{"id":18257,"date":"2016-04-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/harvesting-usa\/"},"modified":"2022-06-11T03:46:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T15:46:48","slug":"harvesting-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/harvesting-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Harvesting USA"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

\u201cSchool wasn\u2019t exactly my thing, but\u00a0I had to secure a job before leaving, so\u00a0I was pretty lucky to slot in there,\u201d Tim\u00a0says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was absolutely worn out every\u00a0hour after work, but I loved it. To be\u00a0honest I think I came out just as good\u00a0if not better than a graduate cadet \u2013 as\u00a0in I didn\u2019t have any debt, got paid the\u00a0whole time, and ended up with a couple\u00a0of dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

But lured by big machinery, Tim\u00a0set his sights on a season combine\u00a0harvesting in the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was a good opportunity\u00a0to see a bit of the world and drive some\u00a0cool machinery while I was young and\u00a0didn\u2019t have anything holding me back. It\u00a0was always on my list of things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

His first application with a\u00a0harvesting outfit was turned down\u00a0because of a lack of experience. Not one\u00a0to baulk, Tim headed to Taihape and\u00a0drove tractors for three months to meet\u00a0the prerequisite.<\/p>\n

He can\u2019t quite put his finger on why\u00a0<\/span>he loves the idea of big machines, but says\u00a0<\/span>certain characters just do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something quite cool about\u00a0<\/span>driving the biggest model that a company\u00a0<\/span>makes. It\u2019s just a buzz, really.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In December 2014 he got a job with\u00a0<\/span>Westlake Contracting, sold his dogs, and flew\u00a0<\/span>to Minnesota the following April.\u00a0<\/span>First-time recruits have to pay for their\u00a0<\/span>flight and visa but all expenses over there are\u00a0<\/span>covered, including getting a truck licence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A moose running through a harvested wheat field.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Would he do another season over there?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the boss was trying to get all us\u00a0Kiwis back \u2013 offering more money and all\u00a0sorts of things.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could make it work again, I would.\u00a0It was an awesome experience. But I\u2019m\u00a0prioritising my station job now, so probably\u00a0couldn\u2019t wangle it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tim\u2019s shepherding again, on Te Hau station\u00a0near Gisborne, and says he really enjoys being\u00a0back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think my heart\u2019s on the hills with\u00a0dogs. I really missed stock work while\u00a0harvesting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At 21 years old, Tim Garrick\u2019s\u00a0career has already taken him\u00a0from a lifestyle block, to big-country\u00a0shepherding, to driving\u00a0enormous combine harvesters up\u00a0and down the United States.\n\u201cIf I take a liking to an opportunity, I make\u00a0sure it happens,\u201d Tim says. He left Whangarei\u2019s\u00a0Christian Renewal School at 16 when family\u00a0connections landed him a shepherding job on\u00a0a station near Martinborough.\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":18258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t