Haydon Martin
Product Manager — Landpower Vegetable Centre
Where do you come from?
Moama, New South Wales, Australia
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I originally come from a small rural town in New South Wales (NSW). I grew up working on friends’ and relatives’ farms and developed a passion for agriculture. I followed this passion through to university where I studied a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne. Following my graduation in December 2016, I spent a year working on a large cropping farm in central NSW and then spent four months travelling throughout Europe and the USA. Upon returning home, I was successful in my application for the Landpower and CLAAS Harvest Centre Graduate Program and commenced work in February 2018.
What does a typical day involve during the Graduate Program?
Being in a Graduate role, every day was different for me and my schedule was always busy. In any given day I could be visiting customers on farm, attending field and demonstration days, shadowing Service Technicians as well as marketing new and used machinery.
What did you enjoy most about the Graduate program?
With the extensive CLAAS Harvest Centre retail network, I had the opportunity to travel far and wide across both New Zealand and Australia, working with different people and experiencing different areas. This opportunity to travel is something that really sets the Landpower and CLAAS Harvest Centre Graduate Program apart.
How did you get involved in the Graduate Program?
I attended a GradLink engagement night in Melbourne back in 2016 where I met one of the senior managers at Landpower. They motivated me to apply for the program which I’m very glad I did.
What advice do you have for others thinking about applying for the Graduate Program?
Landpower and CLAAS Harvest Centre are very progressive. They give Graduates a wealth of opportunity to learn, travel and network. The structure is unique – especially for the agricultural industry. Having a retail network provides a great opportunity to experience so many different areas and the successes and challenges that they each face. I encourage future graduates to always approach graduate roles with an enthusiastic and open mind.