“I really wanted to go home. But I thought, I've got to be able to create a new future. And so the only way to do it is to look forward and pursue every opportunity that presents itself with as much vigour and passion as I possibly could.” 

Australia is now home for Nuffield Scholar Jack Milbank. And he has called it that since the year 2000, after a series of life changing events would see him finding himself unable to return home to the family farm in Zimbabwe. 

These changes ultimately shaped Jack’s path for a rich, diverse and interesting life, intertwined with Agriculture and Innovation, all driven by a tenacious hunger to start a new life, with his own farm in Australia. 

“I always presumed that I would come to university in Australia, go straight back to Zim [Zimbabwe] and take over farming.

But obviously things changed quite dramatically in 2000. And yeah, I had to chart a different course, which has led me down some very interesting avenues”

Jack's connection to Agriculture stems from both his mother's and father’s sides and their roots in cattle farming and agronomy in Africa. 

“My grandfather on my father’s side moved to Kenya after World War Two. He went to join an uncle that originally moved up to Kenya in about 1908 and started breeding Baronne”

“On my mum's side, my grandfather was an agronomist who worked for the British Imperial Chemical Company and was posted to Jamaica, where my mum was born. So he was managing sugarcane production in Jamaica, and then eventually moved to Kenya where he set up coffee production.”

“So I suppose having beef farming grandparents and parents on the one side, and agronomists on the other, I've ended up pursuing both sides of Ag.” 

Innovation in times of adversity seems to be an inherited trait for Jack, passed on from a grandfather's own experience during the unilateral declaration of independence in Rhodesia in 1965. Markets to Europe had closed and his grandfather had to think of what he could do with the oranges they had been producing for export but could no longer sell. 

“My grandfather on my mother's side was a very innovative guy and actually developed a vermouth, which was a fermented orange drink. So that sort of got me into the brewing of value adding agricultural commodities that are not otherwise able to be sold”. 

Reflecting on his childhood experiences, Jack recalls a particular moment that shaped his passion for cattle,

“In school holidays, I'd be in the passenger seat of my dad's pickup and drive around the tribal trust lands, just middle of the bush in Zimbabwe. He would buy cattle, they were all indigenous cattle that were tough, fertile, and put on weight quickly. And he used to carry huge wads of Zimbabwe dollars in the glove box of the car, and then developed a trusted relationship with indigenous suppliers” 

Recalling events that Jack’s family encountered in their farming journey in Africa seem unfathomable and heartbreaking at times, with frequent and relentless series of events continuing to present new challenges,

“Our family had been there since the mid-60s. And there's a bush war that started in the early 1970s. That continued on to 1979 when there was independence, and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe”. 

“In the mid-90’s Zimbabwe was exporting about 6 million head of beef cattle to Europe, which they don't export any today. So it's a huge change to go from exporting 6 million to not exporting any.” 

“There was some land redistribution that needed to occur. And obviously there was a referendum that Mugabe lost… And commenced the land redistribution, which saw our sort of community of about 500 farmers in our farming district down to about 2.” 

“…It was a seismic shift in the country's economy. And led to about a 15 year decline in productivity and mass inflation and mass unemployment and sort of a reset of the ag sector”.

"Our farms were taken. 

And yeah, basically just had to accept it at the age of 20.

My mum was killed in that process, and decided at the age of 20, to stay in Australia, and work out a new way to go forward” 

At this time, one brother suffered a brain aneurysm, another brother was “chased out” and moved to Kenya, and his father moved to England.  

“And so we went from a big farming family to everybody dispersed all over the place. 

So we didn't really have much option other than to adapt.

And you have got to be able to create a new future. And so that's what I went about doing”.

Jack was able to very successfully establish himself in Australian agriculture and is now a Father, farmer, beer maker, cattle breeder, agronomist and Nuffield Scholar. 

“Nuffield presented the opportunity to broaden my horizon and see what other markets might exist, or how to do things differently and to pursue that continued education and continued building of networks and relationships, which it did perfectly”. 

“What Nuffield teaches you to do is maintain a network and refer to people and ask questions.”

“It teaches you how to work responsibly and ethically within a network and ensure that you're held accountable, and that you make good decisions.” 

“If we're not adapting and innovating and implementing change, we're stagnant and we're going backwards.

And it will just be a matter of time before someone innovates and goes ahead of us.

So embracing change is one of the key things that I would say is a non-negotiable. You've got to be able to embrace change.” 

Jack sees another emerging issue for Agriculture is changing and adapting the farming processes we are currently reliant on, 

“Western, large-scale, commercial Ag is not sustainable.  And, sure, we've got to feed lots of people, but we've got to fold in sustainable practices.”

“That's more than just greenwashing and a word that people use to market their product. It's got to be actually a lived process”.

People can't afford to be divorced from agriculture, because we're intrinsically linked to it, because we all need to eat, and we all need to breathe, and we all need to drink clean water.

… I think it's almost upon us to say you are involved in agriculture, whether you like it or not. How are you going to contribute to it? 

- Jack

Listen to Jack’s episode on your favourite podcast app or below:

Images supplied by Jack Milbank.

This episode is part of our partnership with Nuffield Australia. Over the next 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.