A genuine love of the land

With the season comes gruelling hours, but it’s also rewarding work for farm hands like Cougar McGrath.Mr McGrath, who works for Finley farmer Murray Urquhart, has been in the tractor most evenings and weekends to prepare up to 1200 hectares of farmland.He discovered his love for farming during his Year 10 work experience program, which saw him spend time on his father Steve McGrath’s Finley property in April and May of 2014.He had been living in Melbourne at the time, and the enjoyment he got from the volunteer placement inspired him to make the move back to Finley.In Year 11 at Finley High in 2015 he opted to study agriculture and primary industry subjects, whilst working on the farm on weekends and after school when needed.Instead of continuing on to Year 12, Mr McGrath completed a two year traineeship at his father’s farm.‘‘During busy times when I was working for my dad I spent almost non-stop days in the tractor.‘‘During harvesting and sowing seasons it wasn’t a matter of how long it would take but simply getting stuck in and finishing.‘‘We also spent time mulching rice, corn and wheat stubble around Finley and surrounding areas with contract work.‘‘To be honest, I loved it. I love farming, there is a sense of pride in what I do.‘‘The variety of what I get to do on a daily basis makes farming even more interesting to me.‘‘I’m planting crops that will feed Australia and all around the world.‘‘Sowing is definitely my favourite job on the farm, although you go quite slow, it’s really enjoyable and fulfilling work.’’After the family property was sold in 2017, Mr McGrath started a new apprenticeship in Finley as a mechanic.Later in 2018, during an end of season presentation for the Finley Cats Cricket Club, Mr Urquhart was discussing the upcoming harvest the the next season, and Mr McGrath offered his assistance.He had wanted to get back in to farming so much, he is working on the farm after a full day in the garage.‘‘We worked it out pretty quick at the presentation night,’’ Mr McGrath said.‘‘He has taken into account my work commitments during the day and has even scheduled his days on the farm to help suit the hours I can work for him.‘‘It is really enjoyable working for Murray. He has a lot of trust in me and my abilities.‘‘In return, I do right by him and do the best I can with everything. He has a really good set up, he uses a lot more new technology and has been teaching me every step of the way.‘‘He has been such a big help with taking the time to explain to me what his goals are and what he plans to plant where.‘‘He respects me for the knowledge I have around the farm and talks to me as an equal, which I think has helped me want to work much harder for him.’’Once sowing in completed in May, Mr McGrath will move on to top dressing.‘‘You go a lot faster when spreading than you do when sowing, so we will get through the paddocks a lot quicker.‘‘Once all the crops are in and fertilised, we will look to get some mechanic and maintenance jobs done around the farm.‘‘Around that time I’ll likely drop back from 13 days a fortnight to just weekend work and the occasional evening, whatever Murray needs from me.’’While Mr McGrath aspires to one day own his own farm, he said it becoming a reality is still ‘‘a long way off’’.‘‘I would love to run my own farm one day.‘‘It’s something I would love doing, but I think I have a lot more to learn from all aspects of farming before I can.‘‘That, and I would need the land on which do it, which is another obstacle.’’