My name is Jakeb Herron. when we meet though, please feel free to call me Jake.

I have a passion for farming and growing, and in particular, systems that significantly reduce or eliminate synthetic & chemical inputs and build soil health, also known as Regenerative Agriculture among other names.

I was raised in rural Manawatu, surrounded by sheep and beef farms as well as a small amount of dairy, and spent a lot of my childhood on my grandparents’ (on both sides) farms.

Finishing school at a younger than normal age, I spent time in Forestry, Agriculture, and building before departing the Manawatu and beginning work on my family's station on the south coast if the Wairarapa in 2012.

This sparked a passion which transformed the trajectory of my life.

I went on to have a career in shepherding, working on farms and high country stations in the lower North and South islands. I spent some time abroad in Canada where I worked on a hay and grain crew, and in Australia on arable and sheep operations in Western Australia. i also spent 3 months droving cattle through central Queensland.

Throughout my career I always had questions and concerns around the heavy use of synthetic fertilisers, the increasing use of chemicals, and the seemingly insatiable demand for more production being placed on our land and its stewards.

In early 2019, not long after returning home from Australia, I stumbled across some answers.
Accidentally finding myself on the page of one Jono Frew, I first heard the words ‘Regenerative Agriculture’, closely followed by words like, ‘Soil biology’ and ‘plant diversity’, not topics that I had heard much about in all my years of industry training in the ‘NPKS’ system.

Instantly I was hooked and a new passion was born. I spent every spare moment reading all that I could and diving down rabbit holes on YouTube.

In late 2019, unable to find a job to gain experience putting these principles into practice, I took on the lease of 160ha in the challenging environment of Fruitlands Central Otago and set about becoming a "Regenerative Farmer".

The 2 years I spent on that farm were the largest growth period in my life and very much the steepest learning curve.

I gained practical experience implementing regenerative practices, and a resilience to not getting things right on the first go.
I also gained a deep appreciation and understanding of what it takes both personally and professionally for someone to set off down this road after a lifetime in the "Conventional" industry.

In late 2021, after a year of discussions, I joined the NPL team as a coach.
This position has given me the opportunity to combine my passions for farming and soil health with other passions and interests in the realms of human connections, communication, and education, as well as travel and adventure!
I feel privileged to be able to do so.

Today, I am a farmer, a health enthusiast (soil, animal, human - the works!), a deep thinker, and a conversationalist.

I am a son, a brother, a friend, and a partner, I am a listener, a student and a coach.

I am committed to creating a world where farmers and growers are celebrated by the masses for growing food that heals our people and planet.