Zoe Carter

Today I'd love you all to meet Zoe, Zoe is a remarkable young ambassador for youth in Australian agriculture. Zoe is currently living her best life contacting out in remote stations of Australia. She has also gained a massive following on Instagram, where she actively shows her involvement in the industry. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to ask Zoe some questions about how she got to where she is today.

Zoe grew up in Geelong City, Victoria. Zoe lived in the city for 13 years with her parents, when they brought 6 acres and 2 horses. This was Zoe’s first experience in a rural life. I think its safe to say that, those 6 acres and 2 horses changed her life completely! Zoe went on to study a cert II in Agriculture and a cert III in Business. Zoe’s days are now spent contracting and moving around every 3 months, this also sees her working with all different animals on the farm and she is fortunate to see some amazing parts of Australia which most of us will not.

It has been so great to talk to Zoe about her journey so far, Zoe is a strong female farmer to watch. She has the drive, determination and above all passion for the rural community. I hope you enjoy my Q+A with Zoe and if you would like to follow Zoe her Instagram is @zoecarter_aus

1. What does a typical day in your life look like?

Depending on the job! It’s usually different every 3 months as I like to do contract work. Currently, I work in the afternoon at some sheep yards, hours are usually 2pm till anywhere between 9pm to 1am.

2. Who had the biggest impact on you growing up and why?

My grandfather, he has a real happy attitude, never lets age stop him. He’s always been positive, thought the best in people, forgive and always makes time for the good stuff. He always makes me laugh and he is ALWAYS asking about my jobs

3. The best business lesson you have learnt and why?

Don’t take the easy steps straight away. The starts the hardest part and don’t cut corners when starting. It will leave gaps and holes in your business which can lead to issues down the track. Put in the hard yards at the start because it pays off!

4. Do you hold any formal education, and if so has it helped you?

I did VCAL (always labelled for dumb people haha) which I enjoyed. I’m not very good with numbers or getting a grip on things like essays so I was never good at it. I left school with my Cert II in Ag and Cert III in Business management, but employees look at experience not certificates at the end of the day.

5. What do you do for fun?

I love hunting, catching up with mates, tearing around on the horses or bikes or working on my car. I try to make time for that stuff as much as I can

6. What are your future plans?

Short term is to do a tour of Australia, work on stations, visit local pubs, attend as many events as I can and go to schools to educate people about Ag.

Long Term I would love to have my own station and allow inexperienced kids to come to learn the ins and outs of work so they can apply for jobs and know what it’s like heading into the industry.

7. Are you a one-woman show?

Depending on the job. Cattle I usually work alone, with sheep I 100% have a dog with me every time, I currently have 4. I plan on taking my 3 legged dog with me on my tour as a support system to ground me when I get homesick.

8. How have you found working in Agriculture, as a female?

Again depends on the place. There have been two jobs in particular that I’ve struggled with being a female. One job I left, and one I proved to them that females are just as good.

I think we need to be doing more to educate the uneducated. We need to allow inner city kids to get experience so they can then enter the industry. As someone who came from the city the biggest hurdle, I’ve had to face experiences and getting that first job!

10. What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t work for bad bosses! It’s the one thing I put up with for a while and it was a waste of time. I wish I had the confidence I do today to tell them to shove it and to walk away. Whether they treat you like shit or the pays less then peanuts have the guts to quit.

11. What’s your best farming tip?

Don’t feel like you have to put yourself in an unsafe situation. This mainly applies to cattle but if you don’t want to go get that mad bull on your bike because he’s tried crushing you twice then don’t, your safety is more important!

ALL IMAGES FROM @ZOECARTER_AUS