The average age of an Australian farmer is 58, but it is becoming more common to spot teenagers working on farms as the sector tries to boost its ageing workforce.
Cody Muller, 17, from Queensland's Wide Bay is one of them.
He has been part of the opening cohort in Queensland's first program to introduce students to careers in agriculture during the school holidays.
The Holiday Harvest Jobs Program was established after the Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers noticed the gap in the region's youth entering agricultural employment.
Students apply for and undertake placements working on farms under the same conditions as other casual employees for a minimum of one week.
For Cody, the program and subsequent school-based traineeship provided him with a career lifeline.
"I'm not an academic person. So for me to come out to a farm and get hands-on stuff, I thrive," he said.
"I can't sit still for more than two minutes at school, so when I come out here and I can do something with my hands, I can do it for the next 10 hours.
"The more young people we can get through means the industry keeps rolling and turning over."
'Instrumental' for future farming
Cody's boss at Macadamia Farm Management Tanya McCombe says it is vital to invest in future farmers.
"We get to provide Cody with the foundational knowledge and skills for ag," she said.
"We have immense pride and satisfaction knowing that we have been an instrumental part of the ag future."
Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers' industry services officer Kylie Jackson implemented the program in 2020 after consultation with local agricultural businesses.
"Putting it simply, we do have an ageing industry," Ms Jackson said.
"While they've still got a lot of life left in them, having those younger people join the industry gives the industry an opportunity to get a new lease on life and get new technology in.
"It's giving the industry an opportunity to bring some new fresh blood to it."
Employer challenges
Designed in Bundaberg in collaboration with local agricultural businesses, the program is intended to be transferable to anywhere in Australia.
"We found it a great way to be able to introduce students into the industry without having that pressure of normal employment scenarios," Ms Jackson said.
She said there had been "astounding" interest from students, with more than 50 applications.
"It's testament to the fact that we do have young people who are wanting to enter employment," Ms Jackson said.
But there are challenges with getting businesses on board.
"Without the employers actually being engaged in this program, we have nowhere to place students," Ms Jackson said.
"We are still working with the employer network to educate them on the benefits of taking on youth, because while they don't necessary come readily skilled, they are trainable."
Cody is passionate about agriculture and plans to turn his love of farming into a career.
"If it's something you enjoy, you're going to not only thrive, you're going to get an experience out of it," he said.
