Cath Jenkins: From droughts and floods to farming success in South Purrumbete
Learning to milk cows and raise children during ‘tough times’, Shine Awards 2022 nominee Cath Jenkins has built an impressive legacy, on farm and off.
It takes determination to start a farming business from scratch and make it work.
Cath Jenkins has more grit than most, building three successful ventures from the ground up, and counting.
Her impressive CV includes dairy farmer, agribusiness consultant, and free-range egg producer.
She is also chair of the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority board, has been a passionate advocate for women and young people in farming, and is a mother of four, with children Harry, 12, Bella, 14, Poppy, 17, and Lily, 19, all involved in the family’s diverse enterprises at South Purrumbete.
“I’ve just always loved living on land with space around you and outside jobs to do,” said Cath, who grew up on a small property on the Mornington Peninsula and always dreamt of a career in farming.
“Agriculture has always been fulfilling for me, just to be part of the food chain.”
Starting as sharefarmers, Cath and her husband, Adam, moved from Melbourne to southwest Victoria in 2004 and have gone from novices to industry experts over the past two decades.
“We went through droughts and floods and fires. Plus we were learning to milk cows and rear kids at the same time. Looking back on it, they were tough times,” Cath said.
“But the tough times make you stronger. It is about life lessons really, trying things out and trying to live without regret.”
Cath’s drive to try new things led the family to move out of dairy and into beef two years ago, selling off part of their property to better manage their landscape and maintain work-life balance.
The change freed up more time to improve their land, with a focus on increasing native vegetation, improving biodiversity and protecting water ways.
Not satisfied with just one enterprise, Cath added a 2000-hen pastured free-range egg operation to the mix in 2020.
“The chickens move around the paddocks … and munch away on the different bugs that are in the pasture so it works out to be a good way to improve the pasture and get the cycling of nutrients happening, as well as fitting in with the cattle,” she said.
Purrumbete Paddock Eggs is off to a flying start, despite hurdles thrown up by pandemic restrictions. Big fluctuations in demand and logistics challenges have defined their first two years in business, but Cath takes it all in her stride.
Selling under two brands, Purrumbete Paddock Eggs and Great Ocean Road Free-Range Eggs, the Jenkins supply independent supermarkets, restaurants and cafes.
Cath said the business also helped them form closer connections with customers.
“When you’re producing milk, you put your milk in the vat and then the factory comes and picks it up and then they do all the rest,” she said. “Whereas we collect the eggs, bring them to the packing room, and then we do all the marketing and the branding.
“It has been really fun having that customer interaction; getting out there on the road and talking about where the eggs come from.”
While farming is her first love, Cath has worked off the property in many farmer-facing roles, including for the Young Dairy Network, as a field officer for Fonterra, in farm business management consulting and as an agribusiness manager for ANZ.
She also jumps at opportunities to become involved in the local community, such as her current role as chair of her local Catchment Management Authority board.
“I’ve enjoyed the sense of responsibility and contribution,” she said. “It is really important to get people on boards. The sooner you can get involved to help give some diversity, the better.”
Cath is a nominee in the 2022 Shine Awards, a partnership between The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman. Nominate a rural woman who deserves to be recognised in the form below.
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