Grainswest - Fall 2023

Fall 2023 grainswest.com 27 BRADLEY WITHERS Field supervisor and mechanic at Barr-Ag, Olds Having worked as a heavy duty mechanic in Inverell, New South Wales, Australia, for eight years, Bradley Withers needed a change. Born and raised on a mixed farm, he was keen to try farm life in another country. A contact in Australia connected him to Barr-Ag. He was promptly hired and travelled to Alberta in 2017. With six months of hard work complete and lots of great memories, he returned home. “I would recommend it to everyone,” he said fondly of his first year in Canada. “The experience, all the fun I had, the new people I met. It was quite the time. It was worth it every day.” The adventure proved exciting enough he returned for a victory lap the next year. The Schmitt family liked what they saw and made Withers a full-time job offer at the end of his second stint. He was stunned. “I really wasn’t expecting it because I always intended to return to Australia, but being a heavy diesel mechanic plays a fair role in the farming industry,” he said. Coming from Australia, a production ag powerhouse like Canada, the learning curve was somewhat less steep for him than others. “Growing up we had all the old equipment, so just to learn and understand the newer technology and tractors was a little bit of an adjustment period,” he said. “But it’s very simple and straightforward—as soon as you are shown how to do it, it moves pretty fluidly from there.” Over the years Withers has gone from general farmhand to field supervisor. He primarily runs and organizes work crews in the field or in one of Barr-Ag’s massive sheds where hay and grain are prepared for overseas shipping. In the wintertime he returns to his mechanic roots and preps machinery for spring seeding. “I enjoy it because it gives me a variety of things. I’m not just doing the same thing every day,” he said. Withers has experienced the labour shortage issue from the Canadian side. “We’ve had troubles here with Barr-Ag not being able to get enough people when we needed them,” he said. “It can be a struggle at times.” Over six years Withers has carved out a full life in Canada. He has PR status, is common law married to wife Kayla McFarlane, a Canadian, and the couple are raising their young daughter Holland. His own boss calls him “integral” to Barr- Ag’s business. The outgoing Australian encourages anyone to try working abroad at a farm, whether in Canada or elsewhere. For him, coming to Canada solo was the beginning of an adventure of a lifetime. “It takes no time at all to create a group of friends,” he said. “If anyone is worried about that, I wouldn’t be. It doesn’t take long at all to get a routine and system going once you get here.” For now, the Withers have no plans to leave Canada. An experienced heavy duty mechanic from Australia, Bradley Withers works at Barr-Ag. Six years on, he has built a life in Canada with partner Kayla McFarlane and daughter Holland. Photo:CourtesyofBradleyWithers