Farming—A Career For The Boy Who Likes The Outdoor Life

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29067, 2 December 1959, Page 24

Farming—A Career For The Boy Who Likes The Outdoor Life

Farming is an occupation which offers plenty of scope to a boy who likes an active, outdoor life and is interested in the land and its products. Farming, however, differs from work in the factory, the office, or the shop in that it can seldom be confined to eight hours of the day, or 40 hours of the week.

This is because the farmer’s work is governed mainly by the season of the year, the state of the weather, and the needs of livestock.

Farming demands much physically active work, work that is often heavy and exacting. A strong physique and good health are therefore important So too is a liking for animals, and a flair for handling them. Working on a farm for the first time, the city boy will find there are many things to learn, such as milking cows and caring for livestock, that the country boy takes for granted. Then there is much farm machinery and equipment to be handled. This is always expensive, and some of it can be dangerous if carelessly operated—so there is no room for lack of concentration and irresponsibility. Further, a boy must develop the initiative to carry out tasks without constant supervision and deal with problems as they arise. Working on a farm often entails close association with an employer and his family, both on and off the job, so that a lad needs to have the ability to get on readily with othe!r people. On other farms, he may be left a good deal on his own, and will find it an asset to be self-reliant, and able to cultivate his own interests as a guard against loneliness. Given all these qualities, a boy’s future in farming will depend mainly on his capacity for hard work and ability to save money. Boys enter farming after widely varying lengths of stay at school and after taking all kinds of school courses—there Is no set requirement as there is for some occupations. But nowadays, farming demands more and more in the way of scientific knowledge, so that if a boy hopes in time to have his own property, he should aim at having, at the least, two years secondary schooling.

The course to be taken cannot be specified, although science is clearly of importance. The main thing is to attain as good a standard of education as possible. Most boys start their farming careers by taking a job on a farm at the ruling rate of pay for their age. Care should be exercised in the selection of this first job, since an unhappy experience, in the form of poor working or living conditions, or a difficult employer, can have the effect of turning a boy against farming, even though he may have found the work itself to his liking.

Farmers differ in their methods, and one farm may have features or present problems quite different from those of another. It is desirable, therefore, that a boy spend his time as a learner under more than one employer. Generally, two years is sufficient to work with one employer. This allows a boy to gain experience of different country, and so broaden his knowledge. Where job and accommodation go together (as is usual) the quality of accommodation provided is often a matter of concern to a boy and his parents'. While certain minimum standards of accommodation are laid down in agreements covering the farming industry, and while farmers themselves have become much more conscious of the importance of providing good conditions for their workers, a boy cannot always expect to enjoy the comfort and convenience which he has been used to at home.

His quarters may be a detached hut of his own, a bunkhouse shared with other workers, or a private room in the farmer’s own home. Some employers expect boys to provide their own bedding,

do their own laundry, and have their meals in their own quarters.

It will clearly be an asset if a boy is independent and adaptable. The present minimum award wage for a boy who begins a farm job before the age of 17 is £3 8s 3d a week if he is employed on a sheep farm, and £4 7s 3d a week if he is employed on a dairy farm. Other minimum award rates are £4 7s 9d if under 18, £5 7s 9d if under 19. £6 8s 6d if under 20. £7 Ils if under 21, and £8 8s 3d if over 21, with proportionate increase if the boy is employed on a dairy farm. Board and lodging, which is calculated at £2 2s 6d a week, is provided free. If a boy is employed on a farm which milks 10 or more cows, he is covered by a special Dairy Farm Workers' Award. No award covers boys employed on pig and poultry farms.

It is likely to be a long time before a boy can build up enough capital to put a deposit on a farm of his own, although this time will depend on his industry and thrift. He may be able to shorten this time by undertaking work on contract—sharemilking, shearing, fencing, cultivation, or harvesting. Some of these jobs—fencing and shearing, for instance—do not involve much capital or expensive equipment, but they do demand previous experience and a good standard of work. Once settled in on his farm job, a boy will find it useful to join the local Young Farmers’ Club, and particularly if he did not take a course in agriculture at school, he can combine theory with practice by studying agricultural subjects by correspondence with the Wellington Technical Correspondence School.

Subsequently, he may elect to take the course for the Diploma

of Agriculture at Massey or Canterbury Agricultural Cdllege, the intensive course in agriculture at Canterbury Agricultural College, or one or more of the “short courses” provided by both these colleges. Full details of these courses are available from Vocational Guidance Centres. Many holders of the Diploma on Agriculture find positions as farm managers, posts which provide useful experience before setting out to farm on one’s own account. Most boys with a real love of farming will want to own their own farms eventually, though the difficulties of finding a suitable farm for sale and of acquiring the money to buy it are considerable. Whatever his ultimate goal, however, a suitable boy is not likely to experience any great difficulty in getting a start in one or other of the main branches of farming.