Inspiringandsupporting agribusinesses to succeed
BakerAg, with just under 20 staffacross its Wairarapaand Feilding offices,provides independent andprofessional services to agribusinesses to help them succeed.And helping farms succeed helps Wairarapa’s economyand labour market to succeed also
ChrisLewis, whojoined the business in 1994 and is nowone of fiveBakerAg partners as well as the company’s Managing Director, says the first job of all of BakerAg’sstaff- rightfromwhen the firmwas founded by David Baker -isto“listen to the farming issues and needsinWairarapa, whether family farms,corporatefarmingentities with large scale or multiple farms,or industrybodies”.
BAKERAG’S MANAGING DIRECTOR
LEWIS OUT IN THE FIELD
“BakerAg consultants areagile and focused on helping clients achievetheir goals,” Chris says.They are also experienced and skilled; half have been farmers and most aredegree-qualified. A handful have been with BakerAg formorethan 20
years,with an equal number having been with the companyfor at least 10 years
BakerAgworks with many types of farms including dairy, sheep and beef, cropping,deer,forestry, solar,wind,and organic farms
SHEEP &BEEF SERVICES
Sheep and beef consultancyhas been the cornerstone of the BakerAg business since it wasfounded in 1986 by David Baker and Chris Garland.A unique servicewas offered from the outset,involving understanding farm businesses from their paddocks to their cash books.Overthe years,the expanding sheep and beef team has continued to develop tools to meet clientneeds in the contextofevolving technologyand farmingtechniques
VALUATION & LEASING SERVICES
Thevaluation consultancyatBakerAg offers market value assessments forrural,residential and lifestyle holdings,includingvalues forsale and purchase, ownership entitychanges, mortgage security, family structures, and compensation assessments and valuations forpower generation companies
BakerAgconsultants are agile and focused on helping clients achieve their goals
Thesheep and beefteam offers services ranging from comprehensivefarm supervision to one-offpiecesofwork including tactical decision-making, strategic planning andgovernance, feed and financial managementtoimprove operating profit, farmpolicyreviews, farmvaluations and purchases,and much more.
Threeunique services arealsoavailable: discussion groups,Financial Analysis Benchmarking,and abi-annualSheep & Beef remuneration survey.
BakerAgalso holds the contract with Beef+Lamb New Zealand forthe Wairarapa Farming forProfit Programme which provides information about the sectorand farmingbusinesses,together with arange of interactivetools to help with planning and business decisions
DAIRYFARM SERVICES
BakerAg’sdairyconsultancyisavailable across New Zealand to meet the strategic needsoffarming clients includingfarmsupervision, access to the DairySystemMonitoring database and model,financial planning, environmental and farmcompliance, farmmodelling and feed budgeting
In addition, BakerAgcan support farmers withagreements for sharemilking,contractmilking and leases,alongsidedue diligencefor property purchase,often hand-in-hand withthe company’svaluation team.
Lease managementisanother strand of BakerAg’sconsultancyvia ‘BakerAg Land &Leasing’.The business can assist in leasingsituations through tendering andfinalisinganew lessee, foralandowner,setting lease rentals, and advising at arentreview.Its services also extend to lease disputeresolution whereanissue has arisen.
OTHER SUPPORT
Underpinning all of BakerAg’sservices is asolid foundation of practical support forfarmers
Thecompanyisinvolved in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards to promote sustainabilityinfarmingthrough championing good farming practice. It managesthe Keinzley AgvetWairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business awards,runs Integrated Farm Planning workshops, contributes to the East Coast Rural SupportTrust,and publishes the newsletters AgLetter and Milklines. This featureshowcasessome of the ways in which BakerAgsupports farmers and the Wairarapa districttothriveand prosper both economically and socially
RURAL OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
David Baker: aman who understands the needs of Wairarapa farmers
DavidBaker,inpartnership
with Chris Garland, established Masterton’sBaker and Associates in 1986 (now BakerAg), afterworking as a farmmanagement consultant and registered valuer from 1969.
In 1969, Davidwas initially appointed as an advisor to the Wairarapa Farm ImprovementClub,established by farmers seeking amoreintensive andpersonalised advisory servicethan wasavailable from the,then, Department of Agriculture. This ongoing need eventually energised David’s establishment of the advisory companynow knownasBakerAg.
“Myfocus hasbeen on anticipating the needs of farming clients, and assisting them as best Ican,”David says.“One of themost importantfeatures of my work in Wairarapa is the journey towards our Financial Analysis Benchmarking database; acredible wayfor farmers to benchmarktheir performance. Istarted this journey in 1969 by using aslide rule anda manual ‘adding machine’todoall
the calculations nowcarried out by computers.”
In addition to his BakerAgconsultancy work,David has been involved with agribusiness firms as adirectorof companies such as Ravensdown Fertiliser, aerial topdressingcompanyFieldair Holdings,animal exporterAEL,and others
“Myinvolvementatanational level supportedand strengthened my work locally and visa-versa,”David says.
He talks about the work he wasinvolved in, forexample,toinvestigate trace elementrequirements in Wairarapa soils and the investigation of the cause of autumn grass staggers -all useful information forNew Zealand as awhole.
Afounding member and past national presidentofthe NZ SocietyofFarm Management(nowthe NZ Instituteof PrimaryIndustry Management, of which heisalifemember), David has also been amember of the PrimaryIndustry Consultants Registration Board, and a member of the Wairarapa and Wellington Land Valuation Tribunal.In2014,hewas honoured as aMember of the New Zealand Order of Meritfor his services to NZ agribusinesses andthe community.
David says arole in which he has taken huge satisfaction wasastrustee in the establishment-together with Sir Peter Elworthy-ofthe New Zealand Rural Trust.The East Coast Rural SupportTrust is adescendantofthatoriginal national trust and David servedasafounding trusteefrom1988 to 1992.
David remembers “when Istartedout in afarmadvisoryrole,Iconcentrated on helping clients grow moregrass with soil testingand adviceonfertiliser Ithen went on to supportfarmers to improvethe genetic performanceof their stock.Intothe 1970s,the focus was howtominimise death duties by setting up farmingtrusts,and howtoadjust to market demand and pricechanges.”
This wasthe period during which the priceofwool dropped significantly.In the late 1960s to early 70s,wool returns represented70% of the income of Wairarapa sheep and beef farmers.This changed dramatically over the following decades
David goes on to say“Ibecame involved in assisting clients to respond to the government’sdrive to increase farm production.”
Farm discussion groups were established,benchmarking of performancebecame critical,and BakerAg’sweekly AgLetter wasused toshareinformation. He’s also been involved with farmlitigation,farm succession planning,and regenerative farming practices.
Semi-retiring from BakerAgin2017, David has subsequently continued as atrustee or executor forseveral of his original clients and undertakes occasional consultancyfor BakerAg. He remains availabletothe business as a sounding board.
Just beforeDavid’s retirement, Derek Daniell from Masterton’sWairereRams wrotethe foreword to the 30-year
My involvement at anational levelsupportedand strengthened myworklocally and visa-versa.
historyofBakerAgentitled
From B&A to BakerAg. 1986 to 2016: TheStory so Far.Hesaid thatBakerAghas been ahuge plus for farmers in Wairarapa.
Pondering the question of howthe best farmconsultancyfirm in New Zealand cametobebased in one of the smallest farming provinces,Derek wrote that theregion’s “challenging farming environmentpromoted aquest for answers,” referring to avolatile climate, lowfertilitysoils,and rugged terrain.
Therehavebeen times -such as in the 1980s and,also,currently -when economic conditions have been just as challenging as thenatural environment.
CHRIS GARLAND AND DAVID BAKER AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE IN 2014
DAVID BAKER RECEIVING HIS GONG IN 2014
BakerAghas consistently had itsfinger on the pulse of market, economic,and environmental conditions forthe rural sector. It has combined thiswith acultureofpractical help to farmers seeking optimal solutions fortheir farm businesses
As aresult,BakerAg, founded by David Baker -the man who listened
to whatfarmers needed and actedon whatheheard-has become one of the most innovative, forward-thinking and successful farmmanagement consultancypractices in New Zealand
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*Offers apply on selected products onlyand arevalid from 01 March2025 –31May 2025 or while stockslast. Termsand conditions apply. See in-store or onlineatparticipating retailers fordetails. Pricesshownare recommended retail prices only.
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RURAL OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
Futureproofingand thrivingthrough Integrated Farm Planning
Thereisalreadyastrong foundation of farm planning in NewZealand, but modern land-based businesses areincreasingly complex. Farmers andgrowers have to manage land,livestock,crops,people and their mental wellbeing,finances, theimpacts of climatechange, freshwatermanagement, and biosecurityaswell.
Integrated Farm Planning (IFP) is an approach thatlinks together all these parts of farmbusinesses. Delwyn Pringle,BakerAg’steam leaderfor this servicesaysthatIFP brings together all the essential parts of afarm’sbusiness planninginto one place
“IFP brings together financial, physical and environmental goals. Unique soil and freshwater plans are developed together with biosecurityand biodiversityplans.Greenhouse gas(GHG) profiles arebuilt along with aproactive profile to people management.”
IFP is supportedbyfunding from the MinistryofPrimaryIndustries and makes compliancemoreefficientby:
Reducing duplication.
Making it easier to meet regulatory requirements
Identifying opportunities and risks forfutureimprovement.
Assisting farmowners to manage their land and achievetheir business goals
Helping to liftperformance.
Delwyn, who has beenwith BakerAg formorethan 20 years,saysBakerAg’s IFP programme has already benefitted more than40businesses throughout Wairarapa and the Rangitikei. It
involves 10 modules provided in eight workshops which areheld over eight months.Experts across arange of disciplines areaccessibletoparticipants including bankers,bio-diversity specialists,and officials from Greater Wellington Regional Council.Last year, twoWairarapa cohorts went through
DELWYN PRINGLE, BUSINESS SUPPORT
the programme togetherand have continued to stick together as their own supportnetwork.
InDecember 2024,the Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) surveyeddeer farmers to gauge their attitudes to integrated farmplanning.Itfoundthat smaller farms were primarily interested in animal health and welfare,along with biosecurityand traceability, while athird of larger farms and newer farms could seethe broad brush advantages of integrated farmplanning.
Integrated farmplanning enables farmers to apply foraccreditation with farmassuranceprogrammes.Such accreditation is advantageous in thatit provides:
Confidenceand certainty to the millions of consumers world-wide thatthe meatand wool produced from New Zealand’s sheep,beef and deer farms is authentic,genuine, and safe.
Assurances regardingintegrity, traceability, animal health and welfare, people,farmand natural resourcesand biosecurity.
Aseal of origin thatistrusted and authenticatedbyglobalcustomers who areprepared to payapremium.
BakerAg’stechnological innovation supportsfarm business performance
DAIRYSYSTEM MONITORING
BakerAg’sDairy System Monitoring (DSM) -afarm modelling system-was developed in 1999 by BakerAg’sdairy consultant Chris Lewis.Itwent on to become anational initiative that is nowco-owned with Farmax and MacfarlaneRural Business
Before becoming apartner at BakerAg, Chris wasaconsulting officerfor the MinistryofAgricultureuntil 1994, after completing adegreeinAgricultural Sciencein1985.
TheDSM tool incorporates financial and production information through the milk season. Farmers can access their data on DSM’s internet site, review theirbespoke and revised reports,and see how they aretracking against their budget and against other farms using DSM.
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Clients have the opportunity, also, to ask ‘whatif’ and ‘why’using the interactiveDSM tool,tohelp build high performancefarmsystems TheDSM serviceisall about farmers having aplan, monitoring progress towardstargets,and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their businesses
Just afew of the significantrelationships between data points thatcan signal strengths and weaknesses are: feed cost vs non-feed cost,pastureyield vs profitability(net incomebeforeincome taxand interest expenses arededucted, akaEBIT)per/ha; and milksolids to liveweightratio vs profitability(EBIT) per/ha.
CHRIS LEWIS, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Thelatest BakerAgDSM Annual Report -inthe contextofmarket trends -points to farms being the most profitable wherethey have amoderatestocking rate,higher per cowperformance, a premium milk price(due to winter milk,organics,ormilk pricefixing), feed inputs being well-managed(with the priceoffeed contracted), and other operating costs contained It also concludes thathaving afarm system wherethe feed and non-feed costs areinsyncwith milk production is essential to business robustness,as areefficiencyinfeed conversion and people metrics.Chris refers to this set of circumstances as “the sweet spot”for a dairyfarm.
RURAL OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
ED& MEL HANDYSIDE, TE HOPAI FARMS
Edward(Ed)and MelHandysideown Te Hopai farmnear Kahutara, South Wairarapa. They run a310ha (effective) dairyfarm, together with a537ha (effective) sheep,beef and dairy support farm, and have made good use of manyofBakerAg’sservices
Ed says that“dairy generates 75% of ourgross earnings,and our goal is to have asustainable business –both economically and environmentally”.
He says they’vebeen accessing BakerAg’s DSM fornearly fiveyears now, in order to benchmarkTe Hopai against other similar farms and identify wherethey could make improvements in their operations
“I’m also amember of the Pirinoa discussion group.”Edhad abreak away from the groupfor awhile,but has started going back.Discussing farm matters with other farmers,and taking
MATT& TRACEY HONEYSETT,PAHAUTEA FARMS
Mattand Tracey Honeysett have been equitypartners of a1,300 cowdairy farminSouth Wairarapa since2013, and have extensively developed the farmoverthe years
Matt says “our most recent developmenthas been the building of a600 cowcovered feedpad.We also make the most out of technology, utilising it to help our business.”
He says that“we’vebeen associated with BakerAgsince2007 when we startedworking withChris as our farmconsultant. In the early years we learnt alot from Chris in relation to budgeting and feeding cows By having ascientificornumbers approach to farming,we’ve been able to confidently grow our business.”
TheHoneysetts arecurrently members ofboth the Pirinoa discussion group and BakerAg’s DSM group and saythatthey also use BakerAgfor consultancyaround remuneration. In addition, “we’ve used them forregular consultancyin the past.”
Matt and Tracey wonthe Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year Awardin2009, as well as the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa EquityShareFarmer Awardin2015. That wasagood yearthey also wonthe awardatanational levelfor leadership.
“Weentered the competitions to push ourselves,” Matt says,“and to learnfromthe judges’feedback about howwecould improve. Winning
advicefromChris Lewis at BakerAg, Ed says,“have been instrumental in helping us achievehigher farm performanceinrecentyears”.
Chris has also been involved in helping Ed and Melwith decisionmaking about their farmingstrategy, leading to changes such as their new cowshed build
gave us confidencetogrowbut, moreimportantly,made us credible candidatesfor futurejob prospects
In our presentation data, we used data analysed by BakerAg, including through its DSM,and were able to showcase our benchmarking.”
Matt says he and Tracey “havegoals around being excellentemployers, asustainable business forboth the environmentand our other partners, and to producegood qualitymilk from happycowsatanefficient cost-of-production. We have profited from working alongside BakerAg forseveral years.We’ve learned and grownthrough the ranks of the dairy industry.”
TheBakerAgFinancial Analysis
Benchmarking (FAB) service has been used forfarmbusinesscomparison of sheep and beef farms across NewZealand forover50yearsdating back to DavidBarker’soriginal calculations using aslide rule and an ‘adding machine’- providing hundreds of farmbusinesses with the knowledge requiredto improve business direction and performance
TheFAB tool givesfarmers theopportunitytolook critically and objectively at their farmbusinesses.
“Simply put,”says Managing DirectorChris Lewis, “ifyou can’t measureit, youcan’t improveit.”
Up to 150 farmers submit data annually to FAB, allowing financial,physical performance, and stockrelatedcomparisons with other properties of simila productivecapability-while remaininganonymous -inthe contextofnational and globaleconomic and political conditions and market robustness.
FABenables farmers to understandand learn from whatisdriving the top25% of farm businesses, to identify whereexpenditureismostefficiently applied,and to producekey production and financial KPIs thatare useful forreportingtobanks, shareholders,and owners.
Just afew of FAB’smetrics,byclass of farm, are:
Physical production includingstocking rates, lamb and calf survival to sale (STS), andstock units (SU)/ha;
Average revenue per/ha and per/SU;
Standardised expenditureper/ha;
Debt servicing as a%ofgross farmrevenue (GFR) and by SU
GEORGE&SARAH TATHAM,MATARIKI
Matariki, a1,485ha sheep farmcomprising coastal flats,terracesand easy hills owned by George and SarahTatham, is near the Wairarapa seaside settlementofRiversdale Beach. George says he’s been farming since 2001 and has had arelationship with BakerAgfromthe outset,includingmaking good use of the company’sconsultants for financial and feed planning on the farm.
“BakerAghas been akey advisor of ours over averylong time,”George says “We’ve benefittedfromusing the FABtool throughout our entirefarming career,by benchmarking Matariki’sperformance compared with other similar farming businesses.Westrivetobeinthe top quarterfor our farmclass.”
George has been described as an avid seeker of farming knowledge,taking every farming publication, and attending farm field days,seminars and training courses He is also partofthe BakerAg-facilitated Homewood discussion group,which he says is of “huge value”tothe farms involved. “Access to comparable data from FABisa strength of the discussion group,”he says And, last year,George participated in BakerAg’sIFP workshops.“IFP is an example of howBakerAgsupports farmers to achieve best practice,”hesays.
RURAL
OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
Chewingoverfarming issues
BakerAgspecialises in facilitating discussion groups forsheep and beef farmers Thefirst of these (based in Pirinoa) was brought to BakerAgwhen Chris Lewis joined the companyin1994. It had beeninoperation since the early 1970s and is nowone of the oldest, still operational,rural discussion groups in the country.
Ed Harrison, Agribusiness consultant with BakerAgsaysthat“typically,a discussion group is composedof10 to 20 farmers whoget together on a regularbasis on each other’s farms
Theaim is to be better informed, promotebest practice,and improve business. Thegroup mightalso include representatives from farm service companies and banks.”
These rural discussion groups encourage debate as well as benchmark physicaland financialperformance,all of which can benefit those involved “The cultureofthe groups includes full disclosure. Everyone shows up to help each other as well as themselves.”
Ed joinedthe Mastertonofficeof BakerAgin2017, bringing with him a previous eightyearsofmanagement and leadership experienceinthe agribusiness sectorand abackground in corporatefarming.One of his BakerAg roles is to be fully engaged with Wairarapa’s rural discussion groups
“Discussion groups arealmost unique to the farmingindustryand areevenmore unique to Wairarapa,”Edsays. “They arenot everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who choose to participate,they can be an extremely positivelearning opportunity.”
RuralAdvisoryGroup –afew facts
Did youknowthatin2018, Masterton District Councilestablished a Rural Advisory Group, tasked with providingadvice, information,and recommendationstothe Councilona rangeoftopicswitha ruralfocus?
Thegroup meetsona quarterlybasis to discuss topicslikerates,funding,rural roading, forestry, water resilience,water quality,the Wairarapa Combined District Plan,corporate andspatial planning,civildefence,climate change impacts, coastalissues, andbylaws.
Thecommunity membersofthe groupfor this term of the Councilare:
y GrantPerry
y AlanEmerson
y BenSeddon
y Richard Fairbrother
y Todd McIlvride
CouncillorsDavid Holmes andCraig Bowyer,and MayorGaryCaffellare also membersofthe group.
Formoreabout what’s happeningatthe Council, head to www.mstn.govt.nz
withthe support of rural peers
Ed credits BakerAggreats, including David Baker,Chris Garland,Chris Lewis and others in the firm, as helping to make these groups meaningful forthe farmers involved,overmanydecades
David Baker has described theBakerAg discussion groups,inwhich farmers can
exchange reliable information,asan exciting local development.
Local, high performing discussion groups include those based in Alfredton (south east of Eketāhnua), Homewood (near Riversdale), Ponetahi (east of Greytown), Pongaroa (Tararua), Pahiatua (north of Masterton),Tīnui/Wainuioru (east of Masterton),Pirinoa (on the way to Lake Ferry), and Whangaehu (north of Masterton).
“One advantage of discussiongroups taking placeinspecific geographic locationsisthatparticipating farmers areoperating their businesses in similar climates, soil types,and natural environments,” says Ed.Theyalso get to socialisewiththeir neighbours,people they oftenalready know through their children’s schools,helping to enrich a sense of community.
Thegroups meet each monthona predetermined day, withparticipants taking turns to hostthe meeting on
their farms. Thereisdiscipline and structureincludinghaving achair and abudget.Edusually opens with a preamble andseasonal update,followed by the host farmer“giving aspiel”
Each group tendstomeet fortwo to three hours on the host farm,addressing substantiveissues such as stock policy, fertiliser use,animal health, or succession planning.Substanceisalso sometimes added to agroup meeting by inviting guest speakers on specialist topics (such as anew marketing initiative).
Ed says that“individualmembers become informed alot faster from the questions and answers thatflyaround, compared to reading an article or surfingthe net.”
Thebiggest and most interesting differences between farms often relate to the financesand governance of the businesses being studied, includingtheir ownership structures, reporting systems, financial controls, accountabilityarrangements,debt managementapproaches,succession plans,and business plans
It is acondition of the discussion groups facilitatedbyBakerAgthatfull financial details of the host business be made available to group members beforethe meeting,while full confidentialityis maintained.Datashared mightinclude benchmarked physical performance, income performance, business expenditure, debt servicing,and net business income.
“The value of the discussion groups lies in the thinking thatfarmers do together,” Ed says.“Itake minutes during the meeting and subsequently distribute them. Andeach group member is accountable forgivingbi-annualreports on the growth and achievements experiencedontheir farm.”
Each discussion group usually comes to aclose about 5pm, and is followedbya fewbeers along with food provided by the host.Moral support, camaraderie, and the celebration of success are important, Ed says,after hours of deep financial benchmarking of farms and chewing over farmbusiness issues
RURAL
OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
KEINZLEY AGVET: sponsor of the WairarapaSheep &BeefFarm
Business of the Year competition
KeinzleyAgvet, aWairarapa owned and operated farmmerchandise and veterinaryclinic,was established by Phil Keinzley in 1992. Since then, it has grownfromaone-man businesstoacompanywith three branches,offering everyaspectoffarm merchandise, astate-ofthe-artsmall animal clinic, and alarge animal and companion animal clinic
Thecompanyisbuilt on loyalty, trust and strong supportfromthe farming community. In return,
We’recommitted
It’s
Keinzley Agvetsponsors Wairarapa clubs and projects including the Wairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business of the Year competition, whichithas supportedfor 25 years.
Delwyn Pringle,BakerAg’s Marketing,Communications & EventManager,coordinatesthe annual Keinzley AgVetWairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business of the Year competition.
She says “the competition has celebrated excellence in Wairarapa sheep and beef farming since1983. Winning this competition is widely regarded as thepinnacle of success forlocal sheep and beef farms.”
Theaim of the competition is to promoteinnovativesheep and beef farming practices by identifying farmers in the area who demonstrateawell-balanced and positiveapproach to their business
Theaward not only highlights hard work,innovation, and commitment to sustainabilitybut also places the winning farmamong the very best in the region.
Delwyn says the competition can supportfarms to “gain recognition fortheir exceptional farming practices and join anetwork of top producers and industryleaders.”
Thecompetition is open to any farmer or farmmanager in the region, whose farmincome is derived mainly from sheep and/ or cattle.The prizepackage is approximately $30,000 in cash and products.Judges look at:
Financial performance standardised through BakerAg’s FABsystem.
Physical farmperformance.
Innovation.
KATIE &SIMON FALLOON,WAIPUKE FARM
In March2024, Katie and Simon Falloon were named as that year’s winners of the Wairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business of the Year competition. Their sheep and beef farmisfound on Waitawhiti Rd in Tiraumea.
Jointventures
Thequalityoffarm management
On 7March, the 2025 winners of the Keinzley AgVetWairarapa Sheep and Beef Farm Business of the Year competition were announced as Mitchand Megan Kelly who farmWharepapa Station in the South Wairarapa. The judges said they aredoing some pretty exciting stuff to make their business tick.
“Their passion forfarming, their community, and innovation impressedus. Theupcoming ‘winners field day’ on 3April 2025 is not to be missed.”
Theaward judges said they were collectively “impressed”with the “strong husband and wifeteam” whose business madea significant contribution to the sheep and beef industry. They also commended thecouple’s pathwaytoownership, whichprogressed from shepherding to farmmanagementand leasing, and into ownership through an equitypartnership
Katie and Simon refertoBakerAg’s supportasasignificantcontributor to their success
“Weuse BakerAg’sFAB tool each year to benchmarkagainst others in our land class.We’re apartofthe Alfredton discussiongroup facilitated by BakerAgand we completed the IFP workshops in 2024. We also use BakerAgfor general farm consultancyservices.”
These farmowners saythey “chose
to use BakerAgbecause of its strong reputation forproviding highqualityagri-business consultancy. Thedeep involvementoftheir consultants in local farmdiscussion groups means they have an excellent understanding of the farming landscape in our area. This local expertise has beeninvaluable in helping us makeinformed decisions and improveour farm’sperformance. BakerAg’ssupporthas been akey factorinthe ongoing success and growth of our business.“
Katie says “the benefitsofentering were numerous,includingthe opportunitytostepback and assess our business—reflecting on where we’vecome from and wherewe’re heading.Italso helped expand our network within the farming communityand inspired us to take on additionalroles,such as Simon joining theEasternNorth Island Beef &Lamb Farmer Council.”
Thecompetition process involved agribusiness professionals visiting their farmand engaging in detailed discussions,challenging them, celebrating with them, andoffering valuable feedback thathas helped shape the farm’sfuturedirection.
Thefarmingcouple say“BakerAg’s expertguidance and in-depth understanding of the localfarming landscape has been crucial in refiningour farmmanagement strategies and drivingthe growth of our business.”
What made Katie and Simon decide to enterthe Keinzley AgvetWairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business of the Year competition? “Itwas away to challengeourselves andbenchmark our business against other top operators in the Wairarapa. It has alwaysbeen apersonalgoal to competeand win.”
Waipuke Farm is also asupportive customer of Keinzley Agvet. Katie says,“Keinzley Agvetplays abig part of our team in the operation of our business.The firmprovides us with advice and expertise across awide range of aspects of our business from agronomytoanimal health. We love being abletosupportabusiness thatdoes so much forour local community.”
RURAL OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
ANDY&GEMMA PHILLIPS, MOTUMATAI
Everycoupleofyears,Motumatai makesuse of BakerAg’s FAB analysis as ahealth check forthe business.Andy says, “FABisabletobenchmarkour farmbusiness against others. Theresults tell us howweare doing and what our ‘workons’might be.” He says thefarmmight be spending too much in someareas,ornot enough in others compared to the top5%or10% of Wairarapafarms.“Yousoonpick up onyour weak points -you might, forexample,beweakon stocking rates or fertiliser use or nitrogen use.”
Starting out in the industryaged only 15, and managing afarmbythe age of 22, Andy says he’s benefitted from BakerAg’sservices and advicein multiple ways over the years
He’s been involved in the Tīnui/ Wainuioru discussion groupfor about 15 years,facilitated by BakerAg. Andy saysthe facilitators have abroad range of knowledge relating to farming systems and“they know howtokeep the conversation flowing”.
RichmondBettham, oneofBakerAg’s agribusiness consultants,was also asked to facilitateMotumatai’s beef and lambfield dayinFebruarythis year,attended by 40 odd farmers.
Andy’s Saturdaymorning‘goto’is the BakerAg AgLetter,towhich he has subscribed fordecades.“It’s always
highly relevanttowhatwe’re doing on the farmthatweek.Itgives an indication of stock prices and where things look like they mightbegoing in relation to grass growth, animal health issues,and manyother factors.”
BakerAg’sadviceonfinancial planning and budgeting has been critical to Motumatai’s expansion over the last fiveyears.
Andy says,“I’dreached an age where Ididn’t want to be doing all the grunt work on thefarmall the time.The options were either to sell up some of the landand retrench or scale up and take on stafftomanage the operations.”
Using BakerAgasasounding board, Andy and Gemma scaled up -going from one 500ha farmtofour farms totalling 1,365ha. Threeofthese are
in the Wainuioru area and the other at Eketāhuna; three areleased.Andy could then take on twoadditional staffsohecould playmoreof an“overseeing and relationship management”role
Attracting the rightstaff was straightforward.“Weknew who we wanted and understood early on what they needed as employees ifthey were to staywith us long-term-they needed skin in the game.”
ANDYPHILLIPS AND COLLEAGUES ON
and plant, the other on landownership -which should be completed by the endofJune 2026.
Theemployees will then each be able to purchase a20% shareholdinginthe stock and plantbusiness,and Andy will supportthem over anumber of years to achieve thatoutcome
“If we want ourfarmtobesustainable, we arehappytodothat.”
He says thatfromanearly age he could see howharditwas forpeople to get into farmownership.“Ilearned lessons about thethings Iwantedtochange.”
As partofthis vision, Andy can see that if his children ever wanted to come back to the farm, they’d be working for employees/shareholders rather than their“old dad”.
establishedacommercial nativeplant nursery, Piwakawaka Plants
Thebenefits of thenursery, Andy says, include the 120,000 plants they supply to the Wairarapa region everyyear,the improvements to waterwaysand the environment, and the opportunityfor the three farmers’wives to contribute significantly to the farms
Andy says Motumatai trades 10,000 to 14,000 lambs ayear.And one of the benefitsofdoing the rightthing environmentally is the improvement in your ownfarm’sintegrity when applying forrecognition through NZ FAPPlus and Silver Fern FarmsGAP
If farms arecertifiedunder these programmes,their healthystock,raised in asustainable environment, can attractapremium price.
Forseveral years,Andyhas been putting togetherthe building blocks of asustainable farmintothe future.
He is splitting the farmbusiness into twoentities -one focused on stock
Annual PlantSaleisback!
Over the years,the Phillips have systematically liftedlivestock production and enhanced the environmental sustainabilityoftheir land. They’vecarefully managed soil and pastures,actively controlled pests and predators,protected waterways with substantial fencing,and planted areas thatare not productive.
In partnership with twoother Wairarapa farming families,they‘vealso
Andy’s interested in going through BakerAg’snew Integrated Farm Planning programme,but is already well on the path towardssuch an integrated plan, thanks in partto BakerAg.
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Manuka,Cabbage Tree, Ake ake, Ribbonwood,Pittosporum,Kahikitea, MingiMingi, RengaRenga, Meuhlenbeckia,Totara, Lacebark, Flax,Kowhai, Karamu +more.
PHOTO SUPPLIED BY ANDYPHILLIPS
RURAL OUTLOOK
MARCH EDITION 2025
Tim andBelinda (Binds) White are farmers ona420ha (effective) property named Upperwood, situatedatMatahiwi just northwest of Masterton.
“For over 20 years Ihavebeen part of amonthly discussion group facilitated by BakerAg,”Tim says.“The standardofbackground information andfinancial analysisprior to each discussionday is excellent.Keeping discussions ontrack with up to 25 farmers present can be achallenge, but experienced facilitators like Chris,Hannah and Ed have alldone anoutstanding job over the years.”
He says,“farmingisone industry whereweare not directly competing against each other,soBakerAg’s analysis of multiplefarms through its FABdatabase is useful. We can gauge howour ownbusiness performs within the industry.”
Timdescribes BakerAg’s AgLetter as “aninformativeweekly read covering markets and relevantseasonal commentary. It details in asimple concise waythe manycomplex decisions farmers need to make over ayear.”
BakerAgcovers awiderange of primarybased specialties from on-
farmconsultancy, budgeting, and strategic planning,through to the likes of valuation. Having come from asimilar professionalbackground in valuation, Timsayshe’salwaysfound BakerAg to be very professional, “evenwhen sitting on the other side of the table”.
“Entering the Keinzley Agvet Wairarapa Sheep &Beef Farm Business of the Year competition in 2023 wasn’t taken lightly and,asafamilyowned business,itwas ateam effort,” he says.Tim and Bindswon the competitionthatyear.“Theprocess of committing to paper not only business goals and performance, but also values and personal aspirations (although outsideour comfortzone), wasrewarding forus.”
Timconcludes by saying that“Ihave had an association with BakerAg over along period,firstly as arural professional, then with our own farmbusiness.It’sastrong rural and community-minded organisation. Waiarapa farmershavegreatly benefited due to BakerAg’spresence in the industry.”
Michael Tosswillstartedout shepherding aged only 21. About seven years ago,heand his wife Kate boughtBagshot Farm in Whangaehu.With 2,200 Romney breeding ewes and 90 Angus breeding cows,the 550ha (effective) farmruns over two properties and finishesall its ownprogeny.
Michael says they’veworked with BakerAgtoimproveBagshot Farm’s productivity rightfrom the beginning.He’sone of the participants in the Whangaehu discussion group,facilitatedby Ed Harrison from BakerAg, and says thatdiscussion groups are afantastic concept.“Thefarm businesses involved areopen, honest,and supportive,which adds so much value to all of us.”
Bagshot also utilises BakerAg’s consultancyservices twiceayear, with Ed Harrison spending half aday on farmand in the office with Michael to provide advice, sense test ideas,and challenge thinking
“Wetalk through feed budgeting and theconditionofthe stock, look at different scenarios and compareoptions so Ican make
informed decisions aboutwhether Ishould,for example,buy more feed,put on morenitrogen, or sell stock to get us through the next season. We use thatvalueadded advicethroughout theyear to make better decisions onthe farm,”hesays.
“Our data is fedintoFarmax, softwarethatcan forecast and track feed needs,aswell as identify tight spots and opportunities to do more.”
BakerAgplays acritical role for manyWairarapa farmers,Michael says,especiallyduring tough economic timessuch as those we’vebeen experiencing over the past couple of years
“BakerAgconsultants support farmers to make some very tough decisions and areleaders in our industry.”
Therole of agribusinesses in boosting the local economy
BakerAgisjustone of Wairarapa’s agribusinesses thatsupports the productivity and success of local farms. Andbecause farms need arange of services and products,they-inturnpave the wayfor innovative businesses to thriveasthey strivetomeetthe needs offarmers.This mutually beneficial relationship boosts our local economyand helps us prosper as aregion.
One example of an innovativebusiness thatsupportsour farms is DickieDirect Fertiliser.Established in 2014 in the Hawkes BaybyCharles Dickie,the companyhas nowexpanded and set down roots in Wairarapa.
Charlie Darling,bornand bred in the region, and living with her partnerand twoyoung children on afarmout the backofGladstone,isthe company’snew Managerfor the Wairarapa and Tararua areas
“The establishmentofmyrole is areflection ofthe beginnings of recovery in the rural market,”Charlie says.“There’sanincreasingly positive economic outlook forboth dairy and sheep and beef.We’re alegitimate source of fertiliser forclients,and we use local carriers and spreaders wherever possible.”
DickieDirecthas built astrong reputation through its focus on the interaction between the four business Ps:product, people,price and place.
“Our productiscompetitive, tested and reliable.Our people arehired based ontheir expertise and arewelltrained on the job.Our prices arealso competitiveand that, in part, is due to our streamlined supply chain. We don’t maintain awarehouse (a ‘place’)in Wairarapa but carry the fertiliser straight from the ships docked in Napier,to Wairarapa farms.”
Charlie points out thatbeing smaller is an advantage forDickieDirect. “Weare nimble and canmake sureweget the rightproducttoyour farmatthe righttime.”
Charlie has sixyearsofexperience behind her at the Martinborough PGG Wrightson store, includingfour years as
Manager.Intheir spare time,Charlieand her partner arestrong supporters of the Martinborough RugbyClub.“He plays and I’monthe Committee,”Charliesays. Embedded in the local community, Charlie Darlingisready to talk about whatyour farmmightneed in the way of fertiliser and nutrients.
Go to dickiedirect.co.nz or contact Charlie on 027 430 8840 or by emailing charlie@dickiedirect.co.nz.
