Name Clinton Gartrell 
Twitter @patirilinea
Age 27
Location Busselton, Western Australia
What part(s) of the industry do you work in? I work in the beef industry, through primary production and live export.
Job title Primary Producer & Live Export Head Stockman
What does your company/ business do? As a primary producer I manage a herds of cattle both commercial and stud for sale to domestic and international markets. As a live export head stockman I work for Wellard Rural Exports, one of the largest exporters of sheep and cattle to markets such as South East Asia, the Middle East and other countries like China and Russia.
Describe your job on the average day All sorts of things make up my day on the farm, between maintaining the property, fencing etc to management of my livestock. In live export, i am responsible for the management of the livestock from the time they are being loaded onto the vessel until they are safely discharged to the buyer in the destination port. This includes organising how the animals will be loaded and unloaded (stocking density and in what order), ensuring sufficient feed has been loaded, managing the feeding program for the livestock, managing the stockmen and crew during the day to day care of the livestock, and maintaining the health and welfare of the animals. I am also responsible for reporting back to the exporting company on a daily basis.
How did you get involved with agriculture? I was born into agriculture, my parents ran a few farms in the Wheatbelt. Although due to an accident where my father injured himself and had to give up farming seen us moving closer to the city, i always had a passion to get back to farming. After all, without primary industry we wouldn’t eat.
Education Mostly experience is my education. I completed primary & high school, and since then i have been through some livestock handling courses & training courses. I am also an accredited stockman.
If you studied/ trained in agriculture, why did you choose that degree/ certificate? Mainly because it was required.
What are/were you plans after school/TAFE/university? To work the land and develop a name for myself as a top breeder and influential member of the agricultural sector.
Job history
Farmer
Live Export Head Stockman
Board Member Rural Youth WA
Chairman Rural Youth WA
What are your interests? Farming & agriculture.
What is your favourite thing about the industry? Several things i love about this industry is the lifestyle, although hard work i always feel some kind of satisfaction out of my job. The other is the people i meet along the way, so much experience can be made from the people you know and are involved with.
Best experience in agriculture? Getting great results from my trips to other countries with livestock and seeing the client’s manage the livestock well.
Worst experience in agriculture? Live export ban
What do you think will be the biggest challenges of the agricultural industry in the future? At present i believe it is having youth involvement in the industry. We need to find a way to keep the next generation of farmers on the farm instead of leaving for the big buck. Also it is getting new blood involved, luring people out of the cities, educating them and making them understand that without primary industry we may all be doomed.
Why do you think less people are becoming involved in agriculture? Simple, there is too much money to be made easily through mining, unfortunately hardship does scare people away from agriculture.
What advice do you have for people thinking about getting into agriculture? Take a risk and get involved. Agriculture can be trying at times, but in the end of the day i believe it makes you a mush better stronger person for it.
How important do you think an agricultural background is to become involved in the industry? A bit of background is sure a winner but i believe experience can be your biggest asset, so why not get involved and give it a go.
What do you think is the most common misconception about agriculture? That we don’t need agriculture, of course we do. Agriculture is 100% more important than mining.
