Nuffield CEO - A global view of Agriculture with Jodie Redcliffe
“You can find your own way in the world. And if you want to be farmers, we'll talk about it sometime in the future.”
Jodie Redcliffe studied Psychology, can speak fluent Japanese, is a mother of three and her first memories in agriculture are feeding poddy calves on her Pa’s dairy farm. There’s a lot to unpack in this episode!
Her Grandparents dairy farm was too small for their four sons, so Jodie’s Father made his own way in the agricultural industry. It’s a philosophy she has instilled in her own children as she tells them,
“You can find your own way in the world. And if you want to be farmers, we'll talk about it sometime in the future. That time hasn't come yet. I don't know if it's coming or not.”
As a youngster, Jodie moved around regional Queensland as her father was an Extension Officer for the Department of Primary Industries for pigs and poultry.
“He actually liked pigs a lot more than poultry. And then ironically, I married a chook farmer, which kinda was a little weird to begin with.”
As she got to the pointy end of High School in North Queensland, the school’s Rotary Exchange Program caught her eye, and the idea of heading to Finland looked incredibly appetising.
“I was determined to learn another language because it just fascinates me. Because language is so much caught up in the culture of a place... If you don't know a bit of the language, you can’t understand the culture.”
Jodie wished to follow the girl above her and head to Finland, but ended up with her second choice, opting for the program in Japan.
“I'd done six weeks of lessons [in Japanese] before I left.”
“I was homesick, in a homestay and we would just literally sit around the table for dinner, flicking through the dictionary trying to work out what it was we were trying to say. So the first three months were really, really tough. But it's the best way to learn.”
“I lived in Japan for 12 months after high school. And for a long time, it [speaking Japanese] was just a bit of a party trick, really not all that useful. And then I did my Nuffield and it kind of all came together. It's crazy.”
If there is someone in your network who is a Nuffield Scholar, you would be privy to just how much they boast about the program. It is commonly described as a life changing experience. If you’ve ever considered applying, this podcast episode is the one to listen to!
Almost exactly 10 years ago, Jodie was a Nuffield Scholar herself. 10 years before that, the idea to complete a Nuffield was first introduced by the bank manager of her and her husband, Wayne.
At the time, Jodie and Wayne were broiler chicken farmers and had young children on the ground. Jodie shelved the idea, but let it simmer away as a possibility for about a decade.
“By then, the kids were teenagers. So they were able to kind of look after themselves, and certainly look after Wayne for me.”
“It's a lot to go away from your farm and your family and your business for what is in total, somewhere between 14 and 16 weeks.”
The following were Jodie’s Nuffield objectives:
To understand the perceptions of the poultry industry and who drives them
To understand how perceptions of poultry farming have led to the pressures farmers face
To understand what needs to change and be strengthened
To understand how the agenda for change can be set by farmers with the supporting scaffolding of farmer organisations
Images supplied by Jodie Redcliffe.
She presented her findings to the conference in Tasmania and spoke to the then-CEO afterwards. She asked him,
“Why don't we take the [Nuffield] scholars to Japan? It's our biggest trading partner. Our agriculture is so important to them.”
“And he said, ‘Well, we don't have anybody that could take a tour. Could you take a tour?’”
“At that stage, I literally knew nothing about Japanese agriculture.”
But armed with her knowledge of the Japanese language and culture, Jodie was ready to tie all her experiences together. That same day at lunchtime, Jodie and Wayne wrote down all the foods that are iconic to Japan and tie into Agriculture on the back of a serviette.
And then Jodie went on to take the Nuffield tour in Japan.
On their own farm and in their own chicken industry, they were heavily involved in the grower associations and Jodie was even the President of the Australian Chicken Growers Association.
“I did it because I was interested in the industry, I wanted to see the growers do well.”
However, in 2016, Jodie and Wayne made the tough decision to sell their farm.
“By the time we'd finished, it was too much for both of us.”
“I could see the mental stress of working with the growers and taking on their problems. And then for Wayne, the mental stress of worrying about the birds and the heat, the water was getting to both of us.”
“And when one is strong and the other is not, you can help each other. But when both of us were feeling it for different reasons. It was really hard.”
“By then I'd done my Nuffield, so I had more understanding of agriculture as a whole. I think when I went away on my Nuffield, I knew a bit about chooks and not much about anything else. And doing Nuffield makes you think about the big picture and your place in it and what you want to do with your life.”
Jodie is now the CEO of Nuffield Australia and Nuffield Global. She speaks about her Nuffield learnings and their ever-evolving influence on her life.
"The trouble is when you bring everybody up, it just lifts above everybody else, so it's a constant process of improvement."
Jodie continues to learn from her global travels and the people in the Nuffield network. For anyone in the Humans Of Agriculture Community considering their own Nuffield, this podcast will serve as a source of inspiration and a bit of a FAQ!
This episode is part of our partnership with Nuffield Australia. Over 12 months, we'll be sharing a variety of stories from different scholars, understanding their journeys, pathways and how their Nuffield Scholarship has helped shape their careers.
Nuffield Australia awards scholarships each year to farmers in Australia. The objective is to increase practical farming knowledge and management skills and techniques generally. These scholarships give Australian citizens the opportunity to study farming practices in New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the Americas and those countries best suited to the scholar. They will also promote a closer understanding between farmers in the countries visited.
Since 1951, Nuffield have been building capacity for producers, their businesses, industry and rural community. It's a learning opportunity, with business friendships formed with our approachable, global network. There are over 500 Nuffield Scholars in Australia and almost 2,000 worldwide.