Lockdown down under on a New Zealand dairy farm

Sophie Ferris, a student in the Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture course at Greenmount Campus, CAFRE, joined the New Zealand Dairy Careers ‘Live, Learn and Earn Programme’ in 2019 and spent 12 months here in New Zealand. She has written of her time here in New Zealand and of the programme – we are really pleased to share her story…

I am in my final year of the Level 3 Advanced Technical Extended Diploma in Agriculture course at Greenmount Campus, CAFRE. During 2019/2020 I had the opportunity to undertake my work placement in South Island, New Zealand. CAFRE have a well-established partnership with a company called New Zealand Dairy Careers (NZDC) who manage this ‘Live, Learn and Earn in New Zealand Programme’.

I come from Jerrettpass, Co Down and live on a small dairy farm with 65 cows. I was delighted to get placed on a farm 12,500 miles away milking over ten times the number of cows.

On the 4th June 2019, eleven other students and myself travelled to Christchurch, New Zealand. We were met at the airport by NZDC staff and taken to Pinedale Lodge, Methven for induction training. The training lasted four days and we covered everything including health & safety, cooking, scrambler bike use, opening bank accounts and some students were even assisted to get cars bought and insured. We were given our first week’s grocery shop and were taken to our farms the following week.

• on April 9, 2021