Adam Waite's career change made him realise what he was missing
After getting a Certificate in Agriculture and Farm Management, Adam Waite took a job managing a herd of cows. But he was in the job only a year before he decided on a change.
“It was at a time when I wasn’t sure if dairying was going to be for me. I was only 19 years old then, and I didn’t really want to be stuck in a milking shed on the weekends.
“So I thought I wouldn’t mind being a stock agent. It would keep me involved with the dairy industry and I knew I could go back to dairy farming one day, when I had developed a few more life and work skills.
“Being a stock agent made me realise what I was missing not working on a farm – when you’re stuck in the car or someone’s ringing you at 10 o’clock on a Sunday night and wants some cows or something.”
While Adam enjoyed being a stock agent, he felt his future opportunities were limited. “Being an independent stock agent like I was, that was the end of the road for me in that career. Now I’ve come back to dairy farming I can see a bit further in front of me. I can see I'll be able to grow my business a lot faster through the dairy industry.
“It just makes you feel a little bit easier I reckon, when you know what the next step is going to be in your career – when you can see where you’ve come from, and where you’re going.”
The time Adam spent as a stock agent wasn’t wasted, however. “Driving around farms you certainly see a lot of the different ways people farm, the good and the bad. I got to the stage where I was learning and able to understand a lot more about dairy farming, and then I would come to this farm and relief milk on the weekend and be able to adapt those ideas.
“That’s what got me interested again and what really made me decide to go back dairy farming, so I can farm the way I want to do it.”
