| 91 RURAL PEOPLE » Rangitapu Station Data-driven innovation on Rangitapu Station Karen Phelps Proudly supporting RangitapuStation We’re here to help you maximise profits on farm, so talk to your local Nutrient Specialist today. ballance.co.nz | 0800 222 090 Tom’s reliance on data and meticulous planning saw the farm not just weather the storm but flourish. Twenty eight year old Tom Aitken, a fifth generation sheep and beef farmer, is set to take full ownership of Rangitapu Station on 1 July after managing the family farm for the past two years. His focus during this period has been driving increased profitability, making sure the succession settlement goes smoothly with siblings and ensuring his parents have a fantastic retirement on the farm in a new house being built this year overlooking the lake after their years of hard work. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Agriculture from Lincoln University, Tom’s background is steeped in data and analytics, skills he’s putting to good use on Rangitapu Station. His career began in the realms of lending services at ANZ Agri, where he served as a relationship associate for highly leveraged customers. However, a pivotal six-month course in financial technology at Oxford University and Saiid Business School altered the trajectory of his career. Tom’s journey continued with a stint at Balance Agri Nutrients in Canterbury, where he designed a groundbreaking MVP auto fertiliser recommendation engine. His expertise did not go unnoticed, as he was later enlisted by Ignite Data Solutions, an Australian-based company specialising in data analytics for the utilities market. While working remotely from Rangitapu Station, Tom played a crucial role in developing the business in Australia, New Zealand and North America. The transition to full-time management of the farm marked a turning point for Tom. Challenges awaited him, with 350ha of the 1100ha property requiring replanting and a sudden spike in DAP prices. Tom’s reliance on data and meticulous planning saw the farm not just weather the storm but flourish. The number of lambs finished saw a remarkable increase, doubling from a historical 7000 to an impressive 16,000. “It was challenging and took a leap of faith to believe in my numbers and plans to make it work. It’s one thing thinking about it and another doing it. Before you start thinking of changes or different systems to run, its essential to know the numbers in detail as without that you just have an opinion on what might be a good idea” he says. A pivotal aspect of Tom’s success lay in reimagining the farm’s operating system inherited from the outgoing manager. A strategic overhaul of stocking policy, crops and trade buying strategies resulted in a near doubling of profits. Tom has been working out a logical stocking rotation for the farm and choosing multi year crops to reduce the risk of crop failure and increase grazing days per year. “You also have to factor in the amount of time land is out of action from sowing to reaping,” he says. Regarding trade buying strategy, data and analytics has also come to the fore: “I’ve mapped out months in advance where things are heading, stocking rates and what the market does on those weeks or months historically. Looking at past ten years of data and picking correlations and picking buy times accordingly have been key.” Rangitapu Station supplies majority of its lambs to Atkins Ranch destined for Whole Foods in the USA and Ugg Slippers with lamb pelts. Tom strongly believes in the Atkins Ranch model: “The leadership of Atkins Ranch is thinking about future demand in the market for our products. This gives us the competitive edge of chasing premiums from an emerging market, which has paid dividends on top of prime meat schedule.” Critical to Tom’s success is his dedicated team, including second-in-charge Baden Jamieson, tractor driver Dean Lancaster, and the invaluable insights of his parents Caroline, a practicing veterinarian, and James. The key he has found with people is looking for highly trustworthy team members and ensuring they understand the ‘why’. “If you can explain this to the team they fully buy in to what needs to happen and they start thinking about further improvements to make it happen. The support from my team and externals has been truly amazing; without them I really would have struggled to take the farm into uncharted waters.” A legacy Tom plans to continue is riparian planting around the 21ha lake, which is now 35ha in total fenced and planted in native bush. The farm also includes 50ha of forestry blocks for harvest on a 30-year cycle. Looking to the future, Tom’s vision for Rangitapu Station is once again meticulously planned. A nine-year rotation with 40ha of kale annually, developing smaller paddocks with reticulating water, and expanding the irrigation system is all part of a sustainable and forward-thinking farming approach. Tom envisions not only expanding the farming operation, including leasing and buying other farms, but also venturing into off-farm businesses.
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