Ambassador hooked at farming expo

A CHANCE discussion with someone from the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre has led Gisborne’s Emma Pollitt into an agricultural career and a love of working with cattle.

The 23-year-old was named the Allflex Senior Beef Ambassador at the Future Beef event held during the 2016 Beef Expo in Feilding.

Wellsford 16 year old Cara Doggett is the new Allflex Intermediate Beef Ambassador.

Pollitt grew up in Gisborne and attended Gisborne Girls’ High School, where a careers expo opened her eyes to the possibility of farming.

She did a Certificate of Agriculture (Levels 1-3) in her first year at Taratahi in Masterton and stayed an extra six months to complete Level 4.

Her first job was on high country station Loch Linnhe at Kingston, near Queenstown, for a couple of summer months then she spent two years as a shepherd general at the Williams’ Turihaua Angus, north of Gisborne.

Pollitt had her first taste of Future Beef in her first few months at Taratahi, which continued through the following few years thanks to Peter McWilliam of the Maungaraki Cattle Company.

Taratahi always has a group of students enter the Hoof and Hook competition at Future Beef and Pollitt says she’s grateful for the teaching and support of McWilliam as a mentor and a ‘‘lender of steers,’’ she says.

After finishing at Turihaua, Pollitt worked casually around Gisborne and started studying vet nursing, which took her to a job as a vet technician for Coast Vet in Wairoa.

She finished a Certificate in Animal Care but the nature and length of the training changed, so she secured a new job as a technical field representative with PGG Wrightson.

‘‘I can’t wait to start. It’s a new challenge within the industry and an exciting opportunity.’’

Pollitt will be representing the East Coast for beef stock judging and cattle handling at the Royal Show in Hawke’s Bay in October and will also attend a show or rural event in Australia as part of her ambassador role.