Jobs in agriculture being pursued by young people looking for security after COVID-19
/Droving cattle in 30-plus degree temperatures, every day for three months at a time, is far from an easy day's work, but there's an increasing number of people seeking employment in the profession.
Key points:
- More women are becoming drovers and one employer says some are better suited to the job
- A boss drover says it's never been so easy to find drovers to work
The National Farmers Federation says more young people are pursuing careers in the farming industry
COVID-19 has increased demand for employment, but that is not the only change the male-dominated industry is seeing.
Boss drover Bill Little said not only were more women doing the job sometimes they were better at it.
"At that younger age, girls seem to be able to settle better than boys. Boys think about partying too much," Mr Little said.
"Not always, but girls are inclined to be a little bit cleaner and tidier and look after the animals more than the boys [and] they're not as bad-tempered."
Mr Little is leading the droving team and 2,000 head of cattle on the approximately three-month, 550-kilometre, journey from Clermont to Taroom.
"A lot of girls are horse-mad, dog-mad, animal-mad and it helps in this job if you like horses, cattle and dogs," he said.
'Got to hold your own'
Karla Cann, 19 of Chinchilla, said she grew up in the agriculture industry, but she often had to prove herself to new male colleagues.
"A lot of the boys will try to do the harder jobs for you when you're working with them [and] you've really got to hold your own," Ms Cann said.
"I just show them I can do it [and] a lot of the blokes I work with, after a while, know I can do it.
"I don't really find that I struggle much to keep up with blokes."
Good attitude, a must
Mr Little said, when hiring drovers, he based his decision on their attitude rather than their gender. But, in his 40-year career, he had hired more women than men.
"If the kids, whether they are girls or boys, have been reared right in their home life, it comes through in their job," Mr Little said.
"A good drover is dedicated, has plenty of energy, doesn't mind getting out of bed early, and is good to get along with because we are all here day and night.
"Attitude is the biggest part.
"We don't go straight out looking for girls, but it just seems to happen that way."
Droving is an alternative to transporting cattle via truck and, while some drought-stricken graziers are forced to drove their cattle to access grass along the stock route, others just prefer it.
"We no doubt would be a little dearer but … they've got to pay for them to be shifted anyway whether it's a truck or if it's us," Mr Little said.
"When they're in transit they've got time to get rid of the cattle on the property."
Drovers can only walk their cattle for about 10 kilometres each day, which means it is normal for drovers to be walking the same mob of cattle for several months.
Perfect job for girls
Ms Cann said droving was not for the faint-hearted, but that was exactly what she loved about the job.
"It's a pretty good feeling. Anyone who wants to do it could have a crack at it. I'd recommend it for girls. I reckon it's quite good," Ms Cann said.
"You've got to be able to live out of a caravan and your swag pretty much [but] if you love it, I think you're right. We've already been two weeks and it only feels like a couple of days."
While Ms Cann always wanted to be a drover and work in the agricultural industry, she said COVID-19 made her even more sure she had chosen the right career path.
"I think a lot of people at the moment would be more inclined to go into the agriculture industry. It hasn't really affected us," she said.
"I've worked at a couple of other places since it started and it doesn't really affect you when you're out here doing this … you haven't got the regulations like you do if you have a job in town."
Not the only one
National Farmers Federation general manager Laureta Wallace said more young people were pursuing careers in the farming industry.
"COVID-19 has stopped school leavers from going on that traditional gap year overseas, so logically young people are looking for experiences elsewhere and it's taking it to the bush," Ms Wallace said.
"The one thing we need is food. We'll continue to need that, which is at the heart of agriculture.
"And I think job security has to be the local driver for young people to look for jobs in agriculture."
With some agricultural university fees reduced by more than 60 per cent and the Federal Government's financial incentives, Ms Wallace expected more people to look for jobs in agriculture.
"We are seeing funding up to $6,000 per individual for people who go out bush and take up a farm role in agriculture," she said.
"The key thing for the Government and the NFF is to communicate to school leavers that those discounts are on offer and they can undertake a tertiary study in ag and then go on to a fantastic, diverse role in farming."