Young Farmer finalist traded design for dairy
11 July 2024 | News
When he found his passion for farming, Zayn Jones needed a way to get out of his career and into agriculture.
Now the 31-year-old dairy farmer has been named Taranaki Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year and will be competing in the Grand Final this week in the hopes to be named national champion.
Growing up Zayn had no roots in agriculture. It was not until he studied a Diploma of Agriculture and a Diploma of Farm Management at Lincoln University that he broke into the industry.
At school he excelled in art class and decided to study graphic design.
The reality of the industry was not as he hoped and he quit his studies feeling disheartened.
“It just wasn’t for me.”
During the summer Zayn went back to his home region of Hawkes Bay and stayed with a friend.
That friend lived on a family farm and before he knew it Zayn was out in the field getting his hands dirty.
“I just fell in love.
“Not just with the work, but the lifestyle.”
Determined to capture that passion Zayn enrolled at Lincoln, where he met other likeminded people.
He had no experience compared to some of his peers who had grown up farming, but loved what he was learning.
“When I started it was a quite a steep learning curve.
“Because I’d found this passion, it was easy.”
When he wanted to move on from studying the university helped him find work in Southland, where he could get further experience.
Now ten years later Zayn is still friends with the people he met on campus and continues to employ what he learnt during his studies.
“I can’t remember all of it, but it’s still useful.
“Even if I’m not 100% on something, I have that grounding from Lincoln to go off.”
The Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final will be held in Hamilton from July 11-13. The winner will be announced on Saturday July 13.
Watch the Livestream of the Grand Final on Saturday night on the NZ Young Farmers website:
