Walking out into the picture-esque surrounds of Mt Sturgeon, breathing in the early crisp Dunkeld air is the probably one of the most pristine workspaces farm manager Jack Kennedy in his young career.
The young farmer begins each day bright and early, allowing his dogs to run among paddock for some exercise while he churns his mind through the most important tasks of the day.
"I generally just do mainly stock work, so there's a lot of drenching and vaccinating happening," Mr Kennedy said.
"We're really big on out rotational grazing here too, so a lot of our days is just, planning and moving. And then whatever jobs come with that, whether you have to fix fences, cleaning troughs, and that sort of thing.
"Sometimes I also have to spend a bit of time doing some research on what sort of rams we should buy and then again we'd do more planning off of that."
He is one of six farm managers at the station, running a dual purpose Merino and cattle enterprise at Mount Sturgeon, but when he's not busy, he helps out any other managers when he can.
READ MORE:
The days on the farm are fulfilling for Mr Kennedy, so much so that he sometimes has to pinch himself that he is getting paid to do what he does.
He was part of the 2022 class of the Breeding Leadership program run by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) which had brought his passion for wool into focus even more, but he nearly missed out on the opportunity.
"I didn't get in for the first time that I applied for the program last year but then luckily for me, COVID hit a couple of other people and I snuck in there," he said.
"It was awesome to have just a week away with other like minded young people,"
The program focuses on developing skills and knowledge in personal leadership as well as strategic planning and team leadership for those who want to forge a path in wool.
The program had Mr Kennedy, and a number of other young sheep producers spend a week in the South Australian town of Clare, in the state's mid-north, with lectures, discussions and field trips to farms in the surrounding area that gave the "full picture" of the whole production line.
Mr Kennedy said observing that whole process he can make better decisions on the farm that are better suited to what will happen to the wool as a finished product.
"It was an incredible experience and great meet a lot of people, spending a lot of time with ourselves and figuring out our personality types too," he said.
"It may be a bit odd to think about this as a farmer, but identifying leadership types and figuring out how to manage people that you are working with is important, so that you can have good relationships with them throughout your working career.
"The course wasn't really wool-specific in that sense, but those skills are really important when working in agriculture."
While his farm hadn't bore the brunt of major flooding that affected much of Victoria, Mr Kennedy said the drenching of rain in the latter half of 2022 was both "challenging" and "annoying".
"Walking around in the mud all day, and seeing relentless rain, there is a mental toll that takes on you," he said.
"You see those sheep standing out in those paddocks that are sodden, when really they should be eating away in the sunshine, you do see that frustration bubbling over, and sometimes people have other underlying issues they are dealing with already,"
Mr Kennedy also runs a men's book club in his region which he says keeps the community connected and drives away the isolation farmers can feel at times.
"The book club does have a huge mental health focus, and in a way, it's good to just chat to people about the interesting stuff we read about."
He also says he felt "pretty lucky" that his employer ensures that he keeps his "stress levels to a minimum,"
"I agree that it's not like this for everyone, especially for those who run family farms, but it's important to make sure you keep yourself grounded."
"For me, when it is bucketing down rain and if there isn't something urgent on the ground that I have to attend to, sometimes it's best to just catch up on office work, that way I feel productive."
Subscribers have access to download our free app today from the App Store or Google Play
