66 | nzdairy DAIRY SERVICES » Agriconsult Turning the problematic into the profitable Agriconsult’s Terry Carr boasts around 40 years of experience in all facets of dairy farming systems and advises clients on the best strategy for their business. Karen Phelps It’s fixing up stuff on farms that farm consultant Terry Carr from Agriconsult really enjoys. “It’s about ensuring the farm is healthy, well looked after and something people enjoy as well as a balanced investment with good capital returns.” Terry says his business Agriconsult is “a bit different than the average farm consultant” in that he works exclusively for absentee owners and equity partnerships offering an overall consultancy service rather than being a consultant that turns up and advises periodically. “I work with clients to achieve their agreed goals and the best interest of the asset I am representing. I look at the big picture then form a plan that will work best for the farm then report back to the board of directors and facilitate that with the contract milker, sharemilker or farm manager. Clients want to be assured that the on farm management is being conducted in accordance with their plans and consenting obligations, that the budget is being followed and variances reported.” Terry’s role is either as dairy farm consultant or independent directorship and governance advisor – but never both to the same farm. He also offers succession planning and one-off consultancies services and advisory around strategy plans for businesses. Terry boasts around 40 years of experience in all facets of dairy farming systems and advises clients on the best strategy for their business based on the strengths of the land, location and the people involved. His service is underscored by a sound understanding of banking requirements, the need for accurate reporting and excellent communication between all parties involved. Governance and directorships are of particular interest to Terry and he is aligned with a number of respected and well-established dairy farm owners across New Zealand. He says this assists Agriconsult to deliver the results the client seeks and requires. Terry stands by a team approach facilitating a good relationship between consultants, accountants, HR specialists, banks and bankers and other industry specialists and is not afraid to bring in outside expertise when beneficial. For example he works closely with Landpro for consenting work and farm environmental plans and Phippen Enterprises Business Management Services for administration, bookkeeping, payroll, financial management, HR and governance. His association with dairy consultancy firm BakerAg benefits his clients by sharing dairy industry information from reporting across 60 farms across KPIs. “This helps benchmark what is a good farm and how they are getting results,” says Terry. It is turning a farm around from problematic to profitable that makes his job worthwhile. “Over the years I have been involved in large-scale MPI issues where I go in, sort out problems with good policies for management and practices for on farm staff to get the farm back to a sustainable, profitable and equitable position. In the past I have successfully turned farms from struggling to sustainable businesses.” Terry is one of four directors of the Aquila Sustainable Farms, the biggest organic farming in the Southern Hemisphere, which adds yet more knowledge to his skillset. He is interested in how organic principles can sometimes be integrated into conventional farming systems to help them meet environmental obligations. Terry’s skills means he also undertakes mentoring, up skilling staff stepping up to different roles or fill in skills gaps: “Sometimes there are staff that are good at cows and grass but might not have the financial, communication or corporate knowledge. That’s where I can bridge the gap.” “I work with clients to achieve their agreed goals and the best interest of the asset I am representing. I look at the big picture then form a plan that will work best for the farm then report back to the board of directors and facilitate that with the contract milker, sharemilker or farm manager.”
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