Surge In Demand For Agricultural Training Putting Pressure On Sector

A surge in demand for agricultural training is putting pressure on the sector, as farmers continue to struggle with a shortage of skilled workers. Federated Farmers board member William Beetham says there is a big increase in interest in agriculture across the board with farming being more actively promoted as a career option through social media sites like farm 4 lifenz, NZ farming, NZ young farmers, and shepherdess NZ. William Beetham says with the growth in social media, and younger people actually seeing their peers telling stories of what it’s like to live and work on a farm, horizons are broadening. Primary ITO, which trains people while they are working, has seen a significant uptick in demand with over 1000 new agricultural apprenticeship enrolments, compared to 265 in the same period last year and 580 in 2019. The farmer training covers dairy, deer, sheep, beef, pork and poultry.