go about it once you finish school and you're off a farm, you know, some people you know, not saying there's any good way or wrong way or best way. But for me, I was pretty keen to have some time away from it. I realised, because time away from the farm is such a great opportunity to learn new skills and improve because growing up on that farm, you learn a lot of what you know is off. For me, it was off my dad. So there could be a bunch of different ways of doing stuff, but you don't know it until you leave and you go somewhere else. So for me, it was really beneficial that I was able to get away and learn so many different things and talk to so many different people and have a way different like, if I stayed at home, I definitely would be where I am today, because I think I probably would have fell into doing what I've been told to do, and given that opportunity to go off and land from other people that are kind of leaders in their industry, was such a great opportunity for me. And I don't think you can put a value, like a monetary value on that opportunity to go off and land. Because I think I'm still, I don't know the full extent of it, like I'm still very early on, I think, you know, every day, I kind of learn there's another reason why it was so good that I got away. I guess that's what I'm trying to get at. Like, I'm still, I don't exactly know the full benefit of that time of the. In a way, because I'm still, it's still impacting me every day, yeah, and
Speaker 1 20:02
I think that's the power of it, isn't it? It's those different experiences and going, Oh, that's kind of like that, or that, or,
Speaker 2 20:08
yeah, you can kind of cherry pick, I guess, different things. You know, I'm not, I'm not going to take what I learned up in far north Queensland and do it exactly here, but I'm able to cherry pick certain things that I saw, that I did up there, and different management tools. And I say, Well, that would work really great, you know, down here. And, you know, even when I was up there, I was able to think they could do stuff that we do down here, but this would be really beneficial for them if they tried this management up there,
Speaker 1 20:33
the way that you approach farming. You've mentioned regen, AG, a couple of times and whatnot, but you kind of have a view around the way you guys are farming today, or have farming, I guess in the past, like, can you run me through? Like, what? What is that piece that you kind of look towards? I guess that 80 years down the track, and what is it that you want to think about, that you're curious about, that you try and bring back to today? I
Speaker 2 20:57
guess for me, agriculture today is, I kind of look at that there's a lot of people that maybe are focused on a symptom of something, and maybe not the root cause of why they're having that issue, if it's a parasite burden, or there's weeds and stuff like that. And I think a lot of what we do at the moment are just treating those symptoms and not getting to why is this particular weed always showing up at this particular time? Is there something I could possibly do and then I don't need to use this chemical, or I don't need to, you know, use this particular input, which can save you money. Now, I'm not saying that. You know, if you stop spraying, that you won't ever see this weed again. I think there's opportunity for people that, if you change your practices, that there might be a way that it might not be financially viable to go out and and do that you like. You never going to have a completely clean paddock full of the best grass and zero weeds. But for me, I'm interested in ways that I can manage that paddock to get to the point where there's no point spraying, because the amount of weeds out there, it's just not financial viable. And there's no doubt in my mind that humans have an impact. Everything we do has an impact, and you've got to kind of look at that, and we can only hide behind the idea of producing food for so long, because at the end of the day, I want to pass my farm onto my kids, and I want to know that I've done the best I can to hopefully pass it on in a better state that I found it, and improve that landscape and improve that biodiversity and those soil carbon levels, so the plants can grow taller and stronger, and all the different things that you can do. And for me, I think it's a little bit selfish, but it makes me feel better too, knowing that the reason I'm out there is kind of helping things grow and not killing things. Maybe that opportunity to think of doing things slightly different than because why not? And I think if you do these things the same way over and over, you'll get the same results. So I think experimenting is a great way. So like, I'm not saying that everything that I've done that will that my family has done in the past. I'm not throwing that all in the bin. You've got to be mindful that you're still learning different things, that you only do it on a small scale and go, Well, this work. This didn't work. Next year, I'll try it slightly different. And the opportunity to trial so many different things is kind of why I like agriculture, is because you and especially dairy, because you can do something and you'll see the results the very next day and how much milk's being produced by those cows. Now, if I get 1099, and I'm on my deathbed, and they say to me, like you were worried about the environment and you're worried that the way things were going wet that well, and then it gets then, and I'm they say it was a big waste of time, didn't matter. That's probably the best outcome for me, because I I'm pretty conscious that I want to leave it better than when I found it. And I guess there's so many different things out there, and there's so many opportunities for people, if they're if they're really passionate, that they can try things that, I think, why not? And saying that you're not going to do a particular management tool, you're not going to use something, I think you're only putting yourself at a disadvantage, because, like, why the bloody hell not? If you shut yourself off to this particular way, then how does that affect you in the long term, and closing your doors to one particular thing, it only hurts you, because if you go down too strong headed in one particular way, then it makes it really hard for you to kind of
Speaker 1 24:32
see what else is kind of around you, really, isn't it? Yeah, that's
Speaker 2 24:36
it. And I think you've still got a mindful that you've still got to be profitable. There's no point being sustainable if you're not profitable, and if you're too worried about the land and your soil health and everything like that, and you're not making money, well then you're going to lose the farm, and then someone else is going to come along and it was all for nothing. So you've got to be mindful that what you're doing at the end of the day is still making money, and it's still going forward. And I. You got to keep the options open. And I think if you want to say, maybe diversify, for me, I'm pretty interested in in the possibilities of diversifying. Every person I've seen that's done really well from self kind of taken home is the fact that they got a diverse enterprise. So I hope it's could be I'm not saying you need to have pigs, chickens, sheep and cows and crop. That might be a bit too much, but at least there's something there that you know you're not going down. This is what I am and and so there's bad times on one particular thing you know, hopefully you know the other thing's going alright. Like my boss in Queensland, he used to always say that he doesn't understand it. But when the cane is good, the cattle aren't doing so good. And when the cattle are really good, the cane isn't going too good. And I think that's always kind of set for me, and especially growing up on the dairy farm, all we did was dairy. And for me, I'm pretty interested in maybe, I'm not saying I'm going to run everything under the sun, but maybe if there's a way to diversify so in those harsher times, there is something to kind of fall back on, and you're not completely reliant on that one industry. I think it's just goes back to just keeping, kind of your options somewhat open. The
Speaker 1 26:10
thing that I'll pull away from that, it's kind of this curious mind that you've got, and I think it's, I had the chance to spend the day with you, obviously, so I got to see it there. But it's this thinking of going well, how? And I think it's kind of what drives us here at humans of Ag, it's going like, Well, why is it like that? And what was it like before? And how could it be done differently? And what is better? How could this be better once we kind of work that out, and then what's it going to take to kind of get there? And I think that's the fascinating thing, isn't it? About agriculture, and especially the position you're in, that you can pull these different levers and see what's making a little change or big change and and I love what you say about that piece of you'd rather kind of get to the end and people go, mate, you were spending years. You turned yourself great worrying about it, but it was nothing to worry about. But I think that's also coming from such a place of care as well.
Speaker 2 26:56
I guess. You know, it goes back to what do they say? There's only there's no, yeah, no. Planet B, you gotta look after what you've got, because if we it up, then we really it up. And I often think I ask people, because I've worked in a few different places now, they probably I'd ask some questions all day driving around, like, why is this? Why is that? They might say, Oh, we don't do that because of this. But then I'd always in my mind, why? Why not? That's probably the bigger question is, like, Can we do something slightly different later on? You know, was there something we could have done differently and we wouldn't have to do this? You know that? Why not? Question is, is something that I like to ponder all the time, like, amount of times I just walk around, off for the fairies. I think sometimes thinking, you know, coming up with ideas and wondering, like, you know, if I do this, then it would do that. And then, you know, you kind of just drive yourself insane all the time, because you end up talking to yourself and just trying to figure out on on new ways. And I think, you know, it goes back to that prevention is probably the better way of handling things. I think, rather than cause, you know, you look at Dairy, if a cow gets mastitis, that's bit over 1000 bucks, I think, you know, 1500 bucks, I think, is probably what you lose, you know, from treatment and that loss of production. Well, what can we do on the farm to stop that cow from mastitis? Are the cows, you know, is there different management practices? Are the cows standing in the laneway and sitting down in mud, or what's going on, what's the actual cause of it, and instead of just trying to treat the symptom all the time, I think that's something that a lot of people need to look at, and I think that's when you'll find your most of most of your opportunities for growing your business are probably in those why nots, and why have I landed here Instead of always chasing your tail. And
Speaker 1 28:42
I think for me, the thing that sticks out to me about the dairy industry, like, obviously it's so interesting because you're milking morning and night, and you can see how, as you say, like, what you feed is going to impact today, tomorrow, next week, etc. And I know you've talked about, like, the different resources and learning and whatnot that's out there, and you kind of go into everything under the sun. But I do think from the dairy industry point of view, like they spend so much time focused on people, and I think that's obviously how we've had the chance to work together. It's about how they can promote the opportunities in dairy to people and the benefits of it, but also like through experiences like people like yourself, like what does it kind of look like, and how have you got to here? And I guess, yeah, there's all that information on Dairy Australia. I want to ask you about two young people like who are kind of coming through school. You talked about that 16, 1718, you you thought, maybe I don't want to buddy spend my time milking cows. And so you went down the sports management pathway for a little bit. But what would you say to teenagers and young people now who are looking at what's ahead and what are the opportunities to them like, why should they potentially consider a job on a dairy farm?
Speaker 2 29:53
The great thing about dairy is, you know, I'm not gonna lie, there is a bit of hard work in it. There's no doubt about it. But. Because of that, you'll find that everyone that's in the industry is extremely passionate, and because they're passionate about it, they're great to learn from. They're great for giving you opportunities to go off and learn. Also just the wide range it, being on a dairy farm isn't just about milking cows. You know, you can get a job as a car freer. Or, you know, if you like your tractors, there's plenty of contracting work where you're driving around and cutting hay and silage, and you get into that. Or there's your pasture management, there's cow herd health management. There's just, like, so many different things you can do. I don't think you can really get bored of it. And because of that, you can kind of land in so many different pathways, I guess you could say, so, you know, you don't necessarily need to go to uni or you don't need to do a school based apprenticeship on a dairy farm. You know, you might go down and get a trade as a diesel mechanic, but you also like the farm, so you do your trade, and you come from that trade, and that's a great asset for you to have that trade behind you. But then also, you know, you can get to muck around with the cows and do the those other farm roles. But then also have your mechanics behind you. Or, you know, you can do a marketing there's lots of farm debt, big dairy farms now that are a very big on selling direct to consumer, you know, if it's their cheese or their milk, so you can get a job on there, and, you know, you can still milk cows and feed calves and do that fun stuff, but also get a job in the office where you focus on selling their cheese straight for the consumer. And there's just so many different on farm opportunities. And the great thing about dairy is that all the different roles that like dairy brings to a community. You know, it's the dairy technicians that come in to work on the machines, and the dairy there's all the feed supplies like that. Dairy provides a lot of opportunities for employment, like having those farms. I think because it probably dairy is a little bit intense in terms of production, it means that, you know, it can provide a job for five people, one dairy farm where, you know, if that was cropping or something, you know that you might only need one or two people. But with dairy there's so much opportunity for employment and progression as well, like there's those farms where you can go on to management roles, and you know you can get a job there as a 1718, year old, and you'll be there for a couple of years, and you'll, you know, if you find the right boss, you can be managing the pastures or managing the cows and managing the books. There's just, if you're kind of passionate about it, and show people that you're willing to learn, the opportunities that will be given to you is just endless. And you can just keep on going, and you can, you know, all the way up to running the farm share farming. There's just those different things that can kind of land in your lap if you you know, show people that you're willing to learn from them and work hard, and you'll get places.
Oli Le Lievre 32:51
Harry, well, mate, I want to say thank you, I guess, for taking the time and having yeah, as I said, I love the outlook you've got. And I guess your curious mind about how things happen and what, as you say, why or why not? I enjoyed the chance to come out and have a crack and see what it was all about a couple of weeks ago. And I guess people can, if they want to look at more, they can jump onto our Instagram and see what that's about. Or, obviously, Dairy Australia have a whole bunch of information on their website, but mate, I just wanted to say thank you for taking a little bit of time to sit down and chat with us. And I've really enjoyed the chance to get to know you as well. Thanks for that.
Speaker 2 33:27
Olina, it was great. It's great to have you out there milking the cows and in the cows afterwards. It was, it was a great day. More than welcome to come back. Thanks. Fade, cheers.
Speaker 1 33:37
Well, that's it for another episode from us here at humans of agriculture. We hope you're enjoying these podcasts and well, if you're not, let us know. Hit us up at Hello at humansof agriculture.com get in touch with any guest recommendations, topics or things you'd like us to talk and get curious about. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. Rate, Subscribe, review it. Any feedback is absolutely awesome, and we really do welcome it. So look after yourselves. Stay safe, stay sane. We'll see you next time. See ya.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai