I grew up on the farm and I always had an interest in livestock so it was a natural choice to go farming.
Describe a typical day?
The day starts at 6am when I get up - the first job is going for the cows and doing the morning milking. Then I generally set up the work for the day.
The good thing about farming is that every day is different, this allows me to be my own boss and work to my own scheduele. Mornings are usually for checking stock and afternoons are generally for other farm work needed. I try to start the evening milking at 4pm so I can finish up the days work in the early evening.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
The main jobs are to make sure the farm is profitable, fuctioning and everything runs smoothly. It requires good stock management to make sure that stock are thriving and healthy.
Other management issues require that I forward plan and order in materials in advance for example I need to know when, how much and where to spread nitrogen which assits the growth of grass - so that I will have enough in supply to match my requirements.
What are the main challenges?
The main challenges are the expansion of the milking herd. Also that we always have facilities ready for the cows when they need them. As well as meeting all the performance targets we have set ourselves in our plans.
What's cool?
Everything that I do is for myself. There is great job satisfaction and I am my own boss so can manage my scheduele to fit my needs
What's not so cool?
There is a big commitment to be made when you are thinking about going into dairy farming. You can have holidays but you also need to be there for a lot of the year twice a day to milk the cows. It is not a chore if it is something you enjoy and get satisfaction from. I would see the biggest not so cool thing is having to work outside in the rain!
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
In farming you are a jack of all trades including management, timekeeping, plumbing, welding, animal husbandry, grass analysis. On a personal level I bring an attention to detail, enthusiam for the way of life and the enjoyment of seeing my stock perform to the best of its ability. I also enjoy and I am good at working with my hands.
