KEY STAFF

Gareth Evans  

As Farms General Manager Gareth Evans oversees the operation of 24 farm companies supervised by AGInvest in New Zealand and Australia.

In his previous role as Director of Agriculture Services at Massey University Gareth was responsible for the administration of the university’s nine farms covering 2200ha adjacent to the university campus. The job required him to balance the need for farm research and teaching with managing a commercial operation.

Gareth is also brings experience as a young sharemilker to his role. He sharemilked for two years in Manawatu and Waikato before returning to Massey to manage one its dairy farms in the late 1990’s.

Gareth also worked internationally as a dairy production consultant. He travelled to Argentina and China under government grants to assist small herd dairy farms establish the New Zealand model of pastoral dairy production systems.

Main roles: Farm supervision, farm management consultancy, equity manager recruitment

Grant Payton        

FARMS OPERATIONS MANAGER

Email Grant: grantp@aginvest.com

 

Grant Payton has played a crucial role in the communication between farm investors and equity managers in his role as AGInvest Farms Operations Manager in the past three years.

He has direct responsibility for the supervision of seven of the nine Southland dairy farms managed by AGInvest. He ensures that shareholders and farm managers have shared objectives and then works with them at the farm level to achieve the desired production and financial outcomes as well as oversee all implementation of farm development projects. Grant provides regular farm and financial reports to all shareholders and deals on a direct basis with farm management and service agents for the farms.

Grant has a degree in Commerce from Lincoln University and a Certificate in Horticulture with distinction from Otago polytechnic.

In his previous roles with NZ Agriseeds as an agronomist and then an area manager Grant dealt with a diverse range of innovative farmers and farm managers throughout the country. He has designed, implemented and managed ryegrass trials on sheep, beef and dairy farms throughout the country. This has given him excellent technical expertise and an appreciation of a wide range of approaches to farming.

Main roles: Farm supervision, communications and reporting, equity manager recruitment, procurement and logistics.

 

Terry Carr

SOUTHLAND DAIRY FARM SUPERVISOR

Email Terry: terry@aginvest.com

 

AGInvest Southland farm supervisor, Terry Carr knows well the needs of managers and investors in dairy farm syndicates.

His 30 year career in the dairy industry includes sharemilking in Waikato, Southland and Otago. Since 2005 he and wife Jacqui have been equity partners in a dairy farm syndicate in South Otago. That partnership has converted a nearby 390Ha dairy farm and sold the original farm investment, using the capital gain to freehold the business. They now employ a contract milker.
 

Ironically his own step up to farm ownership through a syndicate freed up more of his time inspiring him to embark on the Rabobank Executive Development Programme and take on the role with AGInvest.
 

As Southland farm supervisor Terry shares responsibility for supervising the 11 AGInvest-managed dairy farm syndicates in the region with Operations Manager, Grant Payton. He works with equity managers focussing on achieving business goals and regular reporting and communication with shareholders.
 

“Syndicates run very smoothly when everyone knows and understands the goals of shareholders and when everything is well documented and well planned.”

 

Main roles: Farm supervision, communications and reporting, equity manager recruitment, procurement and logistics.

 

 

Sandra Phippen

As accounts and office manager Sandra Phippen oversees the administration of the 24 farm companies supervised by AGInvest.

Sandra manages the company’s Feilding office and her team is responsible for all farm administration including monthly accounts, payrolls, GST, tax and shareholder dividend payments. 

Sandra has had a wide and varied career in the New Zealand dairy industry starting with ten years from leaving school at a former Waikato milk processing company. She is a former sharemilker and AGInvest equity manager. Over the past 20 years she and her husband, Paul have managed large herd dairy farms in North Canterbury, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay and Manawatu.

Sandra is an investor in a current MyFarm syndicate, Hedgehope in Southland and was a shareholder in two syndicates which have now been successfully capitalised.