By Bruce Wills*
What is your perception of a farm worker?
The response from those who don’t know much about farming is possibly that they are low-skilled, low-waged and over-worked.
Federated Farmers, with Rabobank, have produced an annual remuneration survey for a number of years now and the most recent was released last month.
The positive thing about social media is that it is easy to catch out those ‘swinging the lead’. The downside is that it anyone with a keyboard can take aim and fire off a salvo.
The response to our 2013 survey, aside from one colourful Facebook post, has been that it is on the money if you excuse the pun.
We are coming out of the shadows on farm worker remuneration to counter the “response” above.
It also comes after seeing hundreds of Aucklanders queuing for seven jobs at a factory to earn just over $15 an hour.
The Federated Farmers/Rabobank Farm Employee Remuneration report had the input of 1,194 farm employers covering 3,900 positions. It means I can confidently say the average farm worker earns $5,500 more than the average non-farm annual wage and salary earner.
Farm workers earn an average salary of $46,246 but that is more like $49,159 when the value of non-wage benefits is taken into account.
Many farm positions are residential, many also come with farm vehicles and as the Rural Broadband Initiative gathers momentum, Wi-Fi will make an appearance I am certain.
Unlike Auckland, country living costs are generally lower although some will suggest that this is ‘because there’s little to do’. That is another unfair generalisation. There is heaps to do when you join a community and that is what we still have.
This is not just a farming story as Waikato’s Professor of Agribusiness, Jacqueline Rowarth, noted several years ago; “Of the approximately 20,000 graduates each year,” Jacqueline wrote, “a greater proportion are from the creative arts (11.2 percent) than in the sciences (10.7 percent). In agriculture, the figure is 0.5 percent, less than 100 students. All the disciplines are important, but I think that we have the balance wrong”.
For us, the jobs are in the country but the labour force is seemingly in the city. That said, Wellington Chef Martin Bosley could speak for many a farmer after trying to give someone “a break”. After paying for adverts, going through time consuming interviews and then training, he had no-shows when it came time to work. That saw him reportedly write online, "I'm fed up putting time, [money and] effort into training new staff only for them to no show. Unemployment? Can't be f..... working more like”.
Is there a cultural malaise among some of our potential workforce?
Being an employer, skills can be learned but attitude cannot.
Knowing absolutely nothing about farming can be corrected so long as there is curiosity and a willingness to learn.
Training farms, like the superb Smedley Station in my neck of the woods, are a great bonus. So if you have the attitude we have the roles.
To check the training options simply Google Lincoln, Massey, Taratahi or the AgITO. For vacancies, visit sites like TradeMe, Seek and Federated Farmers own, www.ruraljobs.co.nz.
To be fair it is not all sweetness and light. Our industries need to face up to a less than stellar safety record.
It can also be remote and at times can involve long hours, especially during calving and lambing.
As things also even out the average full time dairy worker will work 50.5 hours per week, Sheep & Beef 44.5 and Grain & Seed 46.1 hours.
The upsides are that you are outdoors and there are no boundaries for what you can accomplish inside the farm gate or out of it.
Take Te Aroha Dairy farmers Richard Revell. His MO2 milk based soft drinks launched in 2010 have been reformatted to carbonated ‘traditional’ milk flavours. This could not only be big but shows you how varied the primary industries are.
Employers know that keeping good staff is better than recruiting and the drought will see many staff earn more than the farm’s owners.
Our skilled workers show up virtuously in another statistic; Labour Productivity. Agriculture’s labour productivity is our economy’s star-turn increasing 3.4 percent each year.
Despite this we increasingly turn to those from the Americas, Europe and Asia to fill vacancies. Could it be as our Head of Comms, a former Careers Advisor, described it to me. That many careers advisors could star in ‘Night of the career dead’ as David colourfully put it.
Whatever it is, the primary industries and sciences are being starved of talent as we graduate far more photographers than farmers. There’s also no reason why photographers, film-makers and communication graduates cannot go farming either.
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Bruce Wills is the President of Federated Farmers. You can contact him here »
24 Comments
You are right Bruce; I made the same point here, albiet more succinct and brutal, recently in answer to Townies squealing about high Auckland house prices. I suspect a big part of the problem is women- getting them to part from their designer pushchair gatherings at Starbucks, well, good luck!
Ergophobia
That is not my point.
My point is, for NZ to thrive, well educated and highly skilled thinkers/entrepreneurs/engineers are needed far more than just farmers.
So, I'd be please to see articles persuade young Kiwi's to work hard along this route, not just being a farmer for the sake of 'high' wage in such short term.
People have dismissed robotic advances in the past, and will undoubtedly do so again and again. Google is working on driverless vehicles - and they have deep pockets and the confidence and arrogance (admittedly built on ability) to keep funding this through the hiccups. While rural driving jobs will last longer than urban deliveries, it's a matter of time...i agree with Xing: NZ should be researching robotic farming.
The hours cited for dairying seem a little light.
But this sounds like so many other labour debates in this country. If you aren't getting the right people, you aren't offering the right incentives (the IT sector keeps squealing in the same way). The immigrant labour market is suppressing dairy wages and conditions but so is the steady accrual of wealth for those that are already (comparatively) wealthy.
Once again late to the party Xing, we invented those robots ages ago. More commonly known as dogs. Currently do the work of about 4 blokes on my place. There aint nothing a good hunterway or heading dog can't do. Work in the wet too. Something a robot might find difficult.
There seems to be a difference between FF's survey of members and the impression of the sector that the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment
"Agricultural workers work long hours. They receive lower median hourly wages compared with the overall median. Worker turnover is higher in agriculture, but has been decreasing in recent years."
http://www.dol.govt.nz/whss/sector-plans/agriculture/agriculture-sector…
For whatever reason 3 out of 5 of my kids are into farming at the moment, one other works for a dairy co the last hasn't finished uni. All are tertiary educated but can't stand cities.
advanced skills Xing? What can be more advanced than producing the best quality food at the best price.
The number one best skill in NZ farming? Answer, pasture management, and with the extensive use of supplements it's not as wide spread as it should be. But it IS our competitive advantage.
Our comparative advantage is climte, soil and institutional environment. All three are of the greatest importance and the first two are limited.
With a growing population and an aging population, farming cannot be the one place to raise or even keep the current standard of living.
Therefore, we need to think outside of box. I always praise for Germany model or Japan model. Their comparative advantage is advanced technology which is not only sustainable but also unlimited.
Using Japan as a positive example is a nonsense Xing. Unlimited technology hasnt resulted in a cleanup of the irradiated eastern coast, and the pacific ocean. And it never will. Japan and germanys so called success was on the back of nuclear power. Look at how that turned out.
Sigh~~~~.
If you are a person with half a brain, you would ask yourself how Japan can maintain a higher GDP per capita with a population size of 128 mn (28 times more than NZ's population), with a smaller land size and much less resources compared with NZ
When talking about developing a country's economy, I'm afraid that you have to look at what other countries have done better and learn from them, not just living in a dream of yourselves.
Apart from milk powder, can you even name a thing that NZ has advantage in? Would it be too risky to have all eggs in one basket?
Xing - I think you are somewhat underestimating the attitude of farmers and their families. If you see farmers as "just farmers" then you are seriously mistaken and do not recognise the skills and abilites that go into food production.
I have had numerous people over the years tell me that it takes nothing to be a farmer and I was rather surprised with this attitude from people outside of farming.
Farmers are very specialised in many areas and few have a piece of paper mounted on the wall displaying a qualification. How can you give a qualification to a farmer when they are highly skilled in numerous areas? Our education qualifications system is pretty much a failure when it comes to farming as it does not recognise skills or expertise that are non NZQA registered. In fact I blame the whole qualifications system in the deterioration of attitude in NZ. It has been assumed that recognised qualifications would lift economic performance. I can find no evidence that this has transpired.
You cannot replace the attitude of a farmer, I don't even think you can measure the attitude of a farmer. Most have a drive and determination of an elite athlete and can push things to limits to get things done. They improvise continually, they monitor just about everything internal and external as there are so many factors which will influence their business activity. Most farmers are highly intelligent and have a broad knowledge and skill set way beyond the mainstream.
NZ needs more farmers so the 'can do' 'number eight wire' attitude will rise again in NZ. If the NZ farmer attitude can filter out from farming into mainstream then we will see creativity and invention into other areas.
I'm a dairy farmer and an orchardist. Have a Management and Masters Degree and some other letters as well. Worked 10 years in Melbourne, London, Auckland.
Working on Bourke/Queen Street is a doddle compared to farming.
But would I want to go back to the office ... no way. Challenging and I'm my own boss.
Possibly the maintenance of Japans GDP is fast going down the gurgler Xing. I am sure there is a lot to learn from the successes of Japan and Germany. However strategically I feel NZ is much better placed with the way we have played our cards. 28 times less the population to maintain (your jap figures), geothermal, and hydro to keep the lights on, plenty of cleanish farmland to feed ourselves and supply a world hungry for food that is safe.
I doubt those in the north eastern areas of Japan, which includes Tokyo feel happy about the choices made. But according to you they are doing much better than us, they are rich perhaps?
If one wants to be rich in terms of money, then be rich. There is opportunity everywhere.Go Xing and find your fortune and be a millionaire with your full sized brain.
And I will stay and work the land, produce grassfed beef and lamb for the rich. I will sadly live on the edge of a native forest, surrounded by green pastures, and large totara trees, kaka parrots calling as they fly by. In the unirradiated lands of NZ. Unpowered by nuclear, and under utilised by an overpopulated world. Bugger
"... I feel NZ is much better placed with the way we have played our cards. 28 times less the population..."
But the fact that NZ population is growing does not depend on your feeling and good wish.
There has to be something else other than the primary sector to maintain/raise the standard of living.
Primary sector is great but it is limited by natural resources, varies dramatically because of wild climatic conditions, and is prone to biosecurity risks -- can you imagine consequences of a outbreak of FMD in NZ?
Puting more low skilled young ppl on farms is not a solution. Upgrading their skills is the key to let them survive and compete in the world today.
Putting low skilled young ppl on farms, results in a few years with older skilled people either still on farms or in other employment or self employment. Two things Xing, as Notaneconomist explained farmers are skilled. We are not the dumbarses every rural advertisement makes us out to be.
Secondly you are avoiding the obvious. Japan is rooted. You wont even address this issue. You just go on about NZ doing nothing but farming.
I do agree about the f and m. Its a bit of a worry alright.
Bruce I have just paid my FF subs, and would like you to clarify the feds position on foreign investment and how that will benefit my children if the chose to persue agriculture as a viable income earning and lifestyle option? http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/rural/135111/federated-farmers-calls-for-foreign-land-register
How does NZs position on foreign investment compare to say China? How are we to interpret significant differences?
Omno, cast your eye over this
http://www.moderndairyir.com/hongkong/01117/events/14/EN/FY2012%20Annua…
- interesting to see they benchmark themselves v USA.
supp question may be Big Ag and or abscentee owners (see below) history repeats.
either way as found earlier, its about the duties.....
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12954766
ABSENTEE landowners in England are getting alarmed at the acts of the provincial councils in New Zealand, which have determined that property in a colony has its duties as well as its rights, and that those duties must be fulfilled.
and:
....... All experience has shown; that the 'formation of colonies by absentee landowners is unsound in principle..... dated approx.. Monday 25 September 1854 . SMH.Impressive. Where does low cost labour pool fit into this model? More comparable to the US in terms of genetics and feed, and would be a high cost model relative to NZ. It appears they are making it pay, gives one hope of securing some high value markets for NZ milk.
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