Nuffield Scholar tackles agriculture’s future employment challenges

NSW Nuffield Scholar Daniel Kahl has cracked open the issue of attracting the next generation of highly skilled labour to farming. During a six week Global Focus Program taking him to Mexico, Washington DC, New York State, the US, Ireland, France and New Zealand; he met many people facing similar problems future proofing their industries and dealing with labour shortages.

“The Global Focus Program exposes you to a whole range of different operations and everyone around the world faces that similar issue of how they attract that next generation on farm,” he said.

Daniel hopes to use a further six weeks of individual travel to South Africa, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland and the US to further explore new strategies being trialled to attract future farm managers to agriculture.

“One interesting solution at Cornell University in NY State works with a leadership program that aims to link industry with their graduates. There are similar things going on in Ireland,” he said. “I think it will be a two pronged issue because as a business you need to be developing your staff and offering a pathway for people to progress their careers into higher positions or developing themselves professionally, but what I think what we miss is that pathway from school through industry into these positions. It’s not necessarily trying to attract people once they’ve already got their agriculture degree, it’s getting them interested when they’re still in school.”

Daniel has been developing a program within his own business to attract high school leavers on farm during their gap year and then offering pathways to study externally while continuing to work on farm. He believes changes are needed within the education system to alter the perception of agriculture studies being an option for students who are struggling academically. He says more needs to be done to promote agriculture as a choice for top performing students.

“Ag is where we should be directing our brightest kids because technology is rapidly increasing the skill level required in agriculture,” he explained. “It’s only becoming more and more important as an industry so that’s where some of our best talent should be going.”

Nuffield Scholar tackles agriculture’s future employment challenges

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