Yep the kid wants to be a farmer #agchatnz #farmvoices

Just on ten years ago I moved here to the farm. It didn't have the name it has now. Just an empty bareblock with grass taller than my head, and the promise of a new beginning. Ten years on, Michelle my youngest daughter is now 15 years old. All season she's been showing beef cattle for a friend and learning all about how cattle go together.

Her dad took her out a few weeks ago, and gave her some spending money. You would think Michelle would have gone and bought a CD with her favourite music on it. Instead she came home with a book about cattle breeds, which she carries around with her. After the last show she went too, home Michelle came with a big insight into the conformation of Jersey dairy cows and how they should go together.

My two jersey cows have been scrutinised by said daughter and every conformation fault picked out in the process. Well considering one was out of a first year heifer, and not considered economic to keep as a replacement? She wouldn't be perfect, but what a great mother she turned out to be for her first calf. The other aka The Terrorist was a twin, so not much good for anything to do with a dairying operation. However she certainly has given us all a lot of laughs over the last almost 6 years since she came to live with us. The blog got started because of the tiny jersey calf Gillian dropped off one morning.

I've watched my daughter grow, and overcome significant diabilities and challenges during her life. Michelle is growing up. She can go into a dairy shed and put the cups on the cows, handle calves and give mum lectures on what a good cow on a dairy farm should look like. She's told me in the last few weeks, that she has decided that she is going to go farming. She wants to farm beef she's told me. I suggested she starts on a dairying operation first, get her AgQuals on farm while learning on the job, then make some choices from there. Michelle has autism, but it hasn't stopped her from learning new things and developing into a bright intelligent upcoming young woman with a positive and clear goal to reach for. I am so proud of her!


 For anyone reading this post in New Zealand there are a number of Farm Experience days coming up for teenagers considering farming as a career. The Primary Sector are finding there are less young people choosing farming as a career option. Check out the Get Ahead website for details on the Get Ahead Experience Days being held at various locations around New Zealand.