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Photo by Marian Mehrtens

Gateway Profile - Darcy Gleeson

Marian Mehrtens —

I like farming as it has a range of jobs and every day is different. One day you could be driving a tractor and the next you could be fencing or fixing a building - you really never know. It takes a lot of quick thinking and a bit of DIY and hard yakka

I started Gateway at the start of 2020. I had a fair idea of what I wanted to do but I wasn’t 100 percent sure. I went for a taster day at Power Farming but didn’t feel it was right for me. So then I decided to go to a farm in Claremont and really enjoyed it. This opened my eyes to the world of farming. While I was at school I did two Telford assessments. One on deer farming and the other on working dogs, these included care of the animals and health. I enjoyed doing these as they were right up my alley. I recommend these to anyone looking into farming or wanting to become a farmer in the future.

Half way through the year I left school and did a 2 week farm training course and got a job from it. This gave me the head start I needed and a bit more knowledge. At the moment I am a lambing shepherd on a 350 hectare farm in the Methven area. I have got my first working dog and I am working on training him. It brings a lot of excitement and dedication but it will be rewarding when he is fully trained. I am now working on a 2-3 year apprenticeship through Agritraining NZ.