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Meet the Youth in Agriculture
Meet Rovoni Scott, at the tender age of 13 years old, Rovoni Scott began his journey as a future farmer, while balancing his desire of becoming a Neurosurgeon. After joining the 4H Club, he started his layer chicken project with 30 chickens, which increased to 50 within a few months. The financial success of his chicken project allowed him to use proceeds from the business to cover the costs of two classmates’ Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination fees. His passion for helping others, and success of his chicken project led him to win the National 4H Boy of the Year award in 2018. A year later, Rovoni is the Principal's Honour Roll recipient at the Hopewell High School, and a successful Egg Farmer. His Layer bird farm, which started with 30 birds has doubled, with a production output of 20 dozen eggs weekly. His customers comprise of community members as well as a local supermarket. The support of his Father and Mother has contributed to his ability to successfully maintain his business, and pursue his dream to become a Neurosurgeon. His passion for Agriculture has inspired his classmates to pursue a career in Agriculture. Although his long-term goal is in the field of Medicine, nothing will stop him from raising chickens. 
Meet Dillon Grant, a 24 year old college student from St. Mary. Dillon always wanted to do something major in Agriculture, not just for himself, but also for his country. Growing up with his grandmother, Dillon’s childhood involved hours in the fields after school, eating sugar cane, and assisting his caretaker to reap and prepare the lands. Dillon recalls planting his first piece of yam and waiting a couple of months for it to bear. This inspired a passion to nurture and watch it develop. His pursuit of Agriculture began with an application at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) to study Environmental Science but decided to change course, and apply to the College of Agriculture Science and Education (C.A.S.E). After 3 years of studying Agriculture Education, Dillon’s knowledge in Agriculture lead him to explore a future in Animal Genetics. His studies in Animal Genetics developed into a passionate search to answers to produce and develop quality genetics certain breeds of cattle. Inspired by the work of Dr. Karl Wellington, cattle farmer and respected animal geneticist with 60 years of expertise, Dillon got the opportunity to meet Dr. Wellington at his YS Farms in St. Elizabeth. After expressing his passion for animal genetics, and his future plans for Agriculture, Dr. Wellington gave Dillon his support and interest in guiding him through his journey to the development, maintenance and conservation of Jamaica’s four cattle breeds - the Jamaica Red Poll, Jamaica Black Poll, Jamaica Brahman and Jamaica Hope. Dillon believes that somebody has to fill that gap, and creating a bridge between the two generations to ensure the sustainability of the Agriculture industry. He intends to complete his Bachelors of Science in Agriculture Education, and hopefully, with his guidance, fill the huge shoes of Dr. Wellington. 
Meet Okeito Thompson, at 26 years old, he is a young farmer from Colley Mountain, Manchester with a passion for community involvement and development. Coming from a family of farmers Okeito Thompson drew inspiration from his mother and grandfather and began rearing goats at a young age. Starting a small backyard farm with a few goats, by age 15 Okeito was supplying his local market with goat meat, until an unfortunate turn caused him to lose a majority of his goats to an unknown disease. Okeito viewed this setback as an opportunity to expand, and focused on a new plan; venturing into cattle rearing and crop farming pumpkins and sweet potatoes. With the knowledge gained by aligning with 4H, including record keeping and accounting, within two years Okeito was able to start his cattle farm. Being an active member of his community as well as a church minister, Okeito, concerned with the decline in the number of active farmers in the community, started the Broad Unity Community Club. This community initiative deals with the holistic development of its members. Grateful for the assistance received from 4H, he intends to register this community program with them in an effort to connect its youth with key players in the agriculture industry. This community program not only focuses on farming, but also sports and other areas of study. 
Meet Rohan Roberts, 28 year old farmer hailing from the cool hills of Christiana, Manchester. Rohan was accustomed to the early mornings of a farmer from a tender age. Raising cattle with his father would provide the foundation he needed to start his own business. However, like most teenagers, Rohan drifted from farming to focus on other areas of his life, but redirected to Agriculture at age 17. In seeking a profitable venture in crop and livestock production, Rohan found land to grow an array of produce and raise animals. Rohan and two other farm handlers manually cleared more than 5 acres of land to start his farm. Rohan would visit other farmers to learn more and started planting sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, Rohan lost all his sweet potatoes to pesticides. Learning from his mistakes, he moved to Irish potatoes, which resulted in his first profit. After three years mastering his craft in farming, Rohan completed his degree in Finance and International Business from the University of Technology (Utech) in 2012. His experience in farming encouraged him to combine his love for Agriculture and his passion for Finance. While one crop was in production, Rohan would invest his profits from his last harvest. Since farmers earn periodically, he believed that investing would enable him to increase his capital and utilize his earnings better. With his knowledge in Finance, Rohan encourages other farmers to appreciate the importance of financial awareness; minimising production costs and maximising down time during production. Along with financial awareness, Rohan was self-aware of the food services; knowing where his food was coming from, and the procedures used to cultivate produce. After production loss and theft nothing deterred him from his pursuit. Seven years later, Rohan is the proud owner of Tiverton Farms located in Christiana, Manchester. His beautiful farm sits atop the cool hills of Manchester, guarded by two friendly puppies. Rohan currently raises cattle and goats, and grows sweet potatoes, cabbage, sweet peppers and carrots. 
Meet Lawrence Lynch, owner of Lynch Farms in Yallahs St. Thomas. Now 30 years old, Lawrence, inspired by his grandfather, who raised 11 children and built a home through agriculture, discovered at the age of 26 that agriculture may be his future career. Unfortunately, his journey to agriculture began by his grandfather’s side in the hospital. Explaining his accomplishment during his time in agriculture, Lawrence’s grandfather encouraged him to become his own boss; creating a life where he could support his life the way he did. After the visit with his grandfather, Lawrence began enquiring about farming programmes in St Thomas. His search led him to the Yallahs Agri-Park initiative in 2013. He decided to join to the program, which included training from CASE, Agri-Grace and Nutramix for farmers in the area. Following the training sessions, Lawrence was equipped with the knowledge to potentially take over his grandfather’s farm. Delaying his plans to pursue a career in nursing, and starting his career of farming. Apart of the Government’s initiative to reduce the amount of onions imported in Jamaica, Lawrence started farming 1 acre of onion in 2014, which increased by 1 acre each year. Although onions grew well on his farm, Lawrence struggled with labour cost for reaping season. Along with labour cost, acquiring a tractor for the Yallahs Agri-Park farmers was the biggest challenge. Lawrence intends to establish consistent delivery of produce to his customers by including more technology into his production. This includes switching from overhead sprinkler to drip irrigation, and installing a moisture testing system. With a demanding marketing, Lawrence provides Spain Grains with onions following its reaping seasons; Fall and Spring. After four years in agriculture, Lawrence has a family of his own; a wife, daughter and his eight month old son. With 10 acres at the back of the family land, Lawrence uses his farm to support his family similarly to how his grandfather did. 
Meet 28 year old farmer Diandra Rowe, the only girl of three siblings, her journey to Agriculture began with the success of her family’s greenhouse business. As the breadwinner of the family, Diandra’s father, Jervis Rowe started Abbey Gardens Farm over 25 years ago as an open field operation, but then became one of the first farms in Jamaica to convert to greenhouse farming. Due to the demand for her father’s greenhouse farming expertise, the farm struggled without consistent management. At the age of 24, concerned about the state of the farm, Diandra volunteered to take over management of the farm. A successful sales executive at ATL for Audi, Diandra was motivated by her wealthy customer’s interest in Agriculture. So she submitted her resignation and went to Manchester to support her father’s farm. As a young budding farmer, the initial stage of her tenure was faced with challenges of workers who refused to accept her leadership coupled by her inexperience in greenhouse operation, which made her first few months difficult. Diandra spent her free time reading agriculture books and watching videos to expand her knowledge in the area. Within one year, Diandra constructed three new greenhouses, an office area, and solar systems for the farm. Diandra’s success did not go unnoticed as representatives from ECO Trinidad, who visited to interview her father, were impressed with progress she had made. As a Woman in Agriculture, ECO Trinidad sent Diandra to countries across the Caribbean, and three states in the US for presentations. Appreciative of the opportunity, Diandra used the information she received to improve the farm. Diandra is 2019's JAS Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show's: 🏆Young Champion Farmer 🏆Champion Greenhouse Farmer 🏅2nd Place Champion Farmer Her 10-year plan for the farm is to turn it into a household name. This includes branding her products for distribution to supermarkets across the island. Diandra also hosts a school tour in an effort to encourage students and budding farmers to pursue Agriculture as a viable industry. 
Youth in Agriculture – Renardo Stone 🐷🐖 For as long as he can remember, Renardo Stone has always had a passion for agriculture. It’s that drive and zest which led him to pursue studies at the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE), as he prepares for a professional career in agriculture. However, the journey has not been an easy one for the 23-year-old who is originally from Comfort District, Manchester. Having lost his mother during his high school years, he worked on a pig farm to gain valuable experience in dealing with animals. He shared how he got into agriculture. ‘Initially, I was more in favour of goats. I usually plant pumpkin, red peas, callaloo, string beans and corn in my family’s backyard. One morning while tending to my goats, I saw this huge boar on the wall and it was right in time for feeding. That awakened my curiosity towards the animals because with the little that I knew at the time, I could not believe that a pig could be that big. So just by seeing that I wanted to learn more about them and to see how they transform from being so small to being so big in such a short period’, Stone explained. Having developed a curiosity for pigs, Renardo’s passion blossomed on his cousin’s pig farm, which was in close proximity to his family home. ‘I have uncles who are involved in crop production but not on a large scale as well as a cousin who is involved in livestock farming. I was terrified at first but by slowly adapting to the husbandry practices that are done on a daily basis and the other things such as feeding and performing various activities like post-natal care, I became comfortable around them. This helped me to overcome my fears and it was the beginning of how my passion for pigs came into play’. View all 6 comments x3m_8 I'm proud of you little brother... 👏🔥🔥 theo3dot Big up yuh self stone 💯 farmnutramix He continued ‘Pigs are extraordinarily intelligent. They are curious and insightful animals who are widely accepted as being smarter than young children of at least 3 years of age, dogs, and even some primates. Pigs are extremely sociable animals and they form close bonds with other individuals and love close contact and lying down together’ After completing studies at Bellefield High, the 21-year-old got the opportunity to manage a pig farm in St Ann. ‘I was working alone and did all the duties as it related to the upkeep and the continuous development of the facility. I did everything to maintain a high standard of farm operation’, he said. farmnutramix He spoke about his contribution in transforming the farm to a successful operation. ‘My first aim was to get the aesthetics up and functional including the watering system and the sanitation and the overall farm hygiene. After a few trials, I managed to perfect the art and created a system where I would have at least two sow farrowing every week with filtering the stock that we purchased from other facility. In less than a year I moved the number of pigs from 19 to 108’. With one-year of practical experience, he wanted to add theoretical knowledge to his portfolio. So, he decided to pursue a Bachelor at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education in 2016. He shared how he plans to contribute to the agriculture sector after completing his studies. ‘I intend to continue with my education and still chasing after my career goal which is to become a veterinarian or an animal technician and most defiantly an entrepreneur. In order for all of this to happen financing has to come into play so it’s a high possibility that I might have to work before venturing into the next phase of my education and career path’. Renardo is among twelve persons selected as Nutramix Youth in Agriculture Ambassadors for 2019. He shared what the accolade means to him. ‘This is an opportunity of a lifetime, for me to develop my interpersonal skills and most importantly to get the opportunity to spread the message about the good that can come from agriculture. It signifies that one has to remain focused and dedicated towards what you are passionate about’. 
Ricardo Chambers enjoyed a prolific career on the track. Specialising in the 400m, the Olympian represented Jamaica at several international track meets. But three years ago, he walked away from it all. Today, he is the owner of a vertical hydroponics farm, which is located in Spur Tree, Manchester. He explained how the about-turn happened. “My interest really started to develop from me encouraging other farmers to try using different methods of farming. They were mostly resistant to trying new things, so I started the farm to show others the possibilities when using technology to farm,” Chambers told the Jamaica Observer. With the objective to make a significant contribution to the agriculture sector by introducing new methods of farming to farmers, the 34-year-old Chambers decided to put the brakes on a career in track and field. “I stepped away from track in 2016 and now I am fully focused on the farm. My biggest motivation comes from my mission to revolutionise the agriculture sector in Jamaica,'” he told Career & Education. Chambers farms on 12,000 square feet of land, which is located at Swaby's Hope. The operation began a year ago. “The objective of the vertical hydro farm is to maximise our yield using the least amount of resources while farming on a small area of land. Our farm is a research facility, so we can collect data and spread to other farmers so they can utilise that information,” he explained. Born in Trelawny, Chambers attended Christiana High School in Manchester before migrating to the United States. He later attended Florida State University. In an effort to familiarise himself with the technicalities associated with farming, he studied agriculture at Ebony HEART Academy in Clarendon. Later, he did research on countries with similar climate conditions to Jamaica and those that had access to technology. He also visited farms in the United States to gain additional knowledge. Chambers acknowledged that some of his friends and associates were not supportive of his decision to pursue farming as a profession. “Most people still don't see agriculture as a valuable career, so persons were not in support of it. However, my close friends and family are supportive of what I am doing,” he shared. He continued,”I'm now farming fruits and vegetables but my main focus are strawberries and grape. I do plan to get into other areas of agriculture in the future”. Chambers had some advice for young people wishing to pursue agriculture as a career choice. “My best advice to our youth is that agriculture is very, very very lucrative. With the Internet and technology, agriculture is now easier and sexier,” he said. Chambers is one of the 2019 Nutramix Youth in Agriculture ambassadors, inspiring young people to look at agriculture as a viable and lucrative career. 
Sixteen-year-old Matthew Thomas has always had a competitive spirit. It has seen him win several awards at the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food Show, a tally which the youngster intends on increasing at this year's staging set for this weekend, August 4-6. Thomas, an aspiring veterinarian who holds multiple champion titles, will enter his cattle in three categories this year. “I will be entering two bulls in the Other Beef Breeds Over 3 Years and Under 5; one bull in the Other Beef Breeds 2-3 Years old; and a dairy bull in 2-3 years old,” he told the Jamaica Observer. Thomas grew up around dairy farmers, trainers, veterinarians and nutritionists, and has been competing at Denbigh each year since he was 12, earning his first Champion award (Supreme Champion daity Heifer) at the age of 13. His other accolades include Supreme Champion Raw Sheep (2015), Champion Bull (Other Beef Breeds, 2017 and 2018); and Champion Diary Heifer (Other Dairy Breeds, 2016 and 2017). “Winning the awards signifies to me that all the hard work that is put into the animals has not been in vain. It also serves as motivation to continue my journey in agriculture,” the teenager said. Thomas explained how he prepares his animals for the internationally recognised agriculture event. “As it gets closer to Denbigh each year, we start to familiarise our animals with the harnesses we use so that when we parade them in the ring they are not as agitated and uncomfortable. We also increase the personal interaction they are exposed to through practising them to lead so that parading is easier and they are not easily startled when the crowd is around them,” he said. Thomas has over 180 heads of cattle, which are at his family's farm in Gutters, St Catherine. He has 60 goats, which are kept on lands owned by a friend in Old Harbour, while his flock of 30 sheep on a friend's farm in Rhymesbury, Clarendon. “I have been involved in cattle and sheep farming ever since birth. My interest developed after I was introduced to animals at a very early age. My father would always take me to the farm with him on weekends and I instantly gravitated toward the animals. From there on, my love for animals and farming continued to grow,” he told Career & Education. He continued, “What I like most about the animals is the interaction I have with them especially the cows. I always like to say that just like humans they all have little personalities about them and they can be some of the most caring animals toward each other”. Thomas grew up in Four Paths, Clarendon and is a past student of Glenmuir High School. He currently attends Timber Creek High School in Florida and is simultaneously pursuing courses at Valencia College. “I will graduate from Valencia and Timber Creek at the same time with an Associate of Arts Degree and my high school diploma. From there, I plan to attend college,” said Thomas. Now home for the holidays, Thomas says his father has taken over the responsibility of caring for the animals in his absence. “My father has more responsibility with the animals in the sense that I am no longer always around to help. However, I do take every chance I get, including all holidays, to come home and be with my family and to go out onto the farm,” the teen said. Thomas is a Nutramix Youth in Agriculture ambassador and is featured on the company's the glossy 2019 calendar along with 11 other young farmers. His goats and sheep will be on display at the Nutramix AI display centre during this year's Denbigh Agricultural Industrial Food Show. 
Meet Jermaine Henry, the 27 year old developer of 'FlowFacto' – a trade finance company and app that provides financing to small and medium sized exporters in Jamaica. In 2015, after spending several years working with farmers, processors, middlemen, and exporters in agriculture, Jermaine realized there was a financial gap in the industry – persons needed money to fulfil export orders – and he decided to fill this gap. Drawing from his experience in venture capital and finance, he developed a supplier relationship management app allowing small to medium sized exporters to get access to capital, to introduce farmers’ products to new markets. He and his business partner launched their company in November of 2017, and began lending in March of 2018. Although everything started out manually, their process is now automated through a progressive workflow platform, where they automatically analyse the risk around lending, and help exporters access capital that they could not before. So far, they have been successful with some exporters increasing their revenues by 50%. Although their main target is exporters, farmers also benefit greatly by being paid up front for the products they provide to exporters. Yes, there have been setbacks, but every problem they’ve faced has helped them grow and become stronger. As they continue to grow, their goal is to change the public’s perception of Agriculture to understand that farming is a significant business. Right now, many farms might be small scale and independent, but the app is trying to change that by empowering smart, dedicated, small and medium sized farmers with the capital they need to grow. In 5-10 years they hope to be servicing multiple export markets in the UK, Canada, Mexico, US and South America, as they recognize their unique app is the solution to a global problem, and they believe they have what it takes to make a significant dent in the industry.
