New group Young Farmers Connect supporting access to agriculture

From little things: Jordan Collin from Huntly Organics : Chloe Smith

As it appears in The Weekly Times : August 19, 2020 - Author SARAH HUDSON

New group Young Farmers Connect supporting access to agriculture

Jordan Collin says his success as a new farmer comes down to established farmers willing to share their knowledge. Now he wants to help others get their start in the industry.

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WHEN Jordan and Emma Collin decided they wanted to be farmers, they had no land, no funds and no agricultural knowledge.

Fast forward eight years and the couple this year launched Huntly Organics, on 12ha north of Bendigo, supplying farmers’ markets and retail outlets with a range of 40 vegetable varieties, with plans to grow and mill grain.

Their success, they say, is based largely on the generosity of established farmers willing to share their knowledge.

“Right now farming is a very positive space to be in,” 29-year-old Jordan says.

“There are a lot of farmers who want to help and share their resources.

“Farming is raw and real and we started our first farm when I was 25 and we couldn’t have started without help from others.”

Having been guided by industry peers, the couple now want to give back and are planning to launch a Bendigo chapter of the group Young Farmers Connect later this year.

YFC was started in 2017 in northern NSW and now has 11 groups, or about 200 paid members (an annual membership is $10), including Melbourne Food Bowl, as well as chapters in South Australia, Queensland and several in NSW.

The non-profit group advocates key principles including sustainable farming practices, affordable land for farmers, fair labour practices, and farmer-to-farmer training.

YFC chapters typically meet bimonthly, which (with the exception of a pandemic) can include meetings, social events, farm tours, field days and workshops, offering education, land sharing, industry mentoring and networking.

[ Laid out: Jordan Collin in the field. Picture: Chloe Smith. ]

“I’m still a young farmer but I’m also at the stage that I want to help others interested in farming get in to it and at the same time if others want to offer us more support, even better,” Jordan says.

“Farming changes so fast, from seeds to tools and regenerative agriculture is fascinating, with new research coming out daily, so it really help to bring that knowledge and resources in one space.”

YFC founder Joel Orchard says chapters are focused on issues new farmers face, but the group is inclusive of farmers of all ages and expertise.

“The average age of an Australian farmer is now nearly 60 and so services often aren’t available to support new entrants,” says the 36-year-old, who is a northern NSW mushroom grower.

Support: YFC’s Joel Orchard.

“Those who have grown up on farms have seen how difficult it is and are moving away and at the same time there’s a lot of young people moving out of metro areas wanting to reconnect to rural careers.

“The group is an open platform for involvement, collaboration, support and shared learning so for that reason we don’t put an age limit on membership.”

Joel says he started YFC after two years prior establishing the Northern Rivers Young Farmers Alliance.

“We started that alliance as a way to provide peer support for young farmers wanting to get into the industry.

“Other groups then started up, following the same model, and so — recognising that young farmers felt professionally isolated and that having a support network was a huge benefit — we created a common brand.”

Joel grew up in Warrnambool, surrounded by dairy farms, and went on to complete a science degree. He moved to northern NSW in 2009, soon after managing and working on a variety of farms from bananas to avocados, market gardens to ginger crops. On the back of this work, in 2014 he started his consultation business Future Feeders, which he still runs, specialising in food systems. More recently he has established Swap and Grow Mushrooms from his Lismore garage, selling buckets containing inoculated oyster mushroom spores.

He says YFC focuses on organic, regenerative and sustainable farming models because food production can’t continue on degraded land. “Most young farmers we work with simply see no other way forward.”

Joel says he has grand ambitions for YFC, such as bulk purchases on mulch or fertilisers for members, shared labour and tools, and workshops for business development and financial literary.

He even surveyed members at the start of COVID-19, which highlighted the importance of local food economies.

“We have started an education fund to support training and best practice and we’re working on a range of research papers on land access.

“Our motto is Together We Grow, so it’s all about working in partnership.”