On The Road with Jack Mclaughlan
Jack Mclaughlan – Livestock Representative (Lower South Island)
After two and a half years of hands-on learning up and down the country, Livestock Rep Jack Mclaughlan has finally settled down in Winton. Jack’s taking over the Central Southland region from experienced rep, Barry Brown, who spent 40 years in the saddle.
Being involved in farming was likely always on the cards. Jack spent his early years working on the family farm in Waikouaiti, just north of Dunedin.
“My family has a dairy farm, so I’ve been pretty hands-on. For years I did a lot of holiday work with cattle before going to University of Otago where I graduated with a Commerce degree.”
Jack joined Silver Fern Farms in 2024 and, through a combination of mentoring and placements around the country, has built the experience and confidence that is serving him well in his new role.
“Early on I got to work with the Livestock Team in Whangarei, spending six weeks in the Far North which was a great experience. I spent a month with our On-Farm Sustainability team in Canterbury as well as time in Southland, Otago and Canterbury with other experienced livestock reps."
Kicking off his first season as a rep, Jack has seen first-hand the challenges farmers in the south sometimes face.
“It’s been a tough old start to the season for everyone; the weather is one of the biggest challenges down here. When I started there was a 48-hour period where we had rain, snow, sleet and wind, during the first weeks of lambing. So that was tough and I was meeting some farmers for the first time. But these guys are resilient, they are now in full planning mode for all scenarios the upcoming season might bring.”
When conditions are challenging, relationships become more important than ever. Livestock Reps play a key role in supporting farmers and connecting them with the wider business.
"Barry Brown has a very loyal supply base that he's built over nearly 40 years.
We called in on a farm when Barry was finishing up, and the family there had just had their first baby. It was the fifth generation that Barry had seen on their farm, as their rep.
That was pretty cool to see.”
“A high priority for me is to build strong relationships, so I’m keen to get on the ground and make those connections.”
Jack has been quick to get involved in his community, attending Young Farmers, farmer field days, Beef & Lamb community events.
“The locals will see me out and about. I'll be refereeing rugby, some of the farmers play rugby and I suspect I’ll end up getting an earful both at work and on the field!”
While relationships with farmers are central to the role, success also relies on strong connections across the business.
“Having my own area means the buck stops with me, so I also need to have close relationships with our teams across Silver Fern Farms. We work every day with our Livestock Allocation team, the team at site and Site Managers to make sure things are running smoothly. Getting that balance right for our farmers, from booking their livestock in, getting it on the road and to our sites.”
Jack's commerce degree also helps him connect on-farm decisions with customer and market outcomes, providing farmers with valuable commercial context.
“I have regular conversations with our farmers about how what they do makes an impact for our customers; it’s good to be able to hopefully give the farmer some commercial context to consider what they might do on farm.”
A career as a Livestock Rep merges the passions that Jack had early on.
“Working with people and working with stock are probably the two things that I wanted in my job. So, I love what I do. There is always a bit of pressure when you're on the gate drafting or loading stock."
“Our farmers are proud of what they do, and as reps we're proud of what we do - we are all working together towards getting a good result.”
“I followed one of my transporters around yesterday and they had about six pickups with cattle from my suppliers. I got to chat to everyone along the way, made some new connections. That was a good day.”
For Jack, it's these everyday conversations and connections with farmers that make the role rewarding. Keep an eye out for him if you are in the Lower South Island, he's looking forward to building relationships across for many years to come.
