Luke traded his morning surf to milk 1200 cows outside of Dubbout.
Luke Hall would often watch the sunrise from his surfboard as he drifted past the Long Reef breakwaters on Sydney’s northern beaches. Now, 400 kilometers away in western New South Wales, he watches from a milking parlor as day breaks for over 1,200 cows.
The 18-year-old is one of nearly 200 school leavers who have signed up for a paid gap year with farmers who are willing to train them to help fill farming skills shortages.
Luke Hall has been matched with a dairy company in Dubbo where milking starts at 3am.Credit: Clancy Paine
Hall said he didn’t know what to do when he finished 12th grade, then a friend told him about the AgCAREERSTART program, which is jointly funded by the federal government and the National Farmers’ Federation. His parents, both office workers, supported his decision to try farming and he was found a dairy farm outside of Dubbo where milking starts at 3am.
“It’s definitely different than what I expected,” Hall said. “There’s a lot more work behind the scenes on herd health and cow nutrition… it’s a lot more intense.”
He said the 12-month experience helped him learn how to handle farm animals and solve problems himself. He has yet to decide where to go next.
“People were like, ‘Oh god, he’s not going to last,’ but I proved it [them] “A little wrong,” he said.
Luke Hall (right) with friend Will Corcoran at Point Plomer on the NSW north coast.Credit:
“Maybe I’ll come home and start a trade and then go back to the country. Even if I do, I don’t think it will mean the end of my farming career.”
Tony Mahar, executive director of the National Farmers Federation, said the two-year-old scheme is helping to address skill shortages in the industry by introducing young Australians to farming jobs and raising awareness of the opportunities across the country.
