Farm Management

Michael and Tansey Brosnahan, Beaconsfield Estate

I have been involved with Jansen Travis and Tambo since I returned from overseas and acquired a farm. Tambo was very heavily involved in the decision to convert the farm to its current use and managed the conversion process, which was an enormous undertaking, in an exceptionally professional and competent way, achieving an outcome for me which exceeded expectations and with which I was very happy.

I have a business overseas which involves  commitments which prevent me spending anywhere near as much time as is necessary on farm business and I have come to very much look to and rely on Jansen and Tambo to provide the necessary oversight over farming operations. They are responsible for planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting (everything really!). They have assisted in the process of recruiting a suitable farm manager and supervise his performance offering expert input as and when required.

I have found Jansen and the Tambo team to be personable, hardworking, diligent and completely trustworthy and loyal. Their backgrounds and the fact that they work with a range of clients in a variety of situations means they are hugely experienced and always seem to be right at the cutting edge of the latest thinking on farming and so can be counted on to make the right call.

It always seems to be the case that through my own shortcomings when it comes to organisation I am in a position where I have to request Jansen to perform some onerous task or another at short notice and he never complains nor fails to deliver often staying up most of the night to get the job done.

As will be obvious from the above I have no hesitation in recommending Jansen and the Tambo team to any prospective client and can assure any prospective client that engaging them will be one of the best farming decisions they ever make.

Terry Rothery, Chairman Te Pahau Limited Partnership

Tambo is a very professional team headed by Mike King, with a broad depth of experience in the dairy sector, enabling the Tambo team to maximise farm production with the best industry standards achieved.

Mike’s ability to interact and communicate with all farm staff, shareholders and directors alike is paramount to the successful running of our farming operation. The monthly farm visit and reporting captures in detail how the farm is preforming and where necessary changes are to be made.

I would recommend Tambo to other dairy farmers, who require quality management services from a team that constantly meets our expectations.

Dairy

Andy and Kate Chapman, Strathdon

After converting Strathdon Farm to Dairy in 2013 we engaged Mike King from Tambo to develop a management plan and help us with the recruitment of a suitable Sharemilker  to implement this.

As our consultant Mike  visits regularly, we have found he is very intuitive and has the ability to easily pick up on areas that need attention,  he is always able to offer  guidance and solutions to these to ensure our farm management is on track and targets are met.

Mike’s experience as a hands-on dairy farmer along with his extensive further education and many networks means he is able to help with everything from small on-farm issues to bigger business strategies and financial outcomes. Mike relates well to all members of our team and his input has been invaluable.

Last season we had a change in management and employed a  couple who were in their first season as  Contract Milkers, Mike has provided us with a mentor to work closely with them as they gain confidence in their role. Our mentor Todd Portman is a 50:50 Sharemilker himself , he has extensive pasture management and animal husbandry skills which he is bringing to our business. We have found Todd to be an excellent communicator, thorough and very professional, his ongoing support  is a real asset to our team.

Overall with the  support of Mike and Todd  from Tambo we have been able to exceed our on-farm targets and would certainly recommend their services to future clients.

Jason Grant, Leslie Downs

Mike King of Tambo has been an integral part in the success of our business. Mike has helped steer our organisation and the people in it towards our goals with his expert knowledge and vast dairy industry experience, exceptional people skills, and can do positive attitude.

Liam and Lauren Kelly, Ahipene Farming

Mike (Tambo) employed me in my first share milking position in 2012 at the age of 24 and gave me the step up I needed to develop in my career. I was really impressed by how Mike was always approachable, he gave me a huge amount of support and I really enjoyed working towards the clear performance targets and goals he set for the farm and myself.

A huge strength of Mike’s is his background in farming, this means he has the ability to understand the view from both a sharemilker and an owner keeping a neutral opinion, with an added bonus of understanding staff. His knowledge and practical mind meant he could relate well to daily activities on the farm and communicate ideas which were easy to understand and implement. As a new business owner, he gave me a great insight into reporting and relationships with banks, accountants and other business services. Mike and the Tambo team have always been very efficient and easy to communicate with.

I am really grateful for all the support from Mike over the years and has my highest recommendation. Because of Mike giving me my first share milking opportunity, I have been able to take my business from 30 to currently 680 cows 50/50 share milking. He is very genuine and really cares about your business and seeing things go well.

Sheep and Beef

Andrea Reid, Gumshade Ltd

My late husband Hamish and I have known Jansen Travis for many years through his work in the agricultural industry.  When tragedy struck our family in 2016 when Hamish’s cancer returned we felt it was important to bring Tambo on board to help guide us with our farming operation to make it manageable for whatever the outcome may have been for Hamish.

Jansen worked closely alongside our team of people that help make our farming operation tick!  This included our then farm worker- now farm manager, lawyer, accountant, bank manager and trustees to develop a viable farming operation that could be managed by staff while I took care of my young family.

Jansen has a strong ability to listen to people, has a collaborative approach and takes into consideration everyone’s needs while looking at ways to diversify and develop your property.  He has been able to increase cash flow opportunities and to plan for the future.  He is skilled at feed budgets and cash flow projection and has many contacts in the industry that can assist with projects such as our CPW irrigation project which was worked through within a budget and a timeframe.

My farm manager speaks to Jansen on a regular basis and we have used other people in the Tambo team for things such as employment and  transitioning young stock onto fodder beet.  We have regular team meetings and reviews of our farming operation which helps with health and safety, staffing, budgets, pasture management and stock numbers.

I would highly recommend Tambo as a farm advisory service. They have made the transition from a partnership with my husband to overseeing the farming enterprise much easier.  Knowing that I have the support and guidance to work through this transition period has been invaluable and I will continue to use this service into the future as I reach more of a steady state in the operation and look into new farming opportunities.

Henry Pinckney

I have massively enjoyed working with Tambo on our hill country sheep, beef and forestry farm. The commitment from Jansen and his team to agriculture and our business is evident in all the work we have had from them.

The passion for their work is matched up with reports being comprehensive and prompt to allow effective timely decisions and strategies to be made.

Analysis of development options and stock policies have given us the confidence to develop our farm and business into a more resilient and profitable business, having significant increases in stock carrying capacity and performance with 40% more product going out the gate on an annual basis with a decrease in grazed land with the forestry development.

I would fully recommend using Tambo as we will be into the future.

Bryden Black, Mendip Hills Station

Our family have been involved in farming for a few generations.  Such longevity offers an invaluable perspective upon the industry, for during that time one may encounter as much variety of personnel as the seasons themselves offer.

From such a stance, we are most fortunate to be able to access whatever advice the Tambo staff might provide.  While their methods are thoroughly up to date, making the use of modern technology and financial techniques, they integrate all this with proven wisdom.

It is a truism to say the 21st century is increasingly complex.  Navigating the increasing role of regulations amidst a globally competitive market place where policies and prices, to say nothing of alternative products, all vie for equal influence is indeed complex.  It helps considerably to get solid support from such allies as Tambo.

Conversions

Andrew and Sarah Carr, Balshando Farm

Our bank suggested we use the services of Tambo when converting our family farm in the Mayfield district of Mid Canterbury in the season of 2014-15. We had been brought up on farms and been farming for a number of years in partnership with my parents, but we had zero dairy farm experience!

It was a big challenge to change the direction of our farming practice as there was a lot of financial and generational pressure on us to perform and succeed. It did take us a bit of convincing to use Tambo but after the decision was made we felt a huge relief lifted from our shoulders.

Mike King organised dairy budgets for the bank, helped with staff recruitment and employment contracts and had contacts in the North Island to help secure our herd for a good price.

Jansen Travis oversaw the dairy shed, effluent ponds and underpass builds while making sure contractors were on time to deliver the build with a quality result. He met up with us monthly to make sure contractors were paid when jobs were completed to expectation. These were areas we felt we didn’t have the experience or the expertise in and possible costly mistakes could have been made.

Having Tambo provide us with their support gave us time to focus on farming out our current system at the time and concentrate on things we were capable of doing such as fencing, stock water, pasture renewal and irrigation development.

At the time we thought it was an unnecessary extra cost but in the end we believe it was the right move to get Tambo involved. We got a quality result, under budget and hit the ground running in what was a tough first season with a payout of $3.90 kg/MS.

We would highly recommend  Tambo if you are thinking of  converting to dairying if you feel it would be out of your skill set or expertise because they have the knowledge, contacts, experience, relationships, communication and expectations to get a top result!

Wayne and Jay Schmack, Redpark Farm Ltd

Tambo made our Mayfield dairy conversion a stress free, enjoyable experience.  This was achieved using their expertise in farm design, attention to detail, keeping us within our budget, regular on-site meetings to communicate progress and co-ordinating contractors efficiently. Utilising the services of Tambo is a cost however the savings they provide in time, contacts and ultimately your budget is an investment well worth doing. We would certainly use Jansen and the Tambo team again, they understood our vision for our property and business going forward. We have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone else considering converting.