The Real World

From competition winner to dairy farmer

At 18, Sam has a great future ahead of him. As dux of Hurunui College, Sam can take his pick of career options. But winning the Get Fresh competition opened his eyes to what the dairy industry could do for him.

The 'Blow up a Desk' competition was part of the Get Fresh campaign which encouraged young Kiwis to get out of the office and into the dairy industry. As the competition winner, Sam and his friend Ryan enjoyed an all expenses paid trip to Auckland where they blew up an office desk with real, live dynamite!

The Get Fresh campaign inspired Sam to find out more about the dairy industry.

“Having grown up on a farm, I was always a bit interested in the dairy industry but Get Fresh opened me up to new opportunities. I found out about the DairyNZ scholarship through the website and more about what other people do in the industry. I like the idea of other people servicing the industry - looks like there are some great jobs there as well. It just seems like a booming industry to be involved in!”

So this year Sam’s off to Lincoln University to study a B.Com Ag degree. He’s also the lucky recipient of the DairyNZ Undergraduate Scholarship which means the first four years of study is paid for him!

To get some practical experience under his belt, Sam worked on his dad’s farm over the summer. The diversity of on-farm jobs means he could be chasing cows one day and driving a tractor the next. So what does he say to people who think it’s hard work?

“They’re soft! It’s not too hard. It’s a fun job, pretty cruisy and you can go places.”

Sam also has advice for those keen to give it a go, but are not sure if it’s for them.

“Just get stuck in! Try relief milking and go from there. Ask a farmer if there are any jobs going or check out this website for more information.”