Getting a handle on the big picture for our red meat sector is not for the faint-hearted.
The effervescent Jen Corkran is one of just two New Zealand-based analysts with the global RaboResearch team, with a particular focus on animal protein in the red meat sector. She recently unleashed her latest piece of research, ‘Watering the green shoots in New Zealand sheepmeat’, identifying three pathways to help lift earnings – reassessing trade and diversifying export markets away from China, investing to boost the competitiveness of New Zealand sheepmeat, and lifting domestic consumption.
Always with a smile on her face, Jen gained valuable hands in the dirt farming experience early on in her career, slowly worked her way up the ranks in her agribusiness career, and has a gift for taking complex messages and communicating them in a way that’s easy to understand.
Through it all, Jen’s love for rural New Zealand has remained a driving force, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for this talented woman.
Describe yourself in 3 words: Bubbly, playful, focused.
Can you outline your career pathway? I studied Ag Science at Massey University and then went farming for two years, working on a beef farm in Canterbury. That’s when I got really passionate about hands in the dirt stuff and feeding animals. That practical experience helped me to understand the seasonal nature of farming and the grass growth curve. I went back to uni and did post grad study specialising in Pastoral Science (agronomy and sheep and beef systems) before heading overseas, where I worked on some more farms in the UK.
When I returned, I took a job with Barenbrug and was with them just shy of 12 years. I started in Research & Development and moved into a national role around farm systems and communicating messages about getting the most from home grown feed. I recently started my new role with Rabobank as Senior Animal Protein Analyst for New Zealand.
Was there a lightbulb moment for you? It was realising you can have an impact on others by the way you make them feel, being clear about how you want to live through your own values and realising that flows on to interactions with other people.
You can choose the energy you bring into a room. If you service yourself before you service others, you have the power to make people have a good day, you can impact how they feel through your actions. This is my North Star and, no matter what, I try to bring my best energy to whatever I’m doing.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? For me, it’s a work on and I try to live it every day, not aiming for perfection. That 80/20 rule and embracing that – what are the 20% of tasks I need to do each day to give me 80% of the impact? If I have three hours, what actions will give me maximum impact?
What inspires you? Other people doing great and exciting things that come from a place of passion. People getting on with things, led by their passion, is so infectious.
Dream way to spend a day? I would love to wake up with a coffee, my book and nature outside, farmland scenes in the distance. I’d go for a bush walk or trail run, followed by a picnic and then a night in by the fire with a red wine.
What are you reading/listening to? I love reading. I’m reading this series by Michael Robotham Good Girl, Bad Girl, it’s a psychological thriller. His books go into the human condition and are a great escape from having the brain turned on all day.
I do love podcasts and listen to a range. Anything from Max Lugavere’s podcast The Genius Life is good; it’s based on science and I think anyone with an interest in health and wellness would enjoy them. I also enjoy any podcast that interviews the mind architect, Peter Crone, although he doesn’t have a podcast of his own.
Advice to other woman wanting a career in agribusiness? Get really clear about what it is you are passionate about, but equally, it’s okay to not know right now, maybe you haven’t stumbled across it yet. Agriculture is a long game, there’s no quick flick a switch to your dream career, it takes years of experience.
Surround yourself with good people and mentors who inspire you. Learn about the journeys of others – inspiration leads to motivation and, often, change.
Don’t expect it to be easy. A lot of people who we see that look likes big successes from the outside, they have all overcome challenges is some way or another, but the key is they kept going.
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