THE future of farming in the Wimmera is looking strong, with a new crop of passionate and committed young farmers starting their careers in the agriculture industry.
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Nhill district farmer Jess Pilgrim is just one of a number of enthusiastic young Wimmera farmers hoping to make an impact in the region.
Ms Pilgrim is the Nhill Young Farmers Group president and a representative on the Young Farmers Advisory Council.
Having grown up on a 3300-acre mixed sheep and cropping farm, the 22-year-old has always dreamed of a career in the agriculture industry.
“Our farm has been in the family for many generations,” she said.
“I’m really passionate about sheep and want a farm, but in succession farming you don’t get paid. So for young people that can be a really big problem – trying to make a living. If I had the money I would love to buy my own property.
“Originally I studied a degree in health, but I quit to move back home. So now I work at the local hospital in Nhill and at my family farm.
If you don’t have a family farm, I think it’s extremely hard for young people to get into the agriculture sector.
- Jess Pilgrim
“I’m also doing a sheep course throughout this year. It’s a ewe management course through Rural Industries Skill Training out of Hamilton. Although I did have to go find work elsewhere, I still help out on the farm where I can.”
She said there were many challenges facing young farmers.
“If you don’t have a family farm, I think it’s extremely hard for young people to get into the agriculture sector,” she said.
“I know a lot of people in our area who have children who want to come back to the farm straight after school. Some choose to leave school before Year 12 to work on the farm.”
With dry conditions consistent across the region, Ms Pilgrim said a lack of rain was a major concern for young farmers in the Wimmera.
“The amount of feed we’ve had to feed our stock over the past year is starting to take its toll,” she said.
“Because of the dry conditions, we’ve had to hand feed for almost a whole year. It hasn’t hit as bad as other areas, like New South Wales, but it’s slowly getting to us. If we don’t have good rain in the next couple of months I think harvest might not be as good as what we thought originally.”
However, she said groups such as the Nhill Young Framers Group and the Young Farmers Advisory Council are continuing to advocate for young farmers.
She said she was thrilled to be a part of the Young Farmers Advisory Council.
“I am really excited about the great bunch of people that I’m going to be working with,” she said.
“So far, they’ve already put their recommendations to (Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford) and we’re just on from there.
“Each meeting we will have a different topic to discuss and give our thoughts on. It should be really good and hopefully we can make some positive changes for young people in agriculture.”
The Nhill Young Framers Group has 38 members, with hopes to expand in the future.
“The group had been in recess for 27 years, so I’ve started it back up again this year,” she said.
“I’m really happy with the amount of people that we’ve got so far. Members are aged between 16 and 30. But people over 30 are more than welcome to join.
“This group has a 100-kilometre radius, so Natimuk, Jeparit, Rainbow, Kaniva, Goroke, Dimboola … all those places are welcome to come and join us. We are working on a public Facebook so people can have a look at what we’re up to and what our plans are.”
Ms Pilgrim said she was excited to see what the future of farming will look like.
“There are going to be a lot of farm managers coming out of universities. There’s also going to be a massive increase in technology,” she said.
“I think there has been more of a focus around agriculture recently and how important it is.
“What we need to do is merge the gap between the city and the country, so they understand where their food is coming from. I think we need to educate young people on that so they don’t have the wrong ideas about the industry.”
Minyip district farmer Tom McGrath, also a shearer, was recently announced as a returning member of the Young Farmers Ministerial Advisory Council.
He said it was important young farmers continued to have their voices heard.
“Succession planning for farmers is a very important topic that certainly should be addressed as early as possible,” he said.
“Having a clearly understood succession plan allows the parties involved to make calculated plans for purchasing land and equipment now, rather than delaying this process and potentially missing opportunities.
“This is a challenge many young farmers are facing in our region and across the state of Victoria.”
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Mr McGrath said he wanted to encourage more young people to consider farming as a possible career.
“Young people coming into any type of business or industry are able to bring in new ideas and loads of energy which is critical to meet the demands of new upcoming markets and technologies,” he said.
“Young people looking to become young farmers will always be an essential requirement for the future of agriculture to continue to adapt and thrive.
“Farming is a fantastic career. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy some of the best parts of farming, working with sheep on many properties across the district through to growing crops on the home farm.”
He said he was enjoying the challenges of shearing a sheep.
“Shearing is a very mentally and physically challenging task and a fantastic career path,” he said.
“It teaches you self control, it educates your mind on how to work through pain and allows you to develop a work ethic that can be unmatched.
“Then there are the more relaxing times in the seat of a tractor, sprayer, header, truck or work ute where the body can catch up on some rest. I get a huge amount of satisfaction watching the crops develop and grow right through to harvest.
“There is definitely an element of pride and understanding of the importance in what you do as a farmer. I love growing food for the worlds people and the responsibilities that come with it.”
Longerenong College is one of Victoria’s leading agriculture colleges, with students travelling from across the country to attend.
Head of campus John Goldsmith said enrollments numbers were steadily growing.
“In the last five to 10 years we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of enrollments. Our numbers have far greater now than they were a decade ago,” he said.
“The Advanced Diploma in Agribusiness is our flagship course and it’s our most popular course. The beauty of that degree is that there is a range of career pathways that graduates can take.
“Many go on to work at their family farms or go into farm management. Then there are those they work as consultants for the cropping or livestock industries.”
He said there were a number of challenges facing young farmers.
“One of the major concerns our students have is around seasonable variability. That’s a big one, but also nothing new. Climate change is certainly impacting, but we’re learning to adapt,” he said.
“Then there’s affordability of farmland. If you want to own your own farm, it can be really tough. But we always remind the students that there are plenty of farms out there looking for managers.
“The future of farming will be a lot more technology focused and we are making our programs more technology-based too.”
The college received a state government funding boost of $578,000 in May to deliver a new Agriculture Technology Innovation, Development and Extension program.
Mr Goldsmith said it was crucial for young people to become more interested in agriculture.
“On a world scale, the population is increasing and there’s no more land. We need to produce more food and increase productivity to keep up with the growth,” he said.
It was announced last year that the college would start accepting overseas students from 2019.
The college received its first international student enrolment last month and has had a number of inquires.
Mr Goldsmith said accepting international students was an important step forward for the college.
“This is part of our growth and development at the college; the world is becoming a smaller place so this is a logical step for us,” he said.
“The next thing we’re doing is a website upgrade to develop specific pages for international students.”
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