A NEW program has been set up to help soldiers transition out of the defence force and into the cattle industry – with a recent pilot program giving them a range of on-the-ground experiences.

Jack Blaine founded the Diggers to Stockman program after leaving the Army and transitioning into the beef industry himself.

Following his service, Jack worked on cattle stations and eventually purchased his own property with his family in Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. He has since started selling meat through the Diggers Cattle Company.

“While developing my own company, I had guys reach out to me and ask for assistance to help them get into agriculture and primarily the cattle industry,” Mr Blaine said on The Week in Beef podcast episode below.

“So, I put together a program where we take guys who are either transitioning out or already have transitioned out of the defence force – then we take them to different cattle operations and get them exposure on different properties and get them some vocational training so they can hit the ground running.”

Mr Blaine said there has always been a synergy between the people that get into the military and the people that get into the cattle industry.

“If we look back to sort of World War I, World War II, our best soldiers came from the land,” he said.

“We just need to help them or open their eyes and show them the possibilities that are in the cattle industry. It is such a big industry and there is a plethora of jobs that they can they can take on.”

A comprehensive look at the northern cattle industry

The pilot program was put together to give a comprehensive overview of the northern cattle industry, from pasture management to bull catching right through to processing.

It started on of the McTaggart family’s Central Qld, Balcomba Station near Duaringa, learning about pasture management and supplementation.

“That was a great informative experience where the guys learnt lots,” Mr Blaine said.

“We had to make sure it didn’t go all over their head, like they were able to digest the information, which a lot of them did. They were asking some absolute cracking questions.”

The next stop was at Camm Agriculture’s Longton Station near Pentland in North Queensland – where they processed and preg-tested about 1000 breeders. It was then onto Cerito Station west of Mackay with V&A Rural Contracting mustering cleanskin cattle and finally onto Blaire and Josie Angus’s Signature Beef abattoir and feedlot at Clermont to learn about the end of the supply chain.

“It was an experience that they probably won’t get again, working helicopters and horses,” he said.

“Going to Signature Beef tied it all up nicely, the guys learnt a lot and again asked some great questions.”

Partners sought for future programs

Jack is currently going through the process of registering Diggers to Stockman as a charity with the goal of making it an annual or biannual program.

“We want to get more primary producers to come on board and open their gates and also attract more veterans coming out of the defence force,” he said.

“If there are any primary producers listening or anyone that wants to help out in the industry, we are more than happy to come a give a hand.”

He said there is an application process for the participants, targeting veterans who generally want to get into the industry.

“It is not like a respite or a mental health initiative, it is purely to help them get a foothold in the cattle industry.

“One guy has bought his own property, one is inheriting the property and another guy is looking to purchase a block. These guys have a passion for the cattle industry. So, it is about helping them take that next step.”

Station staff learnt as much the soldiers

Mr Blaine said one of the surprising outcomes of the trip was that it became a learning experience for a lot of the station staff.

“Working with some of the second and third year ringers, they were able to get insights the life and career has evolved for these guys coming out of the military,” he said.

“They are not much older than these guys, it was a great learning objective for the station staff as well.”