Tom Carberry is a fourth-generation farmer from Narrabri NSW on a mixed farming operation. A mixed farm is one which combines different styles of farming like cropping and livestock together. On Tom’s family’s farm, they grow the four C’s - cotton, cereals, canola and cattle.
“I love cattle work and the lifestyle. It’s so unique and special. My wife and I are having kids at the moment and it’s such a great environment to raise them in. My great grandfather won a soldier’s settlement block after World War I and pitched his tent here, then it has been passed down through the generations from there.”
Over the years, their farm has seen a myriad of different innovations to change with whatever has been thrown at them, from the ever changing climate, to increasing input costs of fertiliser and chemicals.
“I think as growers, we have to be innovative. We have to search for and implement new technolgy due to input costs and gross margins that are forever increasing and decreasing respectively. You need to do a lot more than you ever have before. It reflects back to our spraying methods and fertiliser decisions and updating our machinery to be more efficient.”
When asked about what gets him up in the morning his answer is simple; “The love of farming, really. It’s great. There’s something new to do every day because our practices and conditions change. If it was to be a person, I have such a great respect for my dad. He’s such a great role model and I’d say he’s been pivotal to my decision to be a farmer. He’s always been a bit of a hero in my eyes.”
It’s his father’s leadership that Tom tries to carry with him in the work that he does. Recently nominated and appointed to GrainGrowers’ National Policy Group (NPG) as a Northern region representative, Tom will be representing growers from Dubbo into Queensland on the issues they face. Along with fourteen other representatives from across Australia, he will have input into GrainGrowers’ national policy positions beginning January 2025.
“I’m passionate about giving back to an industry that’s given me so much. I’m excited about being a part of the NPG and being directly involved with policy discussions. I believe it’s important that people in the ag industry and growers in particular, can be involved in policy decisions, because if we aren’t involved in these decisions that affect us and our livelihoods, then other people who are not involved will make those decisions for us.”