Getting into farming as a young person can be arduous.
Land is scarce and expensive, and farms are often handed down through family, making it difficult for novices to get a start in agriculture.
Dreams of farming with no agricultural background can be hard to realise, as Joel Orchard knows.
After years of working in the corporate sector, Mr Orchard wanted to farm and moved to the Northern Rivers in New South Wales, but found he needed more than willingness and drive to make it in the industry.
Learning hub for new farmers
In 2014, Joel decided to set up a not-for-profit organisation called Young Farmers Connect, based initially in his local area.
The network supported new, emerging and young farmers, targeting the small-scale farming sector.
Young Farmers Connect has since developed into a national organisation, providing resources, mentoring and a community of support.
"And locally, we just started a network of people getting into the industry and looked at how we could support each other. Bit by bit, we found there was actually heaps of young people doing the same thing. So, yeah, a peer support network was a really natural solution".
Tara Luca and Alex O'Reilly are two such farmers.
Along with Alex's sister, Tess, they grow certified organic tea tree and cut flowers.
Starting two farming businesses was a lofty goal, but after discovering Young Farmers Connect on social media, they found help and support instrumental in their success.
For the couple, an insight into the business and commerce of farming has been an eye-opener.
"That can be really inspiring, talking about the value adding and not even just value adding, but just how to make your product financially viable," said Tara Luca.
But for Ms Luca, the support of a community rates high on the list of services Young Farmers Connect offers.
The not-for-profit organisation has a membership model, but at this stage, anyone can access information on their social media platforms.
Sharing farm knowledge
Along with online support, Young Farmers Connect holds ticketed field days hosted across the country by local chapters.
Kate Keating is a chapter coordinator in South East Queensland, and on a cold day in July, she organised an event in Queensland's Scenic Rim.
The reasons these days are so successful, Kate explains, is because they give people a chance to meet up with like-minded farmers who are getting results.
"We have a really strong community of farmers and producers, really passionate bunch of people, very supportive and welcoming. My job is a very easy one, really. I'm there to provide a platform to help and support them through learning opportunities, peer-to-peer mentoring and that kind of thing," she said.
Hosting the field day is Marcos 'Curly' Malaxetxebarria, a former roofer, turned farmer and inventor. He got involved with Young Farmers Connect in its early days when Mr Orchard reached out.
"Joel was very supportive of us as we started developing machinery and we started our own farm. He's taken a lot of initiative in nurturing this culture of farmers doing their thing," Curly said.
The desire to help, support and pass on knowledge has a pay-it-forward effect, with Curly wanting to do the same.
Mr Orchard also advocates on farmers' behalf at a government level, providing advice and research around the protection and preservation of farmlands.
"There's a real pressure on land that's getting bought up and developed, especially around cities and urban fringe. Some of that farmland is really important to our food security and access to local food. So some forms of protection around that is really important," he said.
Working with mainly small scale farmers, Mr Orchard believes this type of farming is difficult for people to successfully do.
"For a lot of young people they're starting families, plus we've got a rental crisis and all the rest as well, there's a complexity of issues.
"We're advocating for more resources and more support for the industry, but also just recognition of the small scale farming sector and the huge benefits to Australia's food security they offer.
"If we can get more young people involved in industry, the benefits to the community are multiplied."
Watch this story on ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday, or on ABC iview.
