Emma Sloan is an assitant herd manager for a Dairy in Annan

How did you get into dairy farming?

My entrance into dairying, I guess, was different. I worked in hospitality, mainly hotels and restaurants for 10 years from the age of 15 until I was 25. It was only when COVID happened and I was furloughed, that my old employer quickly decided not to give anyone their old jobs back. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I didn’t want to do nothing. My uncle has a dairy farm not too far from where I was living and they had lost quite a few staff during Covid. I volunteered to go and work for him since I was happy to work six to seven days a week just to earn some money again. Almost instantly I fell in love with it – I just loved working with the cows and really enjoyed milking. Then an opportunity arose to start feeding calves with more outside work calving which I said yes to.

Within six months, they offered me my current job role as assistant herd manager and I have been doing that ever since. I am so grateful to my uncle for giving me the chance – without him, I wouldn’t be here.

What sort of background do you come from?

Both my parents grew up on dairy farms but neither of them took on the responsibility of managing them. Growing up my dad was a police officer and mum was a teacher. We lived in a rural area but not on a farm. I started working in cafes when I was 15 years old and went on to study hospitality and tourism at university. I had been working in a hotel at the time and thought that was what I wanted to do. I worked in America for bit and travelled to Australia working in hospitality, so I felt like that was all I had ever really known. It was quite a leap changing to a career in agriculture.

What does your job entail now as assistant herd manager?

Cow health is a big part of my job as I manage 1500 dairy cows. I also manage the staff and organise schedules to make sure everyone is happy. There are the basic responsibilities such as calving cows, organising foot trimming, making sure animal welfare is up to standard and, of course, keeping up with all the paperwork. When you have a large herd like this you need to ensure that everything and everyone is where they are meant to be.

What do you enjoy most about dairying?

It’s the diversity of the job – 100%. I love getting to work with animals and work outside even on days that it’s miserable and wet. I just think it is an incredibly rewarding career, the fact you can watch a calf being born all the way up to it going into the milking herd to then contribute to the wider business. Coming from a hospitality background I have always been very passionate about food and where food comes from and, encouraging local produce – so it’s great to be part of that process.

Any obstacles you faced?

Certainly my knowledge was pretty scarce when I started but I think because I was passionate and keen to learn that helped. In the beginning, my herd manager was really supportive and he lent me books and resources. He would explain to me why we would do things and why cows would behave in certain ways because I had no clue. I wouldn’t have progressed if I didn’t ask questions and show a keenness to learn.

I didn’t find anyone discouraging me from taking on this role but it was a shock as it’s such a huge jump from what I had been doing previously.

Do you have any advice for choosing a career in dairy?

Labour shortages are a huge problem in agriculture – I would just apply for jobs wherever and whenever you can. If you can express how passionate you are and put in the work, I don’t think anyone can turn around and say no. Be willing to do any job whether that’s milking, calf rearing – just do whatever it takes and ask lots of questions. Research the bits you’re interested in – there are podcasts out there, newspapers, and lots of resources that are available to learn about the industry. The opportunities are out there if people are willing to put in the time.