Dmitry shares his parents’ love of the land
Dmitry Tolmachev is getting to experience a bit of what it was like for his parents growing up in Europe, and it has ignited his passion for farming.
Dmitry moved to Australia with his parents and older brother when he was just one and lived the next 15 years in the outer Melbourne suburb of Hoppers Crossing.
About five years ago, the family bought a block of land near Timboon and grew to like it so much they shifted to the area at the start of 2022.
“My parents both grew up in villages surrounded by farmland,” Dmitry said. “They pretty much lived off the land and that was one of the reasons they bought the block of land so they could have something similar to what they had in Europe.”
It worked for them, and for Dmitry who is now studying an Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management at Longerenong College with support from a DemoDAIRY Foundation school leaver scholarship.
“We lived in Melbourne for 15 years, but I really enjoyed the change of pace out in the country,” he said.
“When we bought the farm, I was exposed to a whole new life, and it really perked my interest in agriculture as a whole. I couldn’t see myself living in the city or having a job in the city.”
After visiting on weekends over a few years, the family moved to Timboon last year and Dmitry graduated from Year 12 at Timboon P-12 School.
“The move definitely helped,” he said. “I realised I like being outdoors.”
Dmitry sees many options after he completes the course in 2024, all revolving around agriculture. “I’m not exactly sure what I want to do but it could be on a cropping farm, or agronomy, which is one of the subjects I find interesting, or I might go home and have a crack at the dairy industry.
“There’s a lot of exposure to livestock and cropping in the course and it opens up many potential job areas in farm and business management. There are endless opportunities.
“The course was a bit daunting at first being away from family but I’ve really taken to it and learn something new every day, even just from talking to my peers. A lot of them are from cropping and livestock farms so you get to see their world from their perspective.”
Dmitry said the DemoDAIRY Foundation scholarship had been a huge help. “Longerenong isn’t cheap as it’s a course with accommodation,” he said. “The scholarship helped make the course more affordable and allow me to have a bit more savings.”
DemoDAIRY Foundation (DDF) is now seeking applications for 2024 scholarships. The closing date for DDF and Powell Legacy Fund school leaver scholarships and also DDF grants is November 25. Visit https://www.demodairy.com.au/application/ or contact DDF secretary Ian Teese on 0427 358987 or itag@bigpond.com for more information.