TOP SIRE 2025–2026 MERINOS ON FARM AgCAREERSTART PROVIDES RECRUITMENT HOPE Like many farmers in recent years, Heather and Peter Reid have felt the pressures of the shrinking labour force within the agricultural sector. While advertising for a station hand in December 2024, they found it challenging to attract suitably qualified applicants for their wool growing operation in Central West NSW. They own Kimbriki Station at The Marra, north of Nyngan, where the Reid family has been breeding Merinos for 70 years. “A common thing we found was that we had a lot of applicants who were not suitably qualified,” Heather said. “We need to be confident that they can contribute on the farm.” By chance, Heather happened upon an advertisement in a NSW Farmers magazine for AgCAREERSTART, a gap-year program for 17 to 25-year-olds run by the National Farmers’ Federation, which has provided an opportunity for the Reid’s to attract young people to their remote sheep station. The program matches host farms with participants, providing a pathway to farm employment, training opportunities and a chance to build networks within the industry. 1– – 27 –
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