A farm in Southland, New Zealand, is helping make a big difference in the lives of young people with a passion for agriculture who may not have the resources to fund the training required to get a foothold in the industry.
Jeff Farm is a 2433ha property near Gore, owned and run by the Salvation Army since the early 1950s after it was gifted by farmer Edmund Jeff, with the stipulation it be “used to train young people in farming practices - who would not otherwise have such a career option” - for a career in the New Zealand agricultural industry.
Michael Benton has been General Manager of the training property for the past 12 months, arriving as its Assistant Manager two-and-a-half years ago. In that time, he’s seen the difference the opportunity to pursue their career dreams has made in the lives of the young trainees, who complete a two-year cadetship under Michael and his team.
There are five trainees at Jeff Farm at any one time, usually coming straight from school. They also live on the property and for the next two years they’ll develop a raft of skills—everything from learning how to operate motorbikes, chainsaws and tractors, to fencing, stock procedures and training a working dog.
“The idea is that we teach them the necessary skills needed to make them attractive employees in the agriculture industry once they leave here,” Michael said.
The farm runs close to 30,000 stock units of livestock – cattle, sheep and deer – and grows winter forage crops for the stock including swedes, kale and fodder beet. They have a fleet of four tractors, used across the property for the likes of the cultivation processes for the crops, as well as mowing and baleage.
The trainees have also recently welcomed a new tractor, a Case IH Puma 220, which is the first Case IH tractor on Jeff Farm—now it’s the biggest in the fleet.
“It’s our heavy lifter. It’s going to be doing all the heavy ground work and discing, and the mowing for silage, with a double mower on it. The other tractors are more general tractors for feeding out and tasks like that, while the new Puma is doing all the hard yards,” Michael said.
He said the team at the local Case IH dealership, Agricentre South, had been keen to become involved in the property when they learned about it and what it had been established to achieve.
“They wanted to know the story behind it, which was important to us, and the service they’ve provided has been great. The new Puma has everything we need, and the trainees are certainly enjoying the additional horsepower and all the technology it offers, and how that can assist us in performing all the tasks around the property, enhancing efficiency and productivity,” Michael said.
While Jeff Farm is doing its part to help bolster the future of New Zealand agriculture, its overall productivity also benefits the Salvation Army’s community outreach, contributing funding to the likes of drug rehabilitation programs and university scholarships.
For Michael, his role can be demanding, but the satisfaction he gets from his job is obvious.
“It’s amazing to watch these young people grow and change. The trainees who started at the beginning of this year, they’ve come such a long way already. They come here as teens, and they leave with much more maturity and confidence. Even the difference in the way they hold themselves and present themselves is huge,” he said.
For more information on the Case IH range of machinery, contact your local Case IH dealer.