Testimonials

Kentucky Farm - Karapiro

Karapiro farmer, Richard McCullough, talks about the benefits of having a Headlands consultant as part of their business. Their consultant was Chris Pyke (ret.) and now they have Richard Syme on their team.

Davenhil Farm - Waikato

David Dodunski, owner of Davenhil Farm in Waikato, talks about his relationship with Headlands Farm Consultancy. His Headlands Consultant is Warren Morritt.

Orini Downs Station - Waikato

Scott Montgomerie, owner of Orini Downs Station in Waikato, talks about his relationship with Headlands Consultancy. His Headlands Consultant is Bill Rys.

"Kim Sullivan has been working with the farms we have owned for over seven years. We and our Farm Manager look forward to our monthly meetings with Kim and value her input and suggestions. Importantly, she listens to how we want to farm and makes plans based on our systems. She brings fresh ideas and has a broad understanding of new technologies and best practices. Her background in animal health is also very handy – a good brain to pick for all sorts of farming issues!

After each meeting, Kim is quick to prepare a written plan of action which is clear and easy to follow. These reports soon form a valuable collection of records to look back on, comparing year with year. Our farm staff also find her reports easy to refer to. Although Kim is only on farm once a month, we feel we can contact her anytime and she’s happy for our Farm Manager to contact her directly.

We really value Kim’s friendly professional relationship with our business. She genuinely wants the best for us and the best for our farm".

Nick Pepper and Michelle Hine
Six Pines Ltd

"I, Peter Bartholomew, as well as members of the Vet Club committee decided that it would be good to have a consultant within the practice. The committee paid for Charlene Christensen’s Headlands training to give our members access to nationwide consultant network at club charge out rate. I have been using Charlene’s services for a year, and have found it very informative having run our accounts through RedSky. I now know where my strengths and weaknesses are financially. What I enjoy the most about Charlene’s visit is the latest information on the dairy industry as well as what is current with ESCT and what the future holds for our industry. Charlene is also looking to be involved in consents going forward".

Peter Bartholomew

"We are happy to recommend Lindsay Rowe as a dairy consultant. Lindsay has been our advisor for at least 10 years. He helps us to focus on the best production possible with consideration to the costs, and an emphasis on profitability and business resilience. Having Lindsay takes some of the guess work out of decision making and helps us focus on what is important. Lindsay is easy to get along with and, having a vet background, has a big emphasis on animal health".

David and Cathy Batchelar
Glen View Ltd

"Headlands Consultant Paul Martin has been advising on two farms for a decade, bringing up to date Technology, Ideas, Comparisons and Humour. The ability to benchmark ideas against results, assists in the profitability of the business. The process of forecasting rather than hindsight is integral to driving profitability, motivation, productivity and consensus of decisions made for all those involved in the day to day management of the farm".

Crofton Hamilton
CH & MJ Hamilton Farms Ltd

"As our Farm Systems Consultant, we consider Kim Sullivan to be an essential Business Partner in our dairy operation where she offers us innovative farm systems services, including training and support. We have always felt very comfortable with the advice given to us, and feel she has a personal interest in both our business and family.

We would recommend working with Kim without hesitation. We have found her to be extremely approachable, friendly and reliable. She has helped us in a diverse range of projects. Whatever the task has been she has had a great attention to detail and comprehensive knowledge of the current regulations.

Kim has a very good understanding of day to day farming life. She is very good at listening to what we are trying to achieve in our business. It feels that she takes a very real and personal interest in ensuring that we manage to get the best outcome in whatever project we are working on.

We have regular farm visits to keep us up to date with the ever-changing regulations, and Kim completes a range of work on our behalf offering us a fast and efficient service along with much needed peace of mind!

Kim’s knowledge of all current agricultural and environmental issues and opportunities has been both impressive and reassuring.

In line with most farmers we wish to run an economically viable business while being socially responsible and without increasing our environmental footprint. Her carefully considered strategies and innovative approaches has helped us develop a plan for our farms by recommending management practices and innovative solutions.

Kim has always been very professional in her approach and has been prepared to discuss, explain and explore different opportunities, practices and solutions.

Kim is great at explaining and advising on every topic thrown at her, and is always at the end of the phone or email when needed which a great comfort, reducing some of stress that we are all more than aware of at certain times in the farming calendar".

Kylie Leonard
Matomato Farms

"I have known Paul Martin for more than ten years in his capacity as an Agricultural Consultant. When the chance to bring him into our 1200-cow Dairy operation arose, I was very excited!

Paul has many talents, and prior to Paul providing consultancy support to our operation our dairy business was in a very ordinary position frustrating its shareholders. Paul was instrumental in giving us the management direction and planning we were so badly lacking. His systems and resources are very good, but they need a good brain to make them work, and he has that. He has the ability to analyse issues, provide multiple solutions, and find a way to implement these to make life easier for staff, as well as report back to Governance level.

To that point, the Okaihau Board of Directors were so impressed with Paul's skills, he was recently appointed as an Independent Director.

Our results, looking back, speak for themselves. The business would not be what it is today without Paul Martin’s input. And I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to focus on profit in dairy farming, while exhibiting strong people management skills and knowledge".

Cam Holmes, Chairman/Director
Okaihau Pastoral Limited

“We grow over 200ha of maize silage annually using strip till on variable water holding capacity soils. We introduced strip till four years ago to help improve soil quality, reduce input costs, and increase overall yield and forage quality. Precision agriculture is increasingly being used within our operation to meet our productivity and profitability goals. Our Headlands consultant provided valuable support and guidance during the transition into our new farming system, and is an integral part of our strategy to achieving our ongoing and evolving farming objectives. I enjoy working with my Headlands consultant".

Richard, Southern Waikato.

"We have worked with Kim for over 7 years after searching for a consultant that could add true value to our business. In that time our business has grown rapidly and we have moved out from the cowshed to owning and managing several farms.

Kim has added value firstly by her Veterinarian, nutrition and farm systems knowledge, but then has gone further by challenging us to perform, keeping our team all accountable, focused and on track to achieve the outcomes we aimed for at the beginning of each season. She is very approachable with any farm issues and will go out of her way to help any of our team solve problems. We appreciate her prompt and accurate reporting that is used as a roadmap forward for our Managers and as historical documentation for us. Kim’s bright but unpretentious nature makes her likeable and easy for all staff to work with as we try and strive for higher standards of profitability, compliance and well run tidy farms. She comes highly recommend from us".

Matt & Louise Pepper and our Team at Milk Solid Ltd.

"Paul Martin has been our farm consultant for 12 years. Over that time with his help we have increased our MS by more than 50% and built our farm into an efficient and profitable business. Paul has pushed us to consistently be improving our business by always trying to achieve best practice. As a way to benchmark our farm against others he encouraged us to enter the Dairy Business of the Year Competition and was instrumental in us winning the Northland category twice.

We really appreciate that Paul always works within the boundaries we set to achieve the goals that we have for our business which is why he is such an important part of our team".

A & L Hamilton
Awhitu Valley Farms, Waiuku

"It’s our absolute pleasure to recommend Paul Martin as our Farm Consultant.

Paul has been our farm consultant for over 12 years.

We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate him working with us and providing us with his expertise and diverse knowledge. He is a truly valuable asset to all aspects of our farming operation. As we run two dairy farms and a beef farm and employ 4 full time staff members.

Paul fosters positive discussions and brings the best out of our employees when he visits.

Without a doubt we confidently recommend Paul as a Farm Consultant".

Ian & Sue Chitty
Chitty Farms, Waiuku