Nick’s three children, aged 10, 12 and 14, are pretty keen on farm life and love to help out with feeding extra lambs and other farm chores.

For a writer who lives on one hectare with seven animals, Nick’s stock numbers were mindboggling. There are 8000 ewes, with 2500 replacements, and 100 rams, 550 in-calf beef cows, 120 calves and 15 bulls.

Nick describes the topography of the farm as about 60 per cent steep tussock country, which rises to 550m above sea level, and with more rolling hills and flats making up the other 40 per cent.

My reason for contacting Nick was that three years ago, when attending a meat company field day, he met Brendon Walsh of GrowFARM and became interested in the idea of running a more successful business than he was managing at that time. As one who’d left school and gone straight into farm work, Nick felt he was running a business and not just a farm – but didn’t know how to do it more profitably.

Clarity and planning

Getting to grips with the GrowFARM systems and software was initially a lot of work, but the clarity and forward planning involved has been just what he wanted. These days Nick feels, with the programmes he uses, the whole business is at his fingertips and he’s in control. Now there is a clear plan in place, he can think strategically, and controlling and valuing dry matter makes perfect sense. It’s all on the screen in front of him.

He says one of the first things he realised was he had too many sheep for the dry matter he could grow, and got rid of 1000 quickly. These days he gets the same number of lambs as before, but every sheep is better fed and worth more. He’s a ‘finishing’ man rather than a trader, and now can see his finished stock getting top prices and top weights.

More confidence

He’s also found that running a business properly involves working on it, and not just in it.  Spending time on recording, costing and planning can be a lot more useful to the business than him rushing out to shift some sheep when there are others who can do that just as well.

Nick has a lot more confidence in his decision making now, but it has always been a comfort to know that when he has a tricky problem he’s always been able to ring Brendon at any time for help to sort it out. He’s also hugely enjoyed the GrowFARM culture, which arranges times when big groups of clients can get together, discuss current problems and celebrate together how much better they are all doing.

For Nick the key improvements have been getting his stocking numbers right for the land capability, and knowing that he is truly running a good business these days. And Brendon’s always positive attitude has spurred him on when he knows other farmers in the district are not doing as well, but don’t appear ready to make changes.