IT is a problem many farmers in WA face with each year, particularly around seeding and harvest – where are they going to source extra help to drive tractors or headers?
And it’s not always about finding people – it’s about finding the right people.
On the flipside, many travellers, predominantly backpackers, are seeking jobs to complete enough regional work to apply for an extension to their Australian working holiday visas.
Enter Ley Webster.
The innovative mother of two has developed a unique employment agency over the past five years that helps to teach backpackers the skills required to work on farms, and in turn, match them with farmers seeking workers.
2 Workin Oz was borne out of Ley’s personal experience – when she was forced to seek outside assistance to run her 80 hectare York property following the sudden death of her husband – and also from listening to the wider industry chatter on this topic and deciding there had to be a better formula to secure quality seasonal staff for broadacre farms.
She had relied a lot on employing backpackers to help her on the farm, but found a lot had more negative stories than positive to tell her about their previous experiences on Australian farms.
And she personally experienced a range of personalities that she had to deal with, where some people fitted in well and others made for a more stressful time.
In 2010 Ley said tough farming conditions meant the economies of scale became apparent that if she wanted to remain on the farm and raise her children there, she had to find something else to supplement her income.
So she set about establishing a business that would reduce the stress for farmers seeking workers, and in turn, for workers looking for a job.
Ley identified that it all came down to getting the match-up right between farmers and backpackers, as quite often a lack of knowledge on both parts was contributing to less than satisfactory circumstances.
Around 2011 she participated in the Grow Zone Mentoring Program, which gave her more momentum in the form of confidence to push forward with the concept of 2 Workin Oz, as well as a network of contacts to draw from.
In 2012 she prepared to hold her first course and put the word out to the agricultural industry, telling them she was going to train backpackers and be a contact should they be looking for staff.
She then turned to Facebook to promote the courses for anyone looking for help in securing regional work so they could apply for a second-year visa.
From the one female and two males she put through the first four-day course, it has grown to the point of now having a client base that regularly employs course participants.
Ley said in many businesses, the three-month period that backpackers were required to complete in order to apply for an extension into a second-year working visa, was generally considered a probationary period in which employees would be bought up to speed with the work that was required of them.
The employer was then able to recoup their training costs as the employee became more independent,skilled and productive.
But realistically now so many farmers need only short-term seasonal staff, their employees need to be more able to come in and be productive within days, which was a big expectation for all involved, and as there was no opportunity to recoup training, they had to start again the next season.
This also became a tiring process for the farmers
So Ley’s course was designed around being farm aware and safe; giving them experience with livestock and machinery; and assessing their strengths and weaknesses.
“Some people are just not suited to this type of farm work, and by identifying that early, can save a lot of grief and negativity for both the employer and employee,” she said.
“I identify their employability and suitability to various roles, and following their training, then look to match them accordingly.”
Similarly, Ley had been able to identify whether farmers were good at providing on-the-job training or whether they needed someone competent in specific areas from the outset, which was a big help when making those matches.
Ley said about 95 per cent of the people who had undertaken her course, were backpackers seeking to complete the minimum 88-day primary industry work to apply for their second-year visa.
The incentive is there for them to do the work but there is no government incentive or funding to provide the skills required.
Another benefit Ley highlights through the course is the reality of the job and the importance of it.
“This is the farmers’ livelihood and they need to not only be capable of doing the job when they go onto the farm, but also understand the importance and impact of their involvement,” she said.
The well-rounded courses are run over two seasons each year – pre-seeding, around February to mid-May – and again pre-harvest, which Ley is currently preparing for.
She said many people wanted to do the training and be able to then go straight into work, so it was always a challenge to time training and job opportunities to meet their work and travel goals.
Each course is over four days, during which time a maximum of six people at a time are given a lot of information about working on farms, as well as plenty of hands-on experience.
Ley’s father Harry Taylor, who has more than 50 years of experience and involvement in agriculture, including as a farm skills teacher at the Cunderdin and Narrogin agricultural colleges, takes participants through mechanics and operating farm machinery including tractors, headers and airseeders.
They are also given a grounding in working with sheep and in shearing sheds by trainer Helen Potter who takes them to a working shearing shed where they experience being a roustabout, as well as working in the yards, pushing up sheep and taking part in any animal husbandry tasks being undertaken for the day.
“By going out onto the farm it gives them a good understanding of the processes involved, and how important their role is in helping everything flow,” Ley said.
Goomalling farmer Damien Leeson has used 2 Workin Oz for the past few years to source casual staff at seeding and harvest for his cropping program.
And he has been extremely impressed with the business, which has freed up a lot of time that he would otherwise have spent going through resumes of potential employees.
Damien said Ley was finding suitable staff for him, who when they arrived, had a good knowledge of what was required of them.
“Ley is a hard worker and really professional and she follows up with the employees to make sure they are happy, as well as making sure the farmers are happy too,” he said.
The workload varies with some backpackers preferring to pick fruit and others lured to the Wheatbelt to drive tractors and headers.
By being able to apply for a second-year visa, it gave them the option to stay and work and travel.
Ley said it was a great scheme that really benefitted the agricultural and horticultural industries, which relied on seasonal employees.
“They can really make a positive difference,” she said.
She was keen to help make it a cultural experience for the backpackers and promote Australian agriculture in a positive light.
“There have been many times where I’ve been sitting at my kitchen table and thinking, could this person be the next agricultural minister for Denmark, or a future Prime Minister of Germany?” she said.
“Will they be negotiating world trade deals with Australia in years to come?
“Many of them are well educated, ambitious people and we need to make sure they create positive agriculture experiences and memories of Australia, because it can only help our future.”
It appears Ley is on the right track with a look at the testimonials on her website – one person after another speaking glowingly about their experience with Ley and 2 Workin Oz, and how by doing the course, it had made it easier for them to find an agricultural-based job that they were prepared for.
Ley said running the business had been like riding a rollercoaster and had presented her with challenges as it continued to grow and evolve.
But she accepted it was part of the learning curve and was relishing her involvement in the industry.
“It really is an exciting time to be involved in agriculture,” she said.
“Through this business, I can impact positively on other farming families, helping to provide support and reduce some of the stress that is controllable, while also educating and supporting young travellers in Australia so they get to experience the best of our farm life and agriculture.
“And I can keep my boys involved and engaged in agriculture and rural life too.”
