‘I’VE WORKED HARD TO EARN RESPECT’
Emma grew up in the outback and isn’t bothered about leading the charge in a man’s world
When Emma Ayliffe stands on her front verandah, she sees open skies and fields of lupin.
Home is 2430 hectares near Lake Cargelligo in Central West NSW where Emma and her partner Craig grow wheat, barley, oats, canola and lupin and raise sheep.
Emma, 29, is also an agronomist, who advises farmers on how they can make the most of their land and crops. She’s often on the road by 5am to check crops and give advice on watering and growing plans, and that’s all second nature to Emma. “Dad managed sheep stations and I grew up in the South Australian outback. I rode horses behind mobs of wild merinos and was a typical station kid,” she says.
“My two sisters and I did School of the Air lessons but spent the rest of the time helping Dad and the station hands in the shed.
“It was normal to take time off to walk sheep to the sheds for shearing.”
When she was 12, Emma’s parents moved closer to Bordertown so she and her sisters could go to high school. It was a culture shock.
“We had to wear shoes and I was in a class with 30 other kids and that didn’t gel well with me! It took me a while to realise I couldn’t go home if I didn’t get my work done,” laughs Emma.
She studied Agricultural Science and initially got a job growing cotton about 140km south of Broken Hill. “I was in the middle of the desert so I started work at 5am, checking moisture levels, seeing how the cotton was growing and keeping an eye on bugs,” says Emma. She was one of only four women, but says those taking leading roles in farming is on the rise.
A GREAT FEELING
“Sometimes the older generation of farmers can be difficult – you have to work hard to earn their respect but when you do, it’s a great feeling,” she says.
Emma and Craig, who met on a blind date, can’t imagine not being surrounded by paddocks and open spaces. “I spent a few years in the city during uni and you could not pay me enough money to have neighbours that close again!” she says.
‘I rode horses behind mobs of merinos’