In my family’s 30 years in Canterbury and the arable industry, we have been guided by our farm consultant, Roy.

Arable was completely new for us – as in, we’d never used a plough or driven a combine before.

So, advice back then was not only essential, it was vital and covered the basics.

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About the author

David Clark

Farmer Focus writer

David Clark runs a 463ha fully irrigated mixed farm with his wife Jayne at Valetta, on the Canterbury Plains of New Zealand’s south island. He grows 400ha of cereals, pulses, forage and vegetable seed crops, runs 1,000 Romney breeding ewes and finishes 8,000 lambs annually.

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Over time as the farming system changed focus from livestock to arable, and we undertook major development projects including irrigation, clear, strategic advice was paramount.

Roy’s role moved from very hands-on to more that of a board member, and he has become a dear friend of our family.

But now the time has come for him and his wife to enjoy retirement.

So along with the sadness of change, we have the excitement and challenge of a fresh set of eyes as we engage the advice of a new consultant.

Our brief has been clear, and I think brave: “Clean sheet of paper time, let’s have a good look at everything we do, how we do it and why.”

So much so, I have said that selling the combine and changing land use away from arable is not a sacred cow.

I am really looking forward to being challenged by new thinking.

Whether that simply gives me more confidence in management decisions, improves our in-field agronomy, changes our livestock types and selection of crops grown, or ends up with a more radical decision, time will tell.

I will be sure to report back.

Our middle son, James, is first year at Lincoln University (New Zealand) studying Agricultural Science, so we are a home in which many new concepts are discussed.

Some ideas are keepers, and some have a big dollop of youthful enthusiasm.

Jayne and I think it is good for our boys to see that we are open to fresh thinking.    

We are extremely grateful for the journey our family has had over the past 30 years, and now we look forward to making decisions to help us build on that for the next 30 years – and beyond.