TAFE NSW Bega graduate Craig Pearce says the hands-on practical skills learned at TAFE NSW are making him a more rounded farm professional. Photo: Supplied by TAFE NSW.
Craig Pearce vividly remembers the feeling of sitting on a John Deere tractor as a small child as it rumbled through the rolling paddocks of his family’s Bega Valley dairy farm.
But despite spending his entire life on the family farm, the fourth generation dairy farmer has turned to TAFE NSW Bega to build on his practical skills and knowledge of the industry.
Craig, 22, has completed a Certificate II, III and IV in Agriculture (Dairy) through TAFE NSW to complement his lived experience working the 610-acre property, located between Bega and Quaama.
“My dad obviously knows a lot about dairy farming, but there’s a new generation coming through and new ways of doing things so it was great to learn that at TAFE NSW,” he says.
“I learned things such as the science of livestock feeding at TAFE NSW, and what proteins are in foods so the cow is getting the right nutrition. It was a really good overall experience and my teachers had great knowledge of the industry.”
The Pearce’s family farm supplies milk for blocks of Bega Cheese. Milk production comprises more than 65 per cent of total agricultural value in the Bega Valley, one of Australia’s most iconic dairy regions.
Craig was recently honoured with a $1000 Further Education Scholarship Award from Bega Valley Shire Council to support his studies.
He remains philosophical about the dairy industry’s well documented struggle with volatile farmgate milk prices.
“It’s been tough and you can feel it every day on the farm, but there are people far worse off, especially after the bushfires,” says Craig.
“It’s pretty good at the moment and we just need to keep encouraging people to buy Australian cheese and milk.”
TAFE NSW agriculture teacher Stuart Yeatman, who has been involved in the cattle industry for almost 40 years, says the Certificate III in Agriculture (Dairy) is being offered at TAFE NSW Bega for semester two 2021 and is an entry level course aimed at people who are already working in the industry.
“It’s all about giving students the hands-on, practical skills to really thrive in their jobs,” he says.
“There’s a strong focus on employability skills, and we have units on things such as quad bikes, chemical application, livestock handling and feeding, coordinating milking operations, and basic fencing.
“Dairy is such a critical part of Bega’s economy and history, and this course is all about fostering the industry’s future workforce.”
To learn more about studying agriculture at TAFE NSW Bega, call 13 16 01 or visit here.
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