Farmers having a tough time attracting young people into agriculture

Fewer young people are entering Tasmania’s agricultural industry, with the head of a farming contracting association saying the profession is not valued as much as it should be.

"There's a misperception impacting ongoing workforce shortages across the sector,” TasFarmers CEO Nathan Calman said.

“A career in agriculture should be seen as an option for every Tasmanian student, not just those with family ties to the land.

"We need a system that guides young people from school into meaningful roles in agriculture and keeps them in the sector over time.”

Agricultural Contractors of Tasmania chairman Peter Campbell said the biggest issue was finding people who had completed training for specialised machinery and equipment.

“There has always been a percentage of young people who come from farms and want to continue farming,” Mr Campbell said.

“And there’s always been an odd one or two that grew up in town that want to become involved in the rural industry.
“But they’re so hard to find and it’s always been a bit of a concern.”

Mr Campbell said agriculture was not an attractive career for young people.

“For the effort you put in, there are definitely a lot easier ways of making a living than agriculture.

“Unfortunately it’s not valued as much as what it should be.

“They talk about lamb being $35 a kilo at the supermarket, but the farmers don’t get anywhere near that amount, and they’ve got to carry all the risk.”

He also said that agriculture was a difficult profession to get started in.

“Unless you grow up on a farm and end up inheriting it, the cost of everything is quite prohibitive,” Mr Campbell said.

“It’s very difficult to get a foothold with just the land and then you need machinery and equipment to generate income.

“A very basic small tractor in this day and age is probably going to be $100,000 plus, and the spray unit is another $50,000 to $60,000.

“You can spend around $500,000 on basic equipment.”

Mr Campbell said the Agricultural Contractors of Tasmania wanted to see farm training programs promoted more.