Jayden Corbett was motivated after hearing and reading about whole-farm conversions to carbon forestry.
“It didn’t sit right with me,” he said. “I’m a young guy starting out a career in sheep and beef and heading for the hills but they’re planting out so many of the hills in pine trees.
So Corbett, 22, joined the Waikato Federated Farmers executive at May’s annual meeting.
“I reasoned there was no point just sitting at the dinner table every night and complaining about it.”
At that meeting Corbett found fellow farmers who encouraged him to join in, listen, learn and have a say.
“Federated Farmers took me under their wings, and then president Keith Holmes was keen to see me grow my Feds’ involvement.”
The Waikato branch sponsored Corbett on a one-day leadership workshop that covered topics such as the difference between governance and operational matters, conflict resolution, how to run an effective meeting, and setting values and a strong culture.
“It was excellent,” he said. “I’d got myself into a couple of positions helping at the golf course and the local hall, so it was also quite useful to take those skills back to those smaller community groups.”
Corbett was invited to Wellington to attend a Federated Farmers Meat and Wool Council meeting and, with the value of succession planning in mind, Waikato Meat and Wool chair Reon Verry suggested he might consider becoming his vice chair. And that’s exactly what came about at the province’s annual meeting in May.
Corbett grew up on a small dairy farm at Waerenga, about 20 minutes out of Te Kauwhata.
His granddad was the father figure in the household and while Corbett helped in the cowshed and fed out hay from a young age, his gaze was to the hill country of neighbours’ farms.
“I cottoned on pretty quickly I didn’t want to be a dairy farmer; the early starts weren’t my cup of tea,” Corbett said. “I wanted to be a sheep and beef guy and get off the flats and into the hills.”
At age 14, he knocked at the door of one of those neighbour’s farms and asked about work.
From then his high school holidays and some weekends were taken up with helping in the shearing shed and other farm tasks.
A little bit older and with more experience, he approached another neighbouring farm in the Matahuru Valley.
“That whole summer I was rolling up fences down in the gullies.”
Seven years later, he’s still on the same property and he’s worked his way up the ranks to be manager.
It’s a 1000-hectare dry stock operation raising beef cattle across multiple properties on LUC 6 and 7 land, some of it pretty steep.
Corbett has two shepherds and a general hand under him.
“My bosses are young. I’m young. We get along and when I’d shown I was up to the tasks, they didn’t let my age get in the way.”
The ultimate aim is owning his own place, so he’s very supportive of the work Federated Farmers has put in to try to secure more competition in the banking sector, and to persuade the Government to allow young farmers access to their KiwiSaver funds to buy a first farm or herd.
As a step up the ownership ladder, he’s leased the family dairy farm and is taking it to beef for the first time.
“It’s about 100 hectares and me and granddad are working closely together to put it into intensive beef on the flat country.”
Corbett says better KiwiSaver access and a fairer deal from banks could make a big difference to young farmers – and the succession plans of the older generation.
He recalled having his own struggles with banks to secure the lease and stock when he told them he was 21 going on 22.
His own experience is that Federated Farmers welcomes younger members and will find a fulfilling role for them.
“We need a stronger farming voice now more than ever, especially with our district and regional councils.
“Building up some better communications with younger farmers is important and I also think we can reach out more to other groups to see where our interests align.
“I’m keen to be a part of that.”
Sheep and beef farmer Jayden Corbett joined Waikato Federated Farmers’ Executive at 22.
