Countryside Careers
Is farming the right field for you? If so, how many Hay levels do you need? Should you branch out into forestry? Perhaps you might consider opportunities in various different specialist fields, such as agricultural engineering, horticulture, environmental science, or gamekeeping. Is it really a growing industry?
Farming
Farms vary enormously and can include:
- remote hill farms with beef cattle and sheep
- vast mechanised arable farms with no livestock
- mixed farms with crops and livestock
- specialist indoor pig and poultry farms with virtually no land
With such variety, there are opportunities to pursue a particular interest in livestock, crops or machinery. Courses are available at all levels to furnish future farmers with the seeds of knowledge and the fertiliser of experience.
Farm management is probably the most popular choice of employment within the industry. It is estimated that there are roughly 8,000 salaried farm managers. However, more opportunities exist for unit managers, where there is often a shortage of suitable applicants who can combine practical skills with the necessary organisational abilities.
Working in farming requires significant technical knowledge and skills. If you want a career in the industry, you should take every opportunity to acquire technical and vocational education and training, particularly with regard to the sciences.
An agricultural engineer applies the scientific and technical knowledge of engineering to the biological and physical constraints of agriculture.
Opportunities for agricultural engineers include:
Manufacturing - the design, development, testing and demonstration of new products for the farming industry and the marketing and sale of farm equipment.
Field engineering - the application of soil and water technology to agricultural problems such as land drainage, irrigation, erosion and so on.
Service engineering - an important back-up to manufacturing, which involves the engineer in installing, maintaining and repairing machinery.
Environmental control - the supply of automatic control systems to provide ideal conditions for housed livestock or glasshouse crops or for the drying and conditioning of crops such as grain and potatoes.
Mechanisation - the application of machines to farm production systems
Specialist courses in agricultural engineering are available at all levels.
There are two main branches of horticulture:
Commercial horticulture covers specialisms such as fruit growing, glasshouse crops, ornamental plants, nursery stock production and garden centres
Amenity horticulture covers the provision and maintenance of amenity areas for the public, including parks, gardens and golf courses
If you are wondering which branch of horticulture would suit you best, consider joining a training course or take advantage of work experience opportunities provided by your school or college to sample a little from one or more of the specialist areas before making a major decision.
Environmental Science
There has been a rapid growth in the number of people working in the area of environmental science. Here are some of the main activities:
Environmental Impact Assessment - predicting the likely positive or negative consequences of proposed developments, such as a new motorway, factory or sewage treatment plant.
Environmental Management - managing an area of land to preserve or create a specific habitat or landscape, such as coastal marshes or sand dunes
Rangers - looking after and maintaining areas of wildlife, usually in association with wardens or conservation officers
Appropriately enough, there are two main branches when it comes to working with trees.
Forestry is the science and practice of managing forests and woodlands. The work can include:
- Establishing conifer plantations for timber production
- Creating broad-leaved woods for amenity and game management
- Raising seedlings and transplants in forest nurseries
- Felling and transporting wood for sawmills and pulp factories
Arboriculture is about growing trees and shrubs for amenity purposes. The work can include:
- Maintaining the health and appearance of trees by thinning and tree surgery operations
- Designing landscaping schemes
- Implementing and managing tree care and tree planting contracts
- Establishing trees and amenity shrubs
Specialised training courses are available at many different levels
Gamekeeping
During the spring and summer, gamekeepers working on game farms rear young pheasants, partridges and other birds, which are later released to the wild. Moorland keepers, who look after grouse, do not have game to rear but have a heavy commitment to predator control.
The busiest time of the year is the shooting season. The shoot habitat has to be managed and may include such things as heather burning, woodland clearing, hedgerow improvement and pond maintenance. Vermin control is also an important part of the work and night-time patrols may be required to combat organised poaching.
There are some 16 agricultural colleges offering courses for people who would like to train as gamekeepers.
Tell me more!
For more information on countryside careers call at your local careers centre or contact Lantra Information Services: www.lantra.co.uk/
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