| 65 Ag Design’s big thinking gets big results Tom Chisholm ( middle ) has over 30 years’ experience working as a consultant in the sheep and beef industry.. Anne Boswell AgDesign managing director Tom Chisholm has growth in his sights for every client he works with – whether it’s a single on-farm project, or a full-scale, blank-slate overhaul. “What gets me out of bed in the morning is growing grass, growing animals, growing businesses and growing people,” he says. “If we can add value to something, we’ll give it a go.” Tom has over 30 years’ experience working as a consultant in the sheep and beef industry. In the early 1990s he spent four years managing Harry Weir’s property at Burleigh, at which time Harry was looking to commercialise the manufacturing and supply of farmer-designed electric fencing and livestock watering systems – Technograzing™ - under company Kiwitech. This system was partly inspired by trials at Aorangi research station during the late 1960s/early 1970s by Dr Ray Brougham, a contemporary of Harry Weir’s. During Tom’s time at Burleigh, the system delivered exceptional results. The best system achieved production of 925kg of carcass weight per hectare by finishing 18-month-old bulls, taking them from 320kg liveweight to an average of 604kg – over $8,000/ha in gross profit at today’s prices. Tom became so passionate about the system that after a spending a year working with an Australian meat company, introducing bull beef into Victoria, he established AgDesign to support the design and implementation of Technograzing systems. Technograzing is a highly flexible grazing system based around permanent laneways, reliable water infrastructure and temporary electric fencing rather than permanent subdivision. Stock is shifted frequently using portable fences, allowing farmers to continually adjust paddock size and rotation length depending on pasture growth and stock demand. A key requirement for any Technograzing system is strong infrastructure, particularly water. While fencing is simpler and more flexible, reliable reticulated water systems are essential to support frequent stock movements and higher stocking densities. “This system gives a lot of freedom, but you must have supporting infrastructure in place,” Tom says. Thirty years on from his first taste of Technograzing, Tom has built a business that is achieving outstanding results for its clients. “Our clients are seeing a 50% increase in production using this method,” he says. “We have seen a real step change; it has become RURAL SERVICES » Ag Design the benchmark for production systems, particularly with bull beef.” Beyond production gains, pasture management under the Technograzing system reduces nutrient losses, and higher feed conversion efficiency means less methane emitted per kilogram of meat produced. “It is important to be profitable, but that’s not mutually exclusive to positive environmental outcomes,” Tom says. “The more profitable you are, the more you can invest in the environment. “Our philosophy is if you manage your pastures right, you can have 10-year-old pasture that is just starting to hit its straps.” Tom says every farm design starts with understanding the farmer’s long-term goals. t 06 357 0640 www.nla.net.nz Let’s start talking We focus on providing business advice and accounting solutions, so our clients can focus on what they do best! Courtesy Ford Proudly Supports Ag Design “It is important for us to understand where you want to be in 5, 10, 20 years time,” he says. “That plan will undoubtedly change over time but to paraphrase the Cheshire Cat: if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. “Farming is hard work, 365 days a year – but the good thing is if things go awry, you get to have another crack at it next year.”
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