2026 Northampton District Rural Ambassador - Jack Davoren

Thank you for selecting me to be this year’s Rural Ambassador for the Northampton District Agricultural Society. Having been in the region for not quite 10 years, I quickly grew to appreciate Northampton and the Midwest for the community, the opportunities here and our way of life. I'm honoured to be selected. 

Back a few years now I happened across the property in Isseka that became Chally Bridge. Having grown up on the outskirts of Perth, I’d worked for a few years at Canning Vale Market City and what started as a uni job ended up being a huge lesson in the seasonality of produce. I learnt about the major growing regions around Gingin and Carnarvon, and realised there must be a place in between that could offer an opportunity to fill the gap in seasonal variations of the two areas. To me, it seemed pretty self-evident that the Midwest had potential. So I eventually found the property that would suit me, and while I dabble in fruit and veg when the mood strikes, for the last two years I’ve been mainly focussed on cut flowers: predominantly Geraldton Wax, everlastings, strawflower, and an assortment of others. 

(A fact you might be surprised to learn: kale is considered a cut flower, not a leafy vegetable). 

Northampton is such a close-knit community, as well as the broader Midwest, that it has been relatively easy to settle into and find a future for myself here. The Midwest Food Industry Alliance (MFIA) was established in 2019 and helps members market and promote their products under a recognised regional brand fostering sustainable business growth. I became Treasurer of MFIA in 2020 and Vice-Chair in 2025. In WA we also have an association of wildflower growers which I’ve been Vice President of for 3 years now. My mum is up here too and runs the Northampton Post Office which also gives me an outlet for my flowers and produce, and together we love to support the local sporting clubs and community groups when and where we can. 

Aside from that, I’ve been able to contribute to the show societies for both Northampton and Chapman Valley: it’s been great to be asked to judge the flowers and fruit and veg sections for the last few years. 

In being the Rural Ambassador for the Northampton District Agricultural Society, I really see this as an opportunity to represent the community and the sheer capability of our region. As the area has evidently transitioned more heavily to large-scale broadacre cropping over the last few decades, it seems to me that it often gets overlooked for the abundance of opportunity in other agricultural segments, the capability we could be missing, especially for those of us who desire and have ambition for their own smaller operation. This I know firsthand from trying to get research material and support from the relevant state departments that could help in establishing my business here; instead I found research that related to our soil and climate conditions from places as far off as Turkey and Israel. 

The Northampton district, and the Midwest more broadly, has so much to offer. I’m glad to be given the opportunity to share that through being a Rural Ambassador.