Traditional Farmer
Character Profile
Neil is a fourth-generation cherry farmer from Yarck in South East Victoria. During his time on the cherry orchard, Neil has seen many harvest workers on his farm, he has also seen considerable changes in the industry. ``Everything used to be 90% done by hand.`` Neil says, ``I'd say at least 80% of what we do on the farm is done by machine, but all the picking is still done by hand. That’s what makes Cherries so expensive.``
When we asked Neil what he thought about harvest workers, he was quick to reply. “If you find a good picker. You grab them with two hands and don’t let go. There are certain areas of the world where picking talent is always better.”
“Attitudes to work have definitely changed,” says Neil. “We used to work in the heat and cold- now there are all sorts of regulations…maybe it’s for the best? I don’t know. It’s definitely made harvest slower and far more expensive for the farmer.”
