Three-day camp brings rural careers to young urbanites

That’s the point of the Rabobank Farm2Future programme, which introduces urban high schoolers to the wide range of developing career paths in the industry.

The three-day programme is organised each year by Lincoln University Future Leader scholars and takes 25 pupils to a wide range of agribusiness operations around the Canterbury region. It’s offers a rare chance for young people to immerse themselves in the industry, all-expenses-paid.

Destinations included Rakaia Island Dairy Farm, Willisden Farms, Original Foods Baking Company, NZ Merino, PGG Wrightson’s, Farm Source and Food Stuffs.

Ruby Wilson, one of four Project Leaders, said more than 90 students applied to take part in the camp this year. Selection was based on which students would benefit the most from what the programme had to offer, and the majority of placements were given to urban students.

She said Willisden Farms was a particular hit among the urban students, as they had the chance to drench sheep and watch the heading dogs at work.

Seeing the inner workings of Original Foods was also popular.

“We had a whole factory tour. They loved that, just being able to see the scale of their production was really interesting.”

Fonterra had many students asking questions, as the business had offered time with a wide variety of agribusiness professionals.

“It wasn’t just farmers. There were consultants, people working on emissions plans, all these roles that weren’t just on the farm.

“That’s a big part of what we wanted to share with them. You don’t need to wear gumboots to work in agriculture.”

That message was something Project Leader Ben Allen was really proud to have delivered. “The feedback we’ve got showed many of them hadn’t experienced that before.”

He believed supporting urban-rural relationships was vital to the long-term health of the sector.

“It’s a growing industry. For it to be able to function well, we have to be able to bring in external people. We can’t just rely on us and our kids to build the industry.

“And it’s not just about being on the farm. You always hear about what it’s like to be a farmer, but people don’t realise there’s a whole network of people behind us.”

Ruby agreed. “It was so nice to show them the industry and where it’s going. There’s so many moving parts that some of the students didn’t know were career opportunities.

“They don’t know what they don’t know. We’ve provided them with that knowledge, now they have a chance to make that decision.”

As well as the business visits, students heard from a panel of agribusiness professionals in all different career stages. There were fresh graduates and new business owners to industry veterans, providing a wide look at the industry.

Ed Tapp, a member of Rabobank’s Upper South Island Client Council, said it was crucial to strengthen the relationship between urban and rural communities.

“There’s a real disconnect between urban youth and knowledge of the opportunities within the agricultural industry.

“This initiative is one way the Upper South Island Rabobank Client Council is working to bridge that gap and one of the key messages we shared with students was that a successful career in agriculture doesn’t require a farming background.”