SFIRP | Career Q&A Sessions – Unusual Farming Digital Learning Kit

Unusual Farming

This theme explores some of the lesser-known food and fibre careers and in so doing encourages students to consider new ideas about food and fibre production. It covers saffron production, lemon myrtle production and carbon farming. Saffron production is a niche market, very labour intensive and uses minimal technology to produce a specialty product. Lemon myrtle production highlights the potential of the commercialisation of Australian native plants as sources of new foods and medicines. Carbon farming provides landholders a mechanism to combat climate change through carbon capture and selling carbon credits. Landholders actively manage landscapes and so are in a position to employ management strategies to capture carbon in the landscape. Consultants provide assistance to landholders as to how best achieve this in order to earn carbon credits.

This Digital Learning Kit resource contains:

• 3 Videos
• 1 Worksheets PDF

Unusual Farming Digital Learning Kit – Worksheets

Unusual Farming Student Worksheet  is designed to be used in conjunction with the videos. These worksheets give students have an opportunity to answer questions about the videos, create a job description for a role and research agricultural careers in greater detail.
Access worksheets:

Access Teacher Guide:

Associated Agriculture Careers Resources:

• PIEFA Career Paths in Agriculture Poster
• PIEFA Step into Agriculture Poster
• Charles Sturt University Careers in Agriculture Poster

Click on the Poster you would like to download

Unusual Farming Digital Learning Kit – Videos

This series of Career Q&A videos forms part of a suite of resources promoting careers within agriculture. Three candidates are interviewed and asked the same series of questions about their careers in agriculture. The videos can either be watched individually, depending on the topic, or all three of the videos can be watched together. To explore the rest of our Digital Learning Kits, based on the other themes, please click

The following videos discuss some of the industry’s issues as well as demonstrating the variety of roles, both as producers and off farm roles within the industry.

• Angela Argyle, GM, Argyle Australian Saffron
• Darren McCoy, CEO, Myrtle Co Organic
• Ian Loane, Carbon Farming Advisor Lead & Tasmanian Farmer

The candidates are asked the following questions:

• Where did you go to school and what was your favourite subject?
• Describe what you do.
• Describe a typical day.
• Explain how what you do is adapted for Australian agriculture.
• Explain how technology has changed the way you do things.
• Identify something that surprised you about your career.
• Describe the most useful skill you require for your role.
• Identify some of the challenges facing young people starting in your role and explain how they can overcome them.
• What shoes do you wear to work?
• Where do you sit on the CSU Career Pathway Poster?

Career Q&A | Angela Argyle, Argyle Australian Saffron (9.57 min)

Career Q&A | Darren McCoy, CEO, Myrtle Co Organic (8.41 min)

Career Q&A | Ian Loane, Carbon Farming Advisor Lead & Tasmanian Farmer (8.45 min)