Meet the Gen-Z farmer who chose to not follow the herd and go to university - and earns £32k a year 'covered in mud' and milking cows instead of being in an office

For many youngsters, going to university is considered somewhat of a right of passage and a key for securing a well-paid job later down the line. 

Gen-Z farmer Erin Murgatroyd, however, chose not to follow the herd to further education - instead turning to farming as soon as she finished her A-levels, avoiding years of higher education debt. 

The 22-year-old now looks after 400 cows on her farm in Blackawaton, Devon, and earns £32,000 a year spending her days mucking out and milking cows rather than being stuck in an office. 

She is just one of the growing number of those born between 1997 and 2012 to shun further education for careers in heritage industries, according to figures published by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

The heard manager at a dairy farm said: 'While I was in school I got good grades and they wanted me to do basically anything else. As soon as I mentioned farming they shut it down completely and it made me put my back up. 

'So I probably did it more out of spite. I felt like outgrew it and just wasn't interested in going to university.'

architecture she would have spent more time considering it but she has no regrets. 

'I love farming as it's so practical. Being in the outdoors there is so many skills I have been able to learn,' she said. 

'I love taking care of the cows and take pride in producing good quality milk. I love having favourite cows and the organised chaos.'

Miss Murgatroyd began working at Handham View farm, Woodleigh, Devon at 18 where she handled calf feeding and rearing and check stock - earning £8-an-hour.

After working tirelessly for five years she now earns £32k-a-year by looking after 400 cows - feeding, milking, scraping pens on a dairy farm. She works 12 days on and two days off.

The young farmer added: 'I'm on a salary now on £32,000 - which is a lot better for me and really good for age.'

Miss Murgatroyd and her boyfriend, Trevor Wilson, 27, a builder, are looking into building a house and say they would not be in that position if she had racked up debt from going to university.

She said: 'I feel like I am further along in my practical farming knowledge at my age than if I was at university.

'As I would have missed out on those years of actual work and I would still make the same decision to not go to university.'

Miss Murgatroyd  is the only woman in her family to go into farming but her great uncle, Trevor Wilson, 67, farmed all his life and the family grew up near a farm.

She wants wants to encourage other women and girls to consider farming.

Miss Murgatroyd added: 'It is more male dominated. We have young farmers' federation and the girls in it are basically estate agents.

'I am the only one that's farming as a full-time job. There's nothing I can't do in my job that boys can.

'The old farmers - they're astounded and shocked by me rocking up completely dirty, covered in s**t.

'Females are notoriously better at dairy farming than men because you've got be really attentive.'

Miss Murgatroyd said she sometimes feels like missed out on certain experiences like having a gap year or to travel.

She said: 'I like doing what I do, so you sacrifice that. You sacrifice that to be able to it. Farming isn't a job you can just go into.

'It is a hard lifestyle for people and a change in tide of working hours and farmers. If I want to swap jobs in 10 years time I may need to go back to education to get the necessary qualifications which isn't a worry for me.'