Back to school for farmers – to teach!
Farmers and others in the agri sector need to speak at schools if New Zealand is to get more young people choosing agri careers.
Kidd, a Massey graduate, manages a large beef breeding and finishing farm in Northland.
He spoke about his career, which included time in banking as an agribusiness manager before he made the step into farming.
“I don’t want to talk down the opportunities of farm work. But there is also banking, insurance – all the research that needs to happen to take New Zealand to the next level,” Kidd said.
“The agriculture industry is huge; look at the amount of money the banks have lent to the industry over the last 10 years. They see the fantastic opportunities in the industry, and if they don’t I‘d love to know why they have lent it so much money.”
Kidd says New Zealand needs to get away from just exporting commodities and focus more on adding value and selling to markets prepared to pay a premium for our primary products.
“There are fantastic opportunities to market and take our product to the next level overseas,” he said. “There are opportunities abounding in Asia and the Middle East where many people are coming through and starting to generate incomes that allow them to spend more on protein.
“We have to make sure that when we get a chance to sell product we don’t sell it to the lowest bidder, but to the person who recognises its quality.”
Young people need to realise they hold the future of the primary sector in their hands, Kidd says. With farmers getting older it will be young people who will take the sector to the next level.
