Young Country: Georgia Steele

1. What is the name of your club, and how long have you been a member?

Tasman Valley Young Farmers. I have been a member with them since February 2024, but I signed up to my first Young Farmers Club in 2021.

2.  What has been the highlight for you of joining Young Farmers? What are the benefits and experiences that you feel have helped you most?

 I think the highlight for me is meeting new people. I’ve learnt so much through different members of the club. Everyone is so willing to help each other and it’s amazing to watch people grow and become more confident in themselves.

3.  How did you become involved in agriculture?

My family owns a sheep and beef farm in the Auckland region. I always loved being outdoors and working with the land.

All of my best memories have been outdoors.

4. What is your job now? Tell us about your role, and what your journey has been like so far.

When I moved to Nelson in 2024, I searched for dairy farming jobs as that is all I had done in the last 6 years but sadly there are not many around.

 I now work for JS Ewers, the South Islands largest market garden company.

I drive tractors, doing irrigation, fertilising and working ground and I love it.

 I love working with big machinery now. It was a huge adjustment from dairy farming, but I've learned so much about the industry and thoroughly enjoy it.

5. What do you think the future of farming will look like, and what would like to see happening in New Zealand agriculture going forward?

That’s a hard question; I would like to see agriculture and horticulture supported more by the people of NZ. For more knowledge about where and how our food is grown to be shown all over the world. For younger people to be given more opportunities to go into our agriculture sectors. I think the future of farming will bring more and more incredible technology that helps farmers and growers to become more efficient and knowledgeable.

6. What are your future plans?

Another hard question! It is tough to say, I really enjoy the Top of the South. It’s a beautiful place full of amazing people and I really love my job and the variety it brings. But I would love to go back to my family’s farm and be the fourth generation that works it.

7.  Who has been your biggest inspiration in agriculture, and why?

I don’t know if I can pick just one! The people in Tasman Valley Young Farmers Club show such dedication in their jobs, whether it’s sheep, beef, velveting or horticulture. They all show such passion and drive for their own respective industries that it fuels me as well. And one of my previous dairy bosses, Brett Rossiter, he taught me so much, many of those life lessons I still use to this day. I owe him a lot.